About us
Association for people with developmental disabilities in Slovak Republic is one of the largest non-profit associations in Slovakia. Its history dates back to 1980 and it currently has over 10,000 members in local organizations in all regions.
The main goal of the association is to integrate people with developmental disabilities into the society. The fulfillment of their human rights is crucial for us. We would like those people to be accepted for who they are so that they have a chance to work, learn, relax, and have a family life and friends.
What we do?
We advocate the rights and interests and fight against the discrimination of people with developmental disabilities. We are members of major Slovak and international organizations.
We kill prejudices – we organize national annual events for wider public – Art Exhibition, Crooked Mirrors Day = Day of people with developmental disabilities…We run campaigns to spread the awareness about mental disabilities.
We dedicate our time to self-advocacy – regular meetings of adult people with mental disabilities where they discuss their rights and responsibilities, and learn about being independent and decision making.
We educate– we organize courses, conferences and seminars for people with mental disabilities, for experts, parents, and volunteers…We publish information leaflets, brochures, specialized manuals, books.
We offer free consultancy and specialized advisoryin matters regarding housing, education, employment or social services to people with mental disabilities, their parents, caregivers…
We organize recreation camps – annual leisure & integration camps for people with mental disabilities and their assistants.
We publish magazines INFORMATION and THIS IS US, available also in Bivio Restaurant.
We cooperate swith foreign organizations and work on innovative projects.
Origins of Bivio
Young and adult people with mental disabilities, who graduated from practice oriented schools, often cannot find employment in Slovakia. There are several reasons, one of them being insufficient preparation for particular professions, which could be useful for the job market. If these people cannot find a job, they are then usually dependent on social institutions services or they stay home.Work is key to a fulfilling and independent life, and that is why we have decided to focus on this topic. We wanted to come up with an effective solution for everyone.
Preparing people with mental disabilities for employment is a demanding and hard process, but achievable. Thanks to the support of Danish charities Velux we were able to build BIVIO Centre, a unique social establishment, hat brings new opportunities for many. Bivio offers people with mental disabilities a possibility to prepare for work and employment while providing full services for public.
You can meet many people with mental disabilities in BIVIO. Some of them work here and others learn to gain experience in hotel, restaurant, and laundry services for jobs like kitchen help, assistant waiters, laundry workers or housekeepers.
Thank you for using our services as a way of support for our centre. Because BIVIO is a social establishment,the profits are directed to social area, specifically for rehabilitation-educational centre, where people with mental disabilities are being prepared for employment. This way, their chances for integrating into the job market and society are much higher. They can live more independent life thanks to BIVIO.
We hope you like our hotel and are satisfied with our services. We will do our best so that you come back in the future.