Access For All

From 2007 to 2010 ECDL Hellas is providing free training and certification in entry-level ICT skills to 750 blind or visually impaired people in cooperation with the Pan- Hellenic Association for the blind. Within the context of emphasis that the European Union places on socially vulnerable groups and the people with disabilities (PD), the mission of the project is to provide equal opportunities to the blind or visually impaired and to ensure their access in knowledge and offer employment opportunities.
More information can be found on the www.ecdl.gr and www.epractice.eu.

STAND4ALL project has been underway since January 2009, when a partnership of 7 organizations was formed to deliver STAND4ALL (Standards for All) – “Training of Stakeholders on consultations on standardization”. This project will promote the use of CEN/CENELEC Guide 6 – ‘Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities’ within the European standardization process. The Guide is a tool to give those involved in standards development a broader understanding of these needs and how they should be addressed.
STAND4ALL is about including the needs of people with disabilities, not only during standards development but also considering the final use of the standard.
The primary objective of STAND4ALL is the development and implementation of training courses addressed to standardization experts and consumer representatives in order to promote the use of CEN/CENELEC Guide 6 within CEN, CENELEC and ETSI Technical Committees.
The impact of STAND4ALL will be an enlarged European network of experts and accessibility specialists in the field of standardization so that the essential requirements for elderly people and those with disabilities are taken into account in the field of standardization.
The primary activities of STAND4ALL is the Collection of information in the field of disability and standardization, therefore they would like interested parties to complete a questionnaire aimed at:
– identifying the current knowledge of those organizations participating in the standardization process
– collecting feedback about the current situation regarding the participation of disabled people in the Standardization process.

The STAND4ALL consortium consists of seven partner organizations from five different European countries and will be coordinated by NEN.
– Netherlands Standardisation Institute (NEN) – The Netherlands
– Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification (AENOR) – Spain
– British Standardisation Institution (BSI) – United Kingdom
– Vilans – The Netherlands
– German Working Party for the Assistance of Persons with Disabilities and Chronic Diseases (BAG Selbsthilfe) – Germany
– German Research Institute Technology and Disability (FTB) – Germany
– Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) – Belgium

A European (Valorisation) Conference entitled “A Job Environment for All” will take place on 25 September, 2009 in Brussels, Belgium. A whole range of projects will present its outcomes, most in direct relationship to the increased employability of people with disabilities. The conference will take place at POLIS, Rue du Trône 98, in Brussels (easily reachable via the metro – station “Troon / Trône”) from 9.30 till 14.30. It is organised with the financial support of the Leonardo da Vinci programme of the EC.

Registration is now open via http://www.phoenixkm.eu/registration.php.

The aim of the Check and go project is to enhance access to workplaces for people with disabilities. With the tools developed in the project, people with disabilities will find it easier to apply for a trainee post or a job in a company. By constructing an individual profile of accessibility they will be able to say quickly and easily what barriers they face and what they need in order to do their job efficiently. In addition, companies that receive applications with this profile of accessibility can easily determine if the applicant will fit into the company and people with disabilities will be able to find a suitable job quickly and easily.

With the Check and go website, people with disabilities, companies, staff managers, trainers, instructors and job coaches can get a three-part product range to learn how they can include or integrate people with disabilities at a workplace more efficiently. These products are:
the Training tool, the Check and go tool and the Advice tool.

More information can be found on the project website.

The project will support participants in training and further training activities, in the acquisition and the use of knowledge, skills and qualifications to facilitate personal development, employability and participation in the European Labour Market.

In addition, GOAL aims to support improvements in quality and innovation in vocational education, training systems, institutions and practices as well as enhance the attractiveness of vocational education and training and mobility for employers and individuals and to facilitate the mobility of working trainees.

More information can be found on the project website.

The aim of this project has been to provide access to professional training, and improve disabled peoples’ opportunities for professional employment. It was aimed to be reached by developing a preparation for social work course delivered through a blended training and mentoring support programme, and to test this across three European countries with the intention of identifying cross-national applications for such a programme. It has developed a model of mentoring that involves recruiting disabled people as mentors.

The project has built networks in the sector in each partner country which bring together providers of training, users of training (both employers and potential employees), sector advisory and accreditation bodies, through which the programme can be more widely applied. Furthermore, partnership arrangements were developed with institutions in other European countries to further develop the trans-national element of the project.

The project final results are a curriculum designed to be an ‘inclusive’ preparation for professional social work training. The curriculum is a modular, using a blended learning approach, and designed to be studied prior to any social work/social care training. It can therefore be incorporated into the Widening Participation and recruitment strategy of training providers without making any significant changes to their usual mode of operation. Furthermore, it could be used by associate, or feeder, colleges of social work training providers in support of mainstream teaching, such as the network of colleges working with De Montfort University.

More information can be found on project website