The McLain Association for Children – Georgia (MAC Georgia) is the first recipient in the country to be presented with a Zero Project Award for its efforts to promote a barrier-free world for persons with disabilities. This highly competitive award is viewed as the ‘gold standard’ for innovation and inclusion worldwide. Founded by Austrian non-profit Essl Foundation in 2008, the Zero Project is a global and research-driven initiative to work for a world with zero barriers and to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The Zero Project identifies and shares scalable solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of all persons with disabilities, focusing on Education, Employment, Accessibility, Independent Living and Political Participation, and ICT.
MAC Georgia was recognized for its innovative program Mshoblis Skivri (Parent’s Chest), which is an online repository of disability information for parents and families of children with disabilities. It was created during the pandemic to help isolated Georgians who lacked the essential knowledge needed to provide for their family’s special needs. This included a range of Facebook Live trainings and discussions; targeted education, and demonstrations on issues such as feeding, wheelchair positioning, and use of adaptive aids and assistive technologies. The platform is also used to share international best practices and provide accurate information on health-related issues such as vaccine safety and universal health precautions. Post pandemic, Mshoblis Skivri has remained a strong component of MAC services, increasing technical support and disability expertise to rural, remote, and low resource areas of the country. Sign language interpretation is provided at every online event. As Facebook is the preferred platform for many parents of children in Georgia, this is used as a primary platform for knowledge dissemination and communication. However, multiple online platforms are used to strengthen community reach, including a strong presence on Instagram and YouTube. Live events are held several times per week on a range of disability topics from local experts within MAC and in the broader disability network.
Mshoblis Skivri strives to be highly interactive and inclusive of needs across contexts. Live events have a discussion component, allowing viewers from all over the country to ask questions and receive help in real time. There is also an option to register for a one-on-one consultation with a specialist on MAC’s team who can provide more support that is tailored to the needs of an individual family. Because of its accessibility, families across Georgia have been able to build a strong network of support, connecting isolated families and children with disabilities with others in similar situations.
The Zero Project award brings international attention to the work of MAC Georgia, and further highlights their innovation and commitment to transform the lives of the most vulnerable members of Georgia by providing them with the resources they need and by strengthening the systems and individuals that give them care. “We work hard every day to enhance the lives of persons with disabilities and to support families and other care providers,” stated Jeremy Gaskill, CEO of MAC Georgia. “Every person on our staff shares this commitment. And when the pandemic started, we had to come up with creative ways to continue to support people across the country. It can be isolating for a family who has a child with a disability, and we knew it was important to find ways to stay connected. Mshoblis Skivri evolved from the brainstorming of staff, including those who are themselves a parent of a child with a disability.”
The Zero Project Awardees 2024 were revealed on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, held on December 3rd of each year. An unprecedented 526 nominations from 97 countries across six continents were submitted during this year’s call for nominations. Nominees were peer-reviewed by experts from the international disability inclusion community and winners were selected based on three criteria: innovation, impact, and scalability. From this, 77 programs from 43 countries were recognized with the coveted Zero Project award. MAC is proud to be included within this elite group, and the first ever awarded this international recognition in Georgia. A core team of the program staff will attend the Zero Project Conference in Vienna in February 2024, and have even been selected to present at the conference. “It’s a huge honor for MAC to receive this award”, Gaskill noted. “We knew we were doing good things in Georgia, but it’s quite rewarding to have other experts around the world recognize our work as well.”
