2nd year
Netherlands – Joost Thissen, ATRIUM Research & Innovation Ltd.
Italy – Antonino Imbesi, Euro-Net
Romania – Daniel Filipas and Andrada Craciun, Esperando Association
Lithuania – Kristina Vrubliauskaite, Lithuanian Welfare Society for Persons with Mental Disability “Viltis”, and Valerija Liaudanskiene, Educational Center “Viltis”Turkey – Sitki Yildiz, Mehmet Erkal Dincer, Seda Dincer, Tarik Mesut Ayin, Oguz Mevlut Ercan, Dost Special Education and Rehabilitation Centre
Bulgaria – Maya Arnaudova, Angel Uzunov, Christina Tzanova, Petar Petrov, NGO “John Atanasov”
Achievements
In the beginning the proposition on the change of place for the last meeting was made by Antonino Imbesi. TV channel SKY would like to disseminate information on the project Europe-wide. Everybody agrees on the proposal, in general, but that should be agreed with NA as well. Answers concerning this should be forwarded to all partners as soon as possible.
Arrangements for the next meetings:
Meeting in Bulgaria - 2007 March 22-26, Pravetz
Meeting in Italy – 2007 June 7-11, Potenza
Joost Thissen talked about another project “ONLINE”. Atrium developed a manual “Mentor training” for this project to train people who work with people with learning difficulties. It is a part of the project. Project location http://www.on-line-on.com/ will be totally accessible for people with disabilities, in ETR. Parts like “My life”, “My portfolio”, “My learning’. Name of the website “Learning incubator”. Another part is IT application. Parts on the website in easy-to-read language, include
guidelines how to learn to use IT (e-mail and so on…). It will be translated into 6 languages: English, Dutch, German, Latvian, Czech, (?) Launch of the website will be announced by Joost.Antonino Imbesi made presentation on a broadcast that they prepared for TV channel to disseminate information about Socrates projects, as many people don’t know what it is.
Maya Arnaudova presented their work on involvement of community: ICT and citizenship, how they are creating community with the activities of their organization, programs and strategy on training people with disabilities and elder people on skills of being active in their own life, starting their own business, and so on
Also, they do work in training for people with intellectual disabilities
introducing to English and ITC. They have plans to go to Turkey for piloting their program internationally.Peter has presented a remote control that he has developed to make connection with computer easier for people with disabilities.
Turkish partners told about what they did during the period:
- Article “A Gateway for disabled”
- Training courses for children, and teachers on computer skills and internet usage
- Publishing information on the activities in Turkish National Agency’s magazine
- Purchase (planning to buy) an “Intelligent Board” – a tool and software that could be used for better communication, teaching and training in an easy way and for different groups (disabled children,
Lithuanian partners had made some good links with organizations providing software and hardware for people with intellectual disabilities to facilitate their educational process. One of these is British company “Widgit software”. Society “Viltis” was invited to take part in project aiming to make application of ITC in educational process systematic and Lithuanian-wide. Proposed ITC was presented in British Embassy in Lithuania. Project foreseen involvement of such institutions as distributors, NGOs, schools, Ministry of Science and Education
At the moment, English course for workers of “Viltis” is taking place. Also, planning for accommodating English course for young people with complex disability (cerebral palsy, mild intellectual disability) is being planned, and should start in January 2007. Now, the material for training English is bought, and specialists work on it to make it understandable for young people with disability.
Joost Thissen also presented a speech he and Daniel Filipas they made in conference Helsinki, Finland. Presentation will be either uploaded in groupware or sent by e-mail by Joost.
It was noted that in ITC project we focus more on the technologies for learning, not for daily usage.
Joost presented the front page of the ONLINE website.
Daniel Filipas talked on dissemination of the information on the project. Dissemination is one of the main parts of the project. One of the best ways to do that is during various conferences like in Turkey and Romania or Helsinki.
