Sonček – Cerebral Palsy Association of Slovenia, a social enterprise, is a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political national disability organisation operating on the principles of social entrepreneurship.

The activity of Sonček’s occupational activity center is intended for adults who, due to disabilities, cannot find employment in the open labour market or in companies employing people with disabilities. They are entitled to participate in a service that provides guidance, care, and employment under special conditions. Those activities are organised in eleven Sonček centres.

Sonček Association has a concession from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities for the service of guidance, care, and employment under special conditions. The provision of this service for 175 individuals in occupational activity centers complements and expands the public network, providing the opportunity for choice. The service is based on the principles of normalisation, equal opportunities, an individual approach to each individual, and the right to adulthood. It enables the realisation of the needs for training, employment, and social inclusion of a broader group of adults with disabilities.

The association brings together more than 4,000 individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, their families, and professional collaborators.

Sonček Association serves as a national representative disability organisation representing unified positions of societies. It collaborates on common tasks with other disability organisations in Slovenia and with other national disability organisations worldwide. It is directly involved in the International Cerebral Palsy Society (ICPS) and the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD).

Sonček Association has the status of an organisation operating in the public interest in the fields of social care, health, education, and culture and advocates for equal opportunities for all residents of Slovenia, regardless of their physical and intellectual abilities, to live according to their own vision, in harmony with all other residents.

Sonček Association strives to create a cultural environment that accepts diversity in physical and intellectual abilities without value judgments.

Our main goals are:

• to create public opinion and a culture that is tolerant of diversity,
• to create a legal and support system that ensures social inclusion and dignified living for residents with reduced intellectual or physical abilities,
• to enable people with limited abilities to represent their interests independently or with the help of chosen representatives,
• to organise services that promote social inclusion,
• to seek new sources of funding and at least maintain the current level of financial resources,
• to establish greater connectivity among the societies affiliated with Sonček Association,
• to promote the values and quality standards of Sonček Association in Southeast European countries, actively participate in European associations, and engage in collaborative partnerships with other European countries,
• to restructure the organisation through personnel reorganisation and resource allocation; to examine the most optimal organisation based on possible systemic conditions and economic possibilities.