On 9 December 1992, the awards will be presented to the prizewinners in the European competition for "An independent way of life for the disabled" at a ceremony to be held at the Albert Borschette Conference Centre in Brussels. These awards are made under the auspices of the HELIOS Programme, the European Community's action programme for the disabled, the aim of which is to foster an overall, coherent policy of school, economic and social integration for all types of disabled people. The ultimate objective is to promote an exchange of information and experience among the Community Member States to enable them to pursue the most appropriate policies for integrating disabled people into society. The HELIOS Programme has been particularly prominent in creating Handynet, a multilingual computerised system for disseminating information on technical aids for the handicapped. To encourage efforts to help disabled people pursue an independent lifestyle, the Commission of the European Communities also makes annual awards for outstanding achievements in respect of "mobility and transport", "access to buildings and public services" and "housing". To be considered, projects must meet the following conditions: - They must have been completed or conducted within the three-year period preceding the year in which the awards are made. - They must make a definite contribution to the social integration of the disabled and the promotion of an independent way of life. - They must serve as a model for similar work in other parts of the European Community. An independent panel, comprising 12 experts (one from each Member State) in architecture, town planning, rehabilitation, sociology, transport, psychology and law, has selected the best projects from the proposals made by government experts and representatives of European support groups for the disabled. Something like 100 applications were received in this third year of the award scheme. The panel selected 28 of them: eight in the category "mobility and transport", nine relating to "access to buildings and public services" and eleven in the category "housing". To give an example, one of the prizewinning projects in the "mobility and transport" category concerns a special steering wheel of a diameter of only 8 cm, which enables a disabled person to drive with one hand exerting a force of no more than 500 g. Another example is a special pre- takeoff and post-landing service for the disabled at a major international airport. In the category "access to public buildings", a prize has been awarded to a major shopping centre for the ease with which disabled people can move around and do their shopping. Another award goes to a concert and theatre complex which is fully accessible to the disabled (audience and performers). Mention should also be made of a comprehensive project entered by a regional authority providing special help for the blind and deaf to use theatre, museum and library services. In the "housing" category, one of the prizes is for a house specially designed and arranged to enable people suffering from multiple sclerosis to lead an independent lifestyle; another of the awards is for a farm which provides work and accommodation for six mentally handicapped adults. A third project worthy of mention is a complex of buildings housing self-contained dwelling units, a rehabilitation centre and a sheltered workshop. Note for members of the press The morning of 9 December at the Centre Borschette (36, rue Froissart, Brussels) will be devoted to a conference on the three award themes. Mrs Delors will be presenting the awards (commemorative plaques) to the prizewinners at a ceremony starting at 14.00 hrs. There will be videoclips showing the prizewinning projects. The final event of the day will take place at around 17.00 hrs and will be a tour of the exhibition of projects (on the mezzanine level at the Centre Borschette), followed by a reception given by Mrs V. Papandreou, Member of the Commission. Journalists are cordially invited to attend any of these activities, especially the award presentation ceremony. It would be appreciated if those wishing to attend could tell the HELIOS information service by 17.00 hrs on Tuesday, 8 December on Tel. 02/735.41.05 or Fax 02/735.16.71 (Mr Yves Dricot). A press dossier giving full details of the prizewinners is available in all nine official Community languages, either at the event on 9 December or on request from the HELIOS information service, 79 Avenue de Cortenberg, 1040 Brussels. * * *