All partners are asked to make their input to the development of the Weblog and groupware,
Survey in Maramures about the usage of IT&C in education has been done. The results show that at least in this region of Romania, there is no big experience in using of ITC, so there is a big platform for work.
2. Work for the 2nd year - compendium
Concerning compendium, all material should be organized in some structure. Attention should be focused on:
Equipment
Advantages of using ITC for people with disabilities
Proposed parts of the compendium
TOOLS
I. Tools
hardware (adapted mouse, screens, and so on…)
software (simple, for kids, basics, sophisticated, portfolio, and so on)
mixed (hardware + software)
internet-based tools
II. ITC tools used for different training programs
First steps (how to…)
For education (art, language, etc.)/development (personal)
Career oriented [training]
III. What that mean for the life of the person
Assistive technology – allow to use technology
Developmental/opportunities – giving opportunity for personal development
Job-oriented/business – allow to earn for living.
Advantages that ITC gives
This is the other thing we look at.
What it is to use technologies
- inclusive
- equalizes/increases chances/opportunities. This gives people with limited opportunities to have possibility to learn
- compensate for things they don’t have:
o their own things for own usage
o environment – not accommodated enough, but with ITC a person could work at home
o society - attitudes
o system. Education, administrative system: possibility to influence the system by e-mailing, paying taxes via internet
- dissolves distances, barriers, and sometimes (?) prejudice
- creates/builds bridges btw people with special needs, and “normal” society, politicians, institutions, etc., communities (real, e-groups, weblogs, other intenet-based), and new opportunities.
- Gives back the individual dignity, self-confidence, trust/belief in the future, in people, and joy of life, learning, creating and so on. So it’s more fun. It is important that people with disability need to understand what they are learning instead of trying to memorize difficult expressions and words. This knowledge has to be able to put that in practice in daily life, otherwise, there’s no point of doing it.
It is necessary that all partners work on the material that will be put in the compendium. It was decided to make compendium in digital format due to easier dissemination. To make it of less space, photos can be turned in .jpeg file by Paint program
3. Plan of tasks to be done
31st of January, 207 – uploaded structure, and contribution to the compendium into the groupware, and contribution on weblog
29th of February 2007 – discussion on the intermediate report.
10th of March 2007 – deadline for information on the meeting in Pravetz: travel, agenda, hotel and so on.
31st of May 2007– there should be draft of the compendium. In Potenza meeting, last points will be cleared out.
1st of June 2007 – all information on the arrangements should be sent by Antonino concerning meeting in Potenza.
15th of July, provide the information for the final report.
By the end May, it would be good to have draft of final report as well. Discussions on the final report will take place during the last meeting in Potenza
Daniel will send participation confirmation template to those arranging partnership meetings.
4. Future cooperation
Discussion on the new projects to develop took place. When new information about “Life-long learning” comes, the one who have it will pass to the others
Call of proposal from Antonino on European citizenship was announced. Information will be sent as soon as possible. Request of documents needed will be asked by Antonino in the beginning of January. Letter of intent will be needed and regional support letter would be sufficient.
Information on the deadline on submitting the proposal for LLL program should be figured out.
Joost suggest to submit his half-made proposal on e-passport as a follow-up of ITC project. If deadline is not the 1st of March, he could prepare application, but if it is the 1st of March, he won’t be able to do as he is obliged to write follow-up for the project “Social return” and preparing proposal for MATRA programme with Bulgaria
5. Last points
upload the material in the groupware
contributions to the blog and groupware
everybody is asked one more time to make inputs into every structural part of the compendium.
concerning dissemination, apart from all the means that are used (communities, weblogs and so on), it is necessary to upload the material on the events, and invite NA representative, or representatives of EU commission. Official presentation of the final product would be very good.
A link to the project page should be put into the website of the partner.
It was asked to clearly state all the problems, or needs to know it as soon as possible to the project partners
Interim report should be discussed via e-mail; final will be discussed in Italy
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