Loading
Persons with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in society and are exposed to multiple risks, such as poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion, which are all in great part caused by their low participation rates at all levels of education. For that reason, non-formal adult education is an important resource in increasing the capacities and quality of life of persons with disabilities, to an even greater extent than in the case of non-disabled persons. Nevertheless, only 10% of people with disabilities participate in lifelong learning activities, including non-formal adult education, which is half the participation rate of the general population at the EU level (Eurostat, 2018). Persons with disabilities face multiple barriers in education. In the context of non-formal adult education and promoting an inclusive environment at the structural level, the most relevant are organizational and spatial ones.Accordingly, the specific objective of the project is to develop a structured model for integrating persons with disabilities into non-formal adult education, which will serve as a basis for the implementation of future inclusive practices of non-vocational education providers and enable them to efficiently deal with challenges related to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the learning environment at local, national and transnational levels.The structured model of integration consists of three resources, that is, intellectual outputs: 1) a curriculum for training on methods and approaches to teaching persons with disabilities in non-formal adult education, 2) a curriculum for training on the application of assistive technologies (hardware or software that improve the functioning of the disabled person) in non-formal adult education and 3) a comprehensive Handbook on the integration of persons with disabilities in non-formal adult education. The model will be developed based on the collaboration of three groups of stakeholders that are seen as crucial for integrating persons with disabilities in the field: experts on the integration of persons with disabilities (psychologists, social workers, rehabilitators), experts on assistive technology, and non-formal adult education providers.The transnational character of the project makes it possible to establish such cooperation that is not usually present in the field of non-formal adult education, with the aim of developing a solution to a problem that is present across the EU as a whole (low participation of persons with disabilities in adult education). The involvement of 7 partners from different European countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Romania) ensures a multinational perspective and applicability of the project's intellectual results in different national contexts and educational systems.Non-formal adult education organizations within the project partnership will be enabled and empowered to work with persons with disabilities and will be able to create educational programs based on the implementation of guidelines and recommendations arising from project activities. All participants in project activities, including representatives of assistive technology experts and experts on integrating persons with disabilities, will improve their professional knowledge and strengthen their capacity to respond to social diversity, which they will be able to impart to interested stakeholders in their organizations and/or local communities.At a broader level, the Handbook is the first structured and practically applicable model for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in non-formal adult education, enabling experts or organizations without experience and expertise in the field of disability to create accessible educational programs and inclusive educational environment. The created curriculums, on the other hand, are a lasting resource for further education of teaching and non-teaching staff for the integration of persons with disabilities, thus fostering the adaptation of existing and creating new educational programs using innovative approaches and technology.In addition, the project also has an impact on end-users - persons with disabilities, who are a particularly vulnerable group. The dissemination and use of intellectual outcomes are expected to facilitate their inclusion in non-formal adult education and thus contribute to their level of education, employability, and social inclusion. To maximize the reach and impact of project activities, intellectual outcomes will be publicly available on all seven partner languages.
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
document.write('<div id="oa_widget"></div>');
document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.openaire.eu/index.php?option=com_openaire&view=widget&format=raw&projectId=erasmusplus_::9a6f157ca0456a6bd7dd125b2aeeda3e&type=result"></script>');
-->
</script>