Academic Collaborative Centre for PIMD: Helping others to get the most out of life

People with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) are depending on the support of others. The Academic Collaborative Center for PIMD aims to contribute to the quality of life of these people and their families. Recently the book ‘Programma Perspectief’ (English: Programme Perspective) was published.

Learning from each other.

In the Netherlands around 13.000 people have severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. People with PIMD have a (very) severe intellectual disability combined with a motor disability. They also often have sensory problems and health problems, such as epilepsy and dietary problems.

The Academic Collaborative Centre for PIMD - a collaboration of the department of orthopedagogics of the University of Groningen, healthcare group ‘s Heeren Loo, Hanze University Groningen and Koninklijke Visio – aims to improve the quality of life of children and adults with a (very) severe intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) and their families.

A characteristic of the Academic Workshop EMB is the close collaboration between science and practice. Coordinator and professor of Orthopedagogy Annette van der Putten: "The cooperation between researchers, healthcare institutions and parents and other loved ones allows the research to be guided by problems and questions from daily practice. There is an interaction: research findings find their way into practice sooner and gaps in knowledge and questions from practice become the subject of research more quickly."

Program Perspective for care professionals

Recently the Academic Collaborative Centre for PIMD released the book 'Program Perspective: An adventurous program for adventurous care professionals' . The book provides tools for healthcare professionals who work with people with PIMD. The starting point of the authors, Petra Poppes, Annette van der Putten and Carla Vlaskamp, is that people with PIMD have the right, just like others, to an optimal development and control over their own lives.

Annette van der Putten: "People with PIMD have limitations, of course, but they also have possibilities. They have a right to life, to be activated, to have control over their own lives and to develop themselves, however minimal the possibilities may be."

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• Annette van der Putten
• Academic Collaborative Centre for PIMD