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| What is Mo.Te? | Why this project? | General Objectives | Specific Objectives |
M.O.TE – ‘My Opinion My Vote’ is a Grundtvig Multilateral Project financed by the ‘Lifelong Learning Programme for European Education, Audiovisual & Culture Agency’.
The project aims to empower people with learning disabilities through active citizenship and participation in political elections.
0.1% of European citizens present with a learning disability. The life expectancy for this group has increased considerably; therefore the urgency in addressing issues surrounding citizen’s rights has become increasingly more apparent.
For the most part people with learning disabilities (ld) do not engage in political participation as electors, thereby not exercising their right to vote. There can however, be isolated instances whereby, particular families address the issue and as such those individuals with learning disability may exercise their right to vote. 
While, “self advocacy” is now a widespread phenomenon in the field of disability, there continues to exist a situation whereby people with learning disabilities do not exercise their right to vote. It can be hypothesized that this may be attributed to a lack of:
- Awareness and education of people with ld themselves;
- Awareness on the part of their relatives and carers;
- Facilitating measures by public authorities
To educate people with learning disabilities regarding their political rights.
- To encourage people with learning disabilities to form and express an informed opinion / decision on the occasion of local, national and European elections and referenda, like any other European citizen.
- To raise awareness among those who are in a position to facilitate people with learning difficulties in exercising their political rights.
- To investigate how extensive the exercising of political rights is in the six member states. To investigate the European/national/local citizenship awareness of people with ld and to identify examples of good practice which, have already been experimented in the same field, with this or other target groups.
- To design, develop and test an educational programme (on people with learning disabilities and professionals together) comprising two modules containing ten educational units.
- To set up a European pilot group of adults with learning disabilities who will meet three times and contribute to the design and testing of project outcomes.
- To launch an awareness raising campaign, utilising specific tools to address people with learning disabilities themselves, their carers, professionals, decision makers, and political parties.
- To foster dissemination and exploitation of results to as many people with learning disabilities as possible, through setting up a European centre for the exercising of political rights of people with learning disabilities, managed and funded both by EDSA and partners on completion of the project.
