About Us
The Galician Confederation of persons with disabilities (COGAMI) is a non-profit organization born in 1990 and declared of public utility. Its aim is to achieve the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas of society, through the defence and promotion of their rights, the demand of social change, the strengthening of the creation of associations and through the provision of services that satisfy their needs and expectations.
It consists of more than 50 associations, fact that turns it into one of the most representative organisations in the field of disability in Galicia.
We offer specialized services oriented towards persons with disabilities. Our aim is to improve their personal autonomy, quality of life and that they can develop their plan of life according to their needs and interests.
We have representation in the whole Galician territory (northwest of Spain) with information desks in the 7 main cities and 4 centres that take care of rural areas. Moreover, our professionals do also move to the rural areas in order to give assistance to people who need our services. Some of them are:
- Advice and intervention. We provide support to persons with disabilities and their families. For that, we inform, advice and orient them on the management and access to the available social resources. We carry out interventions aimed at every person with disabilities (women, minors, people in situation of dependence, etc.). Moreover, we raise awareness among the society by focusing on the skills of the individuals and her or his involvement under equal opportunities.
We manage more than 3 000 annual support assistance through this service.
- Employment. Our Service of Information, Orientation and Research of Employment, known for its abbreviation SIL, is a great model in the specialisation of the actions oriented towards the job search.
SIL gives to persons with disabilities the necessary tools for an active job search. In addition, it helps companies by providing workers to them, advice and support while the integration into the labour market of persons with disabilities.
Around 20 000 persons with disabilities are users of this service, which means that every year there are more than 2 000 labour incorporations.
- Training. We have a training programme adapted to the specific needs that persons with disabilities could have.
This training programme includes an average of more than 50 training actions each year. The insertion rate is around 6 months after the end of the action of around 30 % of the students who successfully finish the training.
- Accessibility. On the one hand, we offer advice about legislation, technical assistance, ergonomics and areas. On the other hand, also about the improvement of houses accessibility and public or private buildings by following the principles of the universal design.
In addition, we carry out consultant activities, we give advice and we create projects for accessibility improvement and the removal of architectural barriers. The aim is to improve persons with disabilities autonomy.
Annually, more than 100 interventions of accessibility are done, both in public and private areas.
- Supporting products. We have at people’s disposal a service of lending supporting products. For that, we make a previous evaluation of the situation.
Each year, we manage more than 50 supporting products.
- Daytime Assistance. We have places in day and occupational centres that offer personalized care for users. They receive it through programmes of rehabilitation, basic education, handmade and training workshops and sporting, cultural and recreational programmes. Moreover, they also have the adapted transport service.
Organisations Assistance. We provide information and specialized advice services oriented towards organisations of the social sector. We also carry out the resource’s management, we organise courses, social raising awareness and health events, and we encourage the participation in adapted recreational activities for everybody. Annually around 400 types of support are given to organisations from this service.
New initiatives.
We are a proactive and innovative organisation in the field of social intervention. A proof of this is that throughout our history, we have been creating numberless new services. Much of this innovative character comes from the exchange of good practices at national level. In addition, it also comes from our participation in European Projects that make easier the exchange of good practices, continuous improvement and the creation of ideas to implement.
Our last ideas have resulted in:
- The implementation of a Specialized Advisory Centre in the affective-sexual field that includes a unit of advice and intervention in order to face facts against freedom and sexual indemnity, and with an important task of sensitization. Although the launch of the project has already started it is still in process of consolidation. Therefore, we are still waiting for its incorporation in the services we offer.
An innovative programme for the encouragement of the personal autonomy of persons with disabilities in a situation of dependency since an early age. Following a person focussed methodology, and through the deployment of numberless advanced intervention techniques, we are evaluating the impact of the programme on the personal autonomy in contrast to the use of traditional methodologies. This programme is developed in cooperation with the autonomous government at the Galician Centre of Comprehensive Development, in the Building CEGADI of Santiago de Compostela.
Finally, it is important to mention that our organisation has 11 business initiatives of social economy that engage more than 800 people with disabilities. They emerge in order to create business opportunities that lead us to achieve more social inclusion and participation for persons with disabilities.