He swayed between the large tables until, arriving in front of us, he gave in to an impetuous gesture. She held the frame on which she drew her embroidery, while she clung to a small wooden figurine to assemble which could well represent the Purísima dressed in … suns. And come vigorously into the class: yes, card holders over there, openers over there. “Be careful, the glue press.” Garlands, Christmas cards, felt figures, tree decorations. Agitated, Adrián insisted that his colleagues show what they were working on.
The 24-year-old young man is one of the 110 people who go every morning, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to the Fuenlabrada Occupation, Training, Opportunities and Professional Integration Center for adults – between 18 and 65 years old – with intellectual disabilities and mental disorders. Currently, the professional area of the center has five workshops, with 20 users in each of them: creative, textiles, candles and dried flowers, manipulated and wood. Laura Sánchez, its director, explains that each member has a personal project, a work itinerary designed specifically according to their needs and preferences: “Each user decides which activities they will carry out within the center and, in some cases, also outside. To make the plans, we asked each of them about their preferences, likes and dislikes. From this information, we define the activities that will be part of your personalized plan. We do not have a portfolio of standard proposals, but we create, adapt or research initiatives based on the choices and needs of each member of the center.
There is no more obvious example than that of Adrián: he sews with sparkle what paint resists. The young user is happy to announce that in the coming months, after collaborating with the City Council, he will be part of the Conectar project, a program in which opportunities to develop personal autonomy, social skills and self-determination are encouraged, through functional learning in the community, through training and volunteer actions. “At Conectar, they prepare, step by step, to be able to access a job in the future. Some already work in handling or cleaning companies, as warehouse workers or stockists in supermarkets,” explains Irene García, a teacher in one of the center’s workshops for twenty years.
The Fuenlabrada professional center thus strives to maximize the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, by promoting the development of their social skills and personal autonomy through training activities. In fact, in recent months it has hosted one of the 374 basic digital skills courses, as part of the “Essentials” program, which aims to improve the employability of more than 16,000 people with disabilities throughout Spain and encourage their participation in an inclusive labor market, which Fundación ONCE will offer in the Community of Madrid, becoming a pilot center. In total, a catalog was created with a dozen eight-hour face-to-face training courses, delivered over two days, each with a maximum of ten students.
Each year, between ten and twelve users of the center enter the world of work. “The work experiences of people with disabilities generally do not last long. They usually have temporary contracts or seasonal jobs, after which they return to the center. This is why the follow-up places are so important: they allow the person to maintain their place in the center during their period of employment and, if they lose their job within three months, they can return and continue the process without interruption, working according to their personal project”, explains Sánchez. In Adrián’s case, the objective is that the young person can work in an area related to the veterinary sector, for example as an assistant.
Each year, between ten and twelve users of the center enter the world of work
Lorena, 36 years old and a user of the center since 2011, lacks nothing. He glances askance at his partner. The young woman suffers from a motor disability which particularly affects her balance. He says, with a certain shyness, that he passed the Adif exams, but that he did not get a place. However, her biggest wish is to work in a school. It is for this reason that her educators tried to bring her closer to this environment, by taking her to daycares and schools. He also took computer science and administration courses, although, due to his condition, he cannot access employment or complete approved internships.
“As we know that your goal is difficult to achieve due to the circumstances, we try to offer you other ways so that you can maintain this interest and enthusiasm. At the center, as he really likes the administrative field and is not in the process of being placed, we generally entrust him with small tasks related to this field. For example, in the workshop, she is responsible for making photocopies, scanning documents or transferring them to the computer. In a way, we try to transfer his interests into our daily life and give him a space where he can develop them,” says García. And Lorena laughs, and Adrián accompanies her in her little pleasures.
Learning
At the center, they emphasize that we work on empathy, frustration management, problem solving, communication and control of impulsivity. “What have you improved since you’ve been at the center?” You can see him wandering in the recesses of his thoughts. “I take more time to think before making decisions, to think and only then to act,” anticipates Adrián. Lorena continues, “I learned not to let things affect me so much. “Before, I was too involved in conflicts and was always emotionally lost.” They also emphasize that they work on intimacy and sexuality. “The theme of couples. It’s a microworld, this is where they meet. We’ve had users who decided to start a relationship and their families weren’t supportive. They often don’t realize that they are also adults with their own needs.
After the conference, Lorena and Adrián return to their respective workshops. With candles and dried flowers, José Antonio and Raúl explain to us, like real merchants, how the wax melter works, while Nadia’s love springs up and tells us about her uncle’s restaurant, who doesn’t understand why they haven’t been there yet. In the wooden one, Óscar Ponce and Juan Carlos enthusiastically show off the newly finished carved trees. In the creative workshop, Iván Jesús says the nutcrackers on the counter are made with soda cans, “recycled materials, everything.” There is no longer anyone at the occupation center on Arquímedes Street in Fuenlabrada who is not working on preparations for the January 5 market at Puerta del Sol.
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