My name is Margaret Muru and I am in my last term as a student in Campus Nyköping where I am studying to become an integration pedagog. The last 5 weeks I had my LIA intern period where i was lucky to have a chance to work and practice with Independent living institute (ILI). There I worked with the project Disabled Refugees Welcomed (DRW). My time with the project was fruitful as I gained a lot of knowledge in all the areas within which I was assigned.
I learnt that there is a lot that must be done if integration into the Swedish society is to be successful. A lot of focus and resources are needed especially when it comes
to the people moving to Sweden having different kinds of disability. I fully understood that a lot of people feel lucky to be in Sweden but then they find that the help they need is difficult to access. Information is inaccessible. They are also not fully informed about the system and are not aware of their rights. I appreciate the work of DRW that tries to see that people who feel a bit ignored by the society get to know the different authorities that they can contact for different support and help. DRW becomes important for the people.
The daily assignments that I had during my Intern were successfully carried out mostly because of the good cooperation with the colleagues in the office. I enjoyed most the flexibility and freedom to be able to plan how to tackle the different assignments. I enjoyed working with this team that reflects diversity in so many ways which was something that I had not experienced before.
I am sure the experience and knowledge that I experienced through my internship is going to be of great importance in my future carrier. I take this opportunity to thank everyone from DRW and ILI for all the support and friendship that I received. Thank you Jamie Bolling for the chance to work with you.