Digital Inclusion
for Intellectual Disability People
The ‘Digital Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities’ project is an initiative funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, designed to promote the integration of people with intellectual disabilities in the digital environment.
This project, framed within the Small Scale Partnerships (KA210), has allowed the creation of valuable materials and the development of various activities implemented in Cyprus, Portugal and Spain. Thanks to the collaboration of these countries, the project has driven significant improvements in the digital inclusion of this group, providing tools and adapted training that promote their autonomy and participation in the digital society.
Objetives
The ‘Digital Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities’ project aims to promote the digital inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities on several key fronts. Through various activities, the project works to ensure that this group acquires the necessary skills to enable them to actively participate in an increasingly digitalised society.
One of the main objectives is to promote the social inclusion of these people by providing them with specific training in digital skills, enabling them to function more independently in their daily lives. This training process is designed to respond to their particular needs, ensuring that they can access and use technologies with greater autonomy.
In addition, the project aims to encourage technology companies to develop accessible digital tools. Through awareness-raising and collaboration with the business sector, it encourages the creation of inclusive technology solutions that meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities, helping to bridge the digital divide.
Overall, the project aims to empower people with intellectual disabilities and create a more accessible and inclusive digital environment for all.
Target Groups
The ‘Digital Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities’ project targets several key groups, each of which plays an essential role in the digital inclusion process.
People with intellectual disabilities
The main target group is composed of people over 18 years of age with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. They face significant difficulties in using digital tools due to the complexity of the content and the lack of adequate training in this area. The project is designed to provide them with the necessary digital skills, fostering their autonomy and participation in society.
Workers dedicated to the training of people with intellectual disabilities
This group includes professionals who are in charge of training people with intellectual disabilities. Currently, these workers lack a standardised and effective methodology that allows them to teach the use of digital tools in an effective way. The project aims to provide them with resources and methods to facilitate their work and improve the results of their interventions.
Organisations working with people with intellectual disabilities
These organisations, such as the Vale Association and other similar organisations, lack the necessary resources to adequately train the group in digital competences. The project aims to strengthen their capacities and provide them with the necessary tools to offer quality training that promotes digital inclusion.
Companies developing digital tools
Many companies that design technological tools have not incorporated accesibility criteria for the people with intellectual disabilities. The project seeks to raise awareness and collaborate with these companies so that they develop digital solutions that are accessible, usable and adapted to the needs of this group, promoting a more inclusive digital enviroment.
Partners
This project is developed in collaboration with a consortium of organisations that contribute their experience and expertise in different fields. The project partners come from Spain, Portugal and Cyprus, and their international cooperation has been key to the success of the initiative.
Asociación Vale (Spain)
As project coordinator, Asociación Vale is dedicated to improving the quality of life and promoting the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. With extensive experience in the development of training programmes, Vale leads the implementation and monitoring of the project activities, ensuring the fulfilment of the objectives and facilitating cooperation between partners.
APPACDM from Viana do Castelo (Portugal)
This Portuguese organisation has a long history of supporting people with intellectual disabilities. APPACDM Viana do Castelo offers its expertise in designing training programmes adapted to the needs of this group, and is actively involved in the implementation of digital empowerment activities in Portugal.
IMS Research & Development Center (Cyprus)
IMS is a specialised research and development centre with expertise in creating inclusive educational methodologies and projects at European level. In this project, IMS plays a crucial role in designing the training methodology and coordinating the research to identify the barriers faced by people with intellectual disabilities in the use of digital tools.
The collaboration between these partners enables a holistic approach to the challenges of digital inclusion, combining local and international expertise to develop innovative and accessible solutions for people with intellectual disabilities in Europe.
Meetings
Kickoff meeting
The kick-off meeting of the project ‘Digital Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities’ in Portugal. During this meeting, the project partners established the basis for the collaboration, defined the key objectives and planned the activities to be developed. This meeting was essential to align expectations and establish a joint working framework for the 21 months duration of the project.
Interim meeting
A mid-term meeting was held in Cyprus. At this meeting, the partners shared the progress made, evaluated the activities implemented so far and discussed possible adjustments to improve project implementation. It was a key opportunity to reflect on the achievements and to strengthen the collaboration between the teams.
Final meeting
The final meeting of the project was held in Spain, coinciding with the final event. During this meeting, the partners presented the final results, evaluated the impact of the project and discussed the sustainability of the implemented actions. In addition, new opportunities for future collaborations were raised and the legacy of the project in terms of digital inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities was highlighted.
Intelectual outputs
Research
In-depth research was carried out to find out the needs of people with disabilities in the field of new technologies. Especially in the development of digital competences in order to make their lives more inclusive.
Methodology
A methodology was designed and developed to be implemented in the centres of the partner organisations (Portugal and Spain). It includes a series of activities that aim to develop and improve the digital competences of people with intellectual disabilities.
Recommendations to companies
After the pilot test and implementation. The consortium collected all possible improvements and adaptations that should be implemented by technology companies in the development of applications or software.
Testing Report
After a training and methodology test phase in the consortium’s centres, the results obtained and the adaptations carried out in each of the centres have been summarized.
Events
Portugal
This event was an opportunity to share the first results of the project with the local community and organisations working with people with intellectual disabilities. During the meeting, the digital training activities that were being implemented were presented, and attendees were able to participate in interactive workshops designed to raise awareness about digital inclusion.
Cyprus
This event focused on showcasing the progress of the project in the region and generating a dialogue between professionals, technology companies and organisations supporting people with intellectual disabilities. It highlighted good practices adopted and discussed how to improve the accessibility of digital tools.
Spain
This event marked the conclusion of the project and brought together representatives of the partners, experts and organisations involved. During the event, the final results of the project were presented, including the training methodology developed and the recommendations for technology companies. It was a space for reflection on the impact achieved and future opportunities to further promote e-Inclusion.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication 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.