VEMAS – Verhalten macht Sinn
VEMAS – Behavior Makes Sense is a research and development project at the interface between theory and practice. It is dedicated to multi-perspective reflection and understanding-oriented analysis of behavioral abnormalities in people with disabilities. The aim is not to prematurely pathologize their forms of expression, but to understand them as meaningful reactions embedded in their biography and context. The project exemplifies a pedagogy of empowerment that focuses not on the behavior itself, but on its dimensions of meaning.
Originally designed with a focus on people with cognitive and complex disabilities, the scope of VEMAS has been expanded over time. The concept developed now aims at broader use—for all people with disabilities and beyond—and provides an educational-analytical toolkit that allows for differentiated changes in perspective on so-called challenging behavior.
The project was funded under Erasmus+ between November 2021 and December 2023 and implemented by the VEMAS team at the former Chair of Education for Physical and Complex Disabilities at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg under the direction of Prof. Dr. Sophia Falkenstörfer.
In the first phase of the project (2021–2022), the theoretical and methodological foundation was developed: relevant theories on behavior, communication, and subjectivity in the context of disability were brought together and the research design was conceived. The empirical survey was conducted from 2022 onwards at the Service for Independent Living of the German-speaking Community (DSL) in East Belgium, coordinated by Monique Lambertz (project manager Belgium). The data was evaluated by Timo Dins (VEMAS team Germany), who was also responsible for coordinating the content of the project and was the lead author of key contributions.
Based on the findings, so-called VEMAS products were developed in 2023: practical materials for professionals, including observation sheets, interview guides, and differentiated information materials. They serve to better interpret behavior, link it to biographical contexts, and respond to it in an educationally responsible manner. The materials will be evaluated in 2023–2024 in close cooperation with disability support institutions in East Belgium.
The results and materials from the project are publicly available on the interactive platform www.vemas-perspektive.de. In addition to methodological tools and training materials, the platform also features documentary film portraits of people with disabilities, providing insight into their realities and offering a change of perspective. The platform was first presented in 2024 in Büllingen (Belgium) as part of a public cinema presentation.
The project was supported by the Heidehof Foundation and the Software AG Foundation.
Publications: VEMAS – Behavior Makes Sense
Dins, T., & Falkenstörfer, S. (2024, in press). Educational approaches to behavioral problems in people with disabilities: Presentation and discussion of empirical results from the VEMAS project (Behavior Makes Sense). [Planned as open access].
Falkenstörfer, S., & Dins, T. (2024). Understanding behavioral problems in people with disabilities – seeing the person – changing perspective: Insight into the VEMAS project (VErhalten MAcht Sinn). Teilhabe, 63(4), 140–147. https://doi.org/10.70266/th4-24_02
Falkenstörfer, S. (2022). Fundamentals of a pedagogy of enabling: Dealing with behavioral problems from a phenomenological perspective – A change of perspective. In B. Badstieber & B. Amrhein (Eds.), (Im)possible perspectives on challenging behavior in school: Theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions to the deconstruction and reconstruction of the focus on emotional and social development (pp. 166–186). Weinheim: Beltz.
Contributions & media presence
Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. (2024). Better understanding behavioral problems in people with disabilities. Press release. https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/aktuelles/einblick/single/news/vemas-projekt/
BRF – Belgian Broadcasting Corporation. (2024, September 24). DSL shows film portraits of people with disabilities. Regional news. (https://brf.be/regional/1899290/)
External reporting
WiPub. (n.d.). Does behavior always make sense? https://www.wipub.net/macht-verhalten-immer-sinn/
German Association of Occupational Therapists (DVE). (2024). Better understanding behavioral problems in people with disabilities. https://www.ergotherapie.de/news/2550/verhaltensauffaelligkeiten-von-menschen-mit-behinderungen-besser-verstehen/