Supporting people with Autism Spectrum Dis. in leisure time: impact of an Univ. Vol. Program, and rel. factors

• Autores: María del Carmen Nieto Vizcaíno, Eva Murillo Sanz, Mercedes Belinchón Carmona, Almudena Giménez de la Peña, David Saldaña Sage, María Ángeles Martínez Martín, María Frontera
• Localización: Anales de psicología, ISSN-e 1695-2294, ISSN 0212-9728, Vol. 31, Nº. 1, 2015, págs. 145-154
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.6018/analesps.31.1.166591
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen
  • español

    La participación social tiene efectos positivos en salud mental y física, y puede tomarse como un indicador de calidad de vida. Sin embargo, la participación de personas con discapacidad en su comunidad es aún esca-sa, especialmente para las personas con autismo. En este trabajo evaluamos el grado de satisfacción con un programa de voluntariado universitario diri-gido a personas con autismo para apoyar actividades de ocio y tiempo libre (APUNTATE).

    Un total de 159 familias de usuarios y 230 voluntarios cumplimentaron un cuestionario de satisfacción que identificó las áreas en las que el programa tenía más impacto. Los resultados mostraron una alta satisfacción general tanto en usuarios como en voluntarios, aunque algunas características per-sonales de los usuarios generaron leves diferencias. Los aspectos más valo-rados fueron la organización del programa, la formación y tutorización con-tinua que se ofrecía a los voluntarios. Otra característica del programa, am-pliamente valorada, fue la capacidad de éste de adaptar los apoyos a las ne-cesidades individuales de usuarios y voluntarios.

    Este trabajo pone de manifiesto que la universidad pública puede imple-mentar con éxito programas de apoyos para promover la participación so-cial. Estos programas pueden favorecen el desarrollo personal, favorecer el cambio de actitudes hacia las personas con discapacidad y mejorar las pers-pectivas de empleo de los estudiantes

  • English

    Social participation has positive effects on mental and physical health, and it can be taken as an indicator of quality of life. However, the participation of people with disabilities in their communities is still scarce, especially for people with autism.

    The impact on individual satisfaction produced by a university volunteer program (APUNTATE) aimed at supporting people with autism in leisure activities was evaluated. A questionnaire of impact assessment, that identi-fies those areas where the impact is greater, was completed by 159 families of users and 230 volunteers.

    Users and volunteers reported a very high level of satisfaction with the program, but personal characteristics of users slightly influenced the scores. The structured organization of the program, and the continued training and support received by volunteers were the highest valued aspects. The adaptation of supports to the individual needs of users and volunteers was another relevant factor to explain the results.

    The evaluation obtained shows that volunteering programs to promote the participation of people with ASD can be successfully implemented in pub-lic universities. These programs can increase the personal development, fa-cilitate a change of attitude towards people with disabilities and can im-prove future employment prospects of students

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