There are number of challenges that persons with disability face when choosing Latvia as the new country of residence. Prior to the project, there were almost no informative materials in Latvia that would be developed taking into account the needs of persons with disabilities. Furthermore, there were no available educational programs that could give basic knowledge about the disability models, social support system in the state and other issues crucial for the successful further integration into local community. This information gap was met by the project activities. The goal of the project was to provide accessible information about the support and services available for third country nationals with disabilities so they could integrate in Latvian society. This was addressed by creating a road map in English and Russian, as well as Latvian to also promote the learning of Latvian among third country nationals.

The project included these main activities: 1. Identification of the main barriers for third country nationals’ with disabilities integration in other EU countries, using this material as a basis for an educational program in English and Russian to reach larger audiences. As the program includes a possibility to adjust to the needs and the level of knowledge of different individuals, it is flexible and can also be adjusted for e-learning. 2. Drafting, translating and publishing of informative and educational resource map – “How to get support” in English, Russian and Latvian to also promote the learning of Latvian among third country nationals. 3. Creating of a special section in the website of the organization in Russian and English for people with disabilities who have recently arrived in Latvia and lack the information about how to get the support needed. This section is regularly updated with new issues and changes in state policy.

The project identified the main problems for third country nationals’ with disabilities inclusion in society. It created a flexible educational program in English, Russian and Latvian based on the main identified problems. It also created an informative and educational resource map “How to get support”. The information for people with disabilities was made accessible also on the website of the organization, and it was forwarded also to the state and local authorities thus enlarging the potential of reaching wider audiences. All of these activities were aimed to create an information space for people with disabilities – third country nationals, thus contributing towards the integration of third country nationals in Latvia.

The quality of actions was evaluated in the process and also after completing the project by organizations’ staff, partner organizations, officials from local government and social services. The resource map “How to get support” was tested prior to the publication in view of the usefulness of the information provided, correcting some identified gaps.

The target audience for the project were people with disabilities from third countries. The results of the project will be beneficiary for all people with disabilities who have recently arrived in Latvia or will arrive in the near future, as the practice provided important information about how to get the support needed.

The practice was funded by the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals – 75% of the budget coming from the EU, with 25% national co-financing.