Usability is a key factor to ensure computer systems can be used in an efficient and pleasing way. Accessibility is part of this, but creating accessible software does not necessarily mean that usability is reached to its maximum. In the specific context of adult education in IT, people with a visual impairment (VI) use screen magnifiers. These magnify the screen in different ways, but the computer system is still controlled using a mouse and keyboard. Even more specifically, people with multiple disabilities and visual impairment (MDVI) very often are not able to use the mouse and keyboard and need to rely on special hardware. In addition, people with a cortical visual impairment (CVI) are struggling to use computer hardware for different reasons. (e.g.: hand-eye coordination). Since eye-tracking systems have become more accurate and affordable, computer systems can be used and controlled using these systems. However, they are developed for people without any special needs. This project tackles this issue by selecting one or more eye tracking systems which are commercially available. The different partners select these using different criteria, and the adjust them to be used by people with VI, MDVI and CVI. After adjusting the eye-tracking system to the specific needs, applications that are specifically intended to be used by an eye-tracking system for people with MDVI and CVI are developed. (e.g. communication software with bigger buttons). Even though these are developed for people with MDVI, multiple disabled people without a visual impairment will also be able to use this software using an eye-tracking system. These applications will help the target audience to increase their use of computer systems and help them in their daily tasks. In addition, since professionals working with the target audience, the application will also include aspects which will help them to deliver a better quality of work for their clients and students.The participants organisations in this project all work in the field of visual impairment. Slovenia an Italy are experts in the field of VI, MDVI and CVI. Luxembourg and Spain provide the experts in developing the applications and adjusting the eye-tracking solutions to the specific needs. In addition to the application, a survey about eye-tracking solutions with their advantages and disadvantages, in regards with VI, are stated. In addition a user documentation for the use of the software will be elaborated as well as a developer documentation for software developers who want to adapt the applications to their specific needs.At the first meeting, the milestones will be established and then divided into several minor milestones which again will be divided into individual tasks. Each task is assigned to one ore more persons, and a GANTT chart is created in order to visualize the different tasks with their according milestones and deadlines.The team is managed by a modern agile approach, which allows to swift adaptations during the development process.In total, there will be 5 transnational meetings, in which the major milestones will be discussed and evaluated. In addition to these, each month will be an online meeting in order to track process and to receive feedback on the different tasks. This will ensure that a quick response to all the different issues that have arisen will be given by common agreement of all the partners.The results will be published on different platforms, among which is the project's website, e-Twinning platform and GitHub. GitHub is a open source development platform for software applications.

A smile is a positive piece of information we receive through nonverbal communication, but for a person with visual impairment it represents a lost piece of information in human interactions. »SMILE too« is an Erasmus+ project within Strategic Partnership for School Education and a follow up of the SMILE! School education Staff mobility programme meaning Social Skills Make Inclusive Life Easier. Professionals in six partner organisations from different parts of Europe, namely Royal Dutch Visio – The Netherlands, GOA – The Czech Republic, Jordanstown School - Northern Ireland, Royal Blind School – Scotland, Lega del Filo d'Oro Onlus – Italy and The Centre IRIS – Slovenia, all working in the field of education for children and young people with visual impairment, believe that social skills represent the key competences having an important impact on the behaviour, self-esteem and acceptance in society of the ultimate target group, being children and young people with visual impairment. Education in inclusive settings or mainstream schools is becoming the prevalent form of education for this group of special needs in most of the countries in the partnership. The main purpose of inclusive forms of education is supposed to be social integration but some results show that expectations do not meet the reality. Moreover, in spite of the effort professionals put into this area of work we cannot be satisfied with the results. The process of developing social competences for children and young people with visual impairment deserves a special attention. Due to loss of sight it differs considerably from the one their sighted peers undergo. The most important feature is that they cannot learn through imitation and a constant support is needed. The focus of the project is on empowering the whole system with and around the child. We, professionals, need strong partners and allies and we have found them in parents/guardians of children and young people with visual impairment and in teachers and other professionals in mainstream schools/inclusive education settings. In the project the two groups represent two direct target groups, the stakeholders, where we follow two goals. Firstly, the awareness about the importance of developing social competences should be raised and secondly, the stakeholders should be empowered to be able to contribute to the process with effective methods of solution-oriented approaches.The main outputs of the project are two training programmes specifically designed, one for the parents/guardians and the other for teachers and other professionals in inclusive education settings with modules appropriate to the age and other circumstances, e.g. teachers in boarding schools. Materials with guidelines and videos with practical advice to support our presentations will be produced. In the future these two training programmes will become part of the improved service partner organisations offer to support inclusive forms of education. However, to be able to produce effective training programmes, professionals involved in the project must acquire new knowledge especially in growth mind-set theory and solution oriented approaches to design good training programmes and new skills how to produce qualitative videos, which are often more illustrative than thousands of words. They need to find answers for some professional dilemmas they face in their daily practice. New observation tools – an interview form and a questionnaire, started in SMILE! and finalised in SMILE too will be used to obtain relevant information about the state of social skills of children and young people with visual impairment and thus provide information to set goals for our work in the future.The ultimate target group, being children and young people with visual impairment, will benefit the changes in long term. Social competences is not something that can be changed very quickly, but if the state of social competences is assessed (the tools of observation), individual plans are tailored on the base of this assessment and the environment is aware of the needs and stakeholders are conscious of their role in the process and have the knowledge to assist it, little by little all activities might result in better social inclusion. For the ultimate target group this means that they become active participants in society, enter the labour market on equal terms with their sighted peers, and have a better quality of life in general.

The accessibility barriers for people with MDVI prevents them from an ideal interaction with computers.In the concrete context of adult education in IT, people with shortsightedness use screen magnifiers. These enlarge parts of the screen using the mouse cursor as guide. This inhibits a fluent lecture of text in many situations. The main reason for this is that the mouse must be moved along the text. View-centric magnification, in this case, can tremendously improve the quality of access to computers. An initial analysis of the solutions available has led to the idea that a software library should exist that solves most of the eye-motion-tracking problem. But a survey of openly available software libraries lead to disillusioning results. Solutions were either imprecise, too slow, too expensive or simply did not provide all the required features.Based on this, the idea for this project emerged. The precise objectives are the following: 1) Create a survey of available software libraries. Evaluate them in detail with respect the special needs for people with MDVI. 2) Create a consolidated library that is optimally applicable. The library must therefore be fast, precise and platform independent. 3) Create the initially anticipated view-centric magnification application.The whole process depends on stakeholders from various areas of operations. The precise requirements for people with MDVI must come from experts of the field.These experts together with MDVI people will define goals, evaluate results and give feedback for an iterative improvement.Eye-tracking is usable in other fields as well. Scholars in the domain of physical disabilities will be able to formulate the requirements and evaluate the library with respect to their area.Software engineers and developers will ensure the correct implementation of all the requirements in the form of a software library and an application.The team is managed using a modern agile approach. This assures a swift adaptation to the reality of the project at any moment of time. Before kickoff, a set of rigid major-milestones and an initial set of activities respectively tasks are defined, estimated and agreed upon. Between these major-milestones monthly sprint meetings will take place. Here the progress is evaluated and the next tasks are defined and assigned. The goal is to optimally share workload between the stakeholders in order to achieve the goals declared for the milestones. Major milestones evaluations take place in the context of proper meetings. All other meetings will be online video conferences.The produced results will be distributed through platforms that are open for everybody. The reason for this is to promote new projects based on the results of this research.