Context
The RAAVI project emerged in the context of the ratification by Belgium and France of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which has made the question of self‑determination a shared responsibility for all.
Establishing people’s power to act and to speak out reshapes the relationship between those who provide support and those who receive it. The shift in roles and positions brought about by the renewed emphasis on respecting the universal right to self-determination, to act freely on one’s own behalf, and to make one’s own decisions, is changing professional points of reference and prompting a re-examination of both meaning and practice.
The environmental constraints faced by French and Belgian establishments and services, whether administrative, cultural, structural, or organisational, reflect shared challenges that should be addressed and improved for the benefit of the life paths of people with disabilities. It is therefore of major importance to develop a common, complementary, diverse, and inclusive cross-border response to people’s life journeys.
It is essential to involve the people concerned at every stage of this cross-border approach, both in identifying the barriers and enabling factors and in delivering the training activities. Their contribution is an indispensable condition for testing new forms of participation.
Objectives
The RAAVI project aims to promote the inclusion and self-determination of people with disabilities throughout their life course by identifying the barriers and enabling factors, whether related to training, organisation, or management, and by mapping and developing approaches and tools to improve managerial, organisational, collaborative, and educational practices. Its overall purpose is to improve support systems on the basis that self-determination is a fundamental principle of support.
RAAVI covers a cross-border area and seeks to address the shared environmental constraints affecting establishments and services in Belgium and France. It involves the active participation of people with disabilities, their carers, and professionals, and is structured around three areas of work:
- research and situational analysis;
- tool development;
- capacity-building.
The solutions developed aim to create a foundation knowledge, methodologies, and tools to promote self-determination, independent living, deinstitutionalisation, and inclusion. Through this, the RAAVI project seeks to transform the way people with disabilities are supported by promoting self-determination, respecting their rights, and building a shared culture of support.
Partners
The RAAVI project is funded by the European Union through the INTERREG France–Wallonia–Flanders (FWVL) cross‑border cooperation programme and is supported by a diverse partnership that includes universities, governmental agencies, and associations — all recognised for their expertise and specialized knowledge.
In Hauts-de-France
- SESSAD APF France handicap, Children and Youth Division of Aisne
(project lead partner) - University of Lille – Department of Education and Training Sciences – CIREL (Interuniversity Research Centre in Education)
In Flanders
- Vlaams Agentschap voor Personen met een Handicap (VAPH) – Flemish Agency for People with Disabilities
In Wallonia
- University of Liège – Unit of Psychology of Ageing (UPSYSEN)
- Agence wallonne pour une Vie de Qualité (AViQ)
- POUR LA SOLIDARITÉ – PLS, European think‑and‑do tank
RAAVI at a glance
- Public launch event, Villeneuve d’Ascq — 20 March 2025
- Research reports — March 2026
- Public event in Belgium, at the end of the project’s second year
- Training toolkits — September 2027
- Public event in France, at the end of the project’s third year
- Pilot testing and rollout of the training toolkits — March 2028
- Final public event in Belgium — September 2028, marking the end of the project’s fourth and final year
RAAVI is supported by the Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen programme
