Social Innovations in Early Childhood Intervention

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A new approach to present
Innovative Practices
FOREWORD BY MICHAEL FEMBEK
Programme Manager of the Essl Foundation and Director of the Zero Project
It is universally recognized that the period of
early childhood is one of the most important
phases for the development and well-being
of any child. The intimate contact between
mother and child will significantly shape the
child’s future disposition, and early diagnosis
of any deviation becomes paramount for
dedicated care.
The importance of Early Childhood Interven-
tion (ECI) for the development of children
with disabilities (as for all vulnerable children)
has gained considerable recognition since
the 1990s. Early age is also mentioned four
times in the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities. Several ECI sup-
port services have been developed in recent
years, such as diagnosis and assessment,
home-based care and family support models,
tools and toolkits, and Early Intervention
Centres.
The wide gap
Still, Early Childhood Intervention is far from
being mainstreamed into national policies
and financial support mechanism for children
with disabilities. There are many reasons for
this wide gap, and arguably one of the most
prominent is the fact that the period of early
childhood (in most countries aged 0–6) is
not covered by national education systems.
Education comes later, and so do government
attention and budgets.
Finding innovative solutions
The Zero Project, an initiative of the Essl
Foundation, focuses on the rights of persons
with disabilities globally. It provides a platform
where the most innovative and effective solu-
tions to problems that persons with disabilities
face are shared. Its sole objective is to assist
in creating a world without barriers. The Zero
Project takes a solutions-based approach to
its work. Together with its continuously grow-
ing network of over 3,000 disability experts in
more than 150 countries, we seek to identify
the most effective “Innovative Policies and
Practices” that improve the lives of persons
with disabilities.
In-depth analysis
The Zero Project has identified more than
300 Innovative Practices and Policies over the
last year, in four distinct areas: employment,
accessibility, independent living/political
participation, and education. For the first time,
with this first edition of the Zero Project Anal-
ysis, we take our work one step further to an
in-depth analysis of Innovative Practices. Eight
case studies have been carefully selected in a
three-step selection process that has involved
dozens of experts with and without disabilities.
We have developed a model of analysis that
focuses on a clear and replicable description
of the solution that has been put forward by
each Practice. A key element of this de-
scription is the graphic facilitation that is an
integrative part of our “storytelling.”
We hope that this innovative format will prove
inspiring for everyone working in the field of
Early Childhood Intervention. The full Zero
Project Analysis as well as all individual case
studies can be downloaded from the Zero Pro-
ject website as well as
from the website of the European Association
of Service Providers for Persons with Disabili-
ties (EASPD) at
Cooperation with EASPD
All of us at the Essl Foundation are delighted
about this first cooperation with EASPD, and
we wish to express our special thanks to Franz
Wolfmayr, Luk Zelderloo, and Sabrina Ferraina.
The Zero Project Analysis will be presented at
the Annual Conference of the EASPD, which
will take place this year in Chisinau, Moldova.
Michael Fembek, April 2016