vzw Piekernie is a non profit-organisation for people with a disability (primarily para- and quadriplegics).
It was founded in Ghent, Belgium in 1987 by a group of idealistic paramedics (from the Rehabilitation Center University Hospital Ghent),
who initially only wanted to provide some ‘outdoor activities’, like going to the cinema, restaurants, etc., for the patients of the center. Gradually this ‘club of friends’ transformed into a well-structured organisation.
The main idea behind the organisation is that disabled people are the true experts about their disability and their own life: experienced wheelchair users help ‘newbie’ paras & quads to reintegrate into society.
Today the organisation has about 300 members – most of them wheelchair-users – and organizes lots of activities, such as: daytrips, sports-related activities, peer counselling sessions, parties and lots more…
Piekernie is an independent organisation and all co-workers are volunteers.
Piekernie has two wheelchair-accessible mini-vans, which is rented out to whoever has mobility problems.
Piekernie also publish a magazine (only in Dutch), called ‘t Piekernietje, in which our members are informed about what we’re up to in the future. It contains articles and columns about anything that can be of interest for people with disabilities: medical, financial, sports, literature and poetry, etc. It is published 4 times a year.
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