ict4ial project
TRANSCRIPT
ICT4IAL
European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Marcella Turner-Cmuchal
The Agency Member Countries
Currently
• National networks in 28 European countries: Austria, Belgium (Flemish and French speaking communities), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales)
• Main secretariat in Odense, Denmark and European Liaison office in Brussels, Belgium
• 18th year of operations
Funding
The Agency is financed by:
• The member countries’ Ministries of Education
• European Commission as one of the 6 organisations supported by the Jean Monnet, Erasmus+ Programme
Mission
• The Agency is a permanent network of ministerial representatives acting as the member countries’ platform for collaboration regarding the promotion of quality and equity in education as a means to achieving social cohesion
Focus
• The Agency’s main focus is upon inclusive education within its widest interpretation – that is dealing with learner difference and diversity in all educational settings as a quality issue.
The Agency’s work is essentially concerned with how the achievement of all learners at all levels of inclusive lifelong learning can be improved in a meaningful way that enhances their life chances and opportunities for actively participating in society.
Defining terms
Accessibility
Information
Special needs
Inclusion
Equity in education
ICT in education for learners with disabilities and SEN
• UN figures – half a billion people with disabilities worldwide
• 10% (a conservative estimate) of European population has some form of disability
• 2% - 18% of the total school population (temporary or permanent educational needs)
• ICT is increasingly seen as a major tool in meeting all learners’ individual learning needs
• Knowledge Society for All is far from a reality for all European school pupils
Why is accessibility of
information relevant for learning?
Learners with disabilities and special needs must be able to access information relevant for learning in order to be present in a learning environment, participate in learning and to achieve.
In meeting the specific needs of this learner group, a wider access for ALL learners is provided.
ICT as an opportunity...
There are two strong arguments for providing accessible information for learning –
1. Access to information is a human right
2. Providing accessible information is more economic
Accessible ICT has the potential to create synergies, which may equally benefit people with disabilities and special needs, the ageing population as well as all members of society.
Disability and the Digital Divide
• People with disabilities are at risk of being doubly disadvantaged if their access to appropriate ICT is not supported
• They risk becoming one of the main groups experiencing the growing digital divide
• In addition, if some of their basic needs that could be addressed through the use of adaptive technology are not met, they risk further social exclusion
Relevance of ICT in Agency projects
• ICT in Special Needs Education (1999 - 2001)
• SEN-IST-network (2000-2003)
• ICT in Education for People with Disabilities – Practice Review (in collaboration with IITE)
• Model policy for inclusive ICTs in education (in collaboration with UNESCO and G3ict)
• Accessible Information Provision for Learning (i-access)
• ICT for Information Accessibility in Learning (ICT4IAL)
• ICT for Inclusion
i-access: Guiding Principles for Accessibility
• Rights Principle: Access to information is a fundamental right - it empowers learners and facilitates their participation in society. This access must be provided in the earliest phases of learning and accompany a learner throughout their lifetime.
• Structural Principle: It is vital that any policy or recommendation does not regard technology as an end in itself. The systemic factors that determine the use of tools for lifelong learning must be recognised and considered.
• All-Inclusive Principle: Accessible information provision needs to be considered in its widest interpretation to include people with all forms of disabilities and/or special educational needs.
• Synergy Principle: Accessibility benefits users with disabilities and/or special educational needs and may often benefit all users.
Recommendations for Policy1. Raising awareness about accessible information for lifelong learning as
a rights issue.
2. A multi-stakeholder approach based upon co-operation and information exchange should be taken.
3. Issues around accessible information provision should be covered in the education of all professionals involved in lifelong learning.
4. Issues around accessible information provision should be covered in the education of ICT and media professionals.
5. Accessibility should be a guiding principle for procurement of all goods and services.
6. Research should be promoted in order to develop an evidence base for future policy design, implementation and evaluation.
7. Compliance to policy should be systematically monitored.
Development of Guidelines
Build on i-access recommendations
ICT for Information Accessibility in
Learning
Network of partners including:
1. European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
2. DAISY
3. European Schoolnet
4. Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs
5. International Association of Universities
6. UNESCO
ICT4IAL Aims
1. To raise awareness and increase the visibility of the issue of accessible information
provision and its relevance for equitable lifelong learning opportunities,
ICT4IAL Aims
2. Support accessible information provision within organisations through the:• Development of guidelines building on the
recommendations for accessible information provision of the i-access project,
• Trialing of the guidelines within 3 organisations(EUN, IAU and the Agency),
• Evaluating these guidelines and their implementation.
ICT4IAL objectives
1. Knowledge exchange and networking
2. Developing and trialing of practical guidelines
3. Reflection and evaluation upon implementation
4. Validation of guidelines
5. Dissemination and exploitation of results
Developing of Guidelines
2 Phase approach:
1. Drafting Guidelines based on exchange with experts and partners
2. Redrafting Guidelines based on input from:
• An International Survey including a document review and questionnaire
• Implementation of the Guidelines within IAU, European Schoolnet and the Agency
A end-user’s perspective
Inclusive education must become ‘normal’, but special skills must be learned by a lot of people to make that happen (Francesco, European Hearing,
2011).
More informationhttps://www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/ict4ial
European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
Østre Stationsvej 33
DK-5000 Odense C
Denmark
Marcella Turner-Cmuchal [email protected]
Klára Somogyi [email protected]
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This document reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.