The IDA project, (Inclusive Digital Academy), supported by the European Union in the frame of Erasmus+ program, aims to reduce the digital divide for people with disabilities by facilitating access to ICTs. 10 partner countries, brought together by the Caravan 2000 International network, an international association that has been working for 20 years for greater inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs) or disadvantaged (26 member countries) have made digital access a priority. This project complements the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and in particular those of the Agenda for new skills and jobs. The majority of the partners, in a previous project (STELLA - 2017-1-DE02-KA204-004167) had already carried out work on the basic skills of people with disabilities, which led to the creation of a guide for professionals who want to pass on these skills to their audience. While the results of this work will lead to greater employability, better inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities, it is clear that digital skills must be aligned with the skills of communication, organization, critical thinking, etc. , developed by the STELLA project. Today the digital transition is accelerating and the gap is widening among the most population with disabilities, making their inclusion in our society more complex. The IDA project aims to create tools adapted to people with special needs in most uses of ICT’s. The partners, based on a survey of the needs of PWDs, will work in synergy with the recipients as well as with the Bank of Research and Development Turkey, making available its researchers-developers to create innovative tools, simplifying access to ICTs, including for illiterate people. This work will involve different phases, ensuring the quality of the products produced. These phases will take place on the following model: - Identification of needs - Module proposals for each application identified - Create modules - Test of tools created - Adjustments - Finalization of tools All these phases will enter into a regular process of elaboration in each of the partner countries, then of consultation, evaluation and finalisation at transnational meetings. Training activities are also planned for training on the tools created, as well as for the various adjustments, to the expected results. Each person with a disability, meeting the principle of learning from the learner, will be present in all stages of tool development. Primarily, these tools will find themselves in two forms of access to digital media: - Dedicated tools for smartphones as APPs - E-learning content on a Website These tools will be available on Android, Ios and the Web They will be developed for the following main uses: - Communication (mail, call, social media, etc.) - Organization (managing an agenda, making appointments, etc.) - Information (Internet searches) - E-administration - Leisure, shopping Particular attention will be paid to all applications developed in term of security. The same applies to the rules governing online content and transactions. Simplifying the means of use of the main functions inherent in ICTs will have a major impact on people with disabilities. Not only will they be able to easily access tools that were previously too complicated to use, but they will also be the main multipliers by communicating the tools to their peers. Because of its modern everyday uses, especially with social media, digital itself is a communications vector with a great potential impact. Individuals with intellectual disabilities still use ICTs, which have become the norm for everyone, little or nothing. While many improvements have been made for disability problems (visual, auditory, etc.), intellectual disability, which is more invisible, has long been ignored in these developments. We can bet that with the IDA project, these people will finally find their place in the digital world and indeed in our society.
Our objective was to facilitate access to digital technology for people with intellectual disabilities. (PWDs) To reach this goal, we wanted to bring together different actors: the people concerned in the first place, the professionals of special education, a team of computer technicians. We know from experience that the success of this project depended on working with everyone, not FOR them (the PWDs) but WITH them. This way we were sure to have answers adapted to their needs and expectations. We wanted the results to be easy to use and to allow each new user, even a beginner, to enter the digital world with the basics. We wanted to give them the keys to know how to use a smartphone or a tablet, to be able to communicate remotely, to benefit from tools for daily management, and to progress in autonomy, both professionally, socially and individually. More generally, we wanted to reduce the digital divide, which represents an additional handicap for a population in need of inclusion and citizenship.
In a society where the digital transition has become unavoidable, we have noticed that some people are far away from it, especially people with disabilities, thus widening the digital divide a little bit more. While some progress has been made in terms of greater digital accessibility for people with physical or sensory disabilities, the people with intellectual disabilities, a less visible disability, has been forgotten. In a previous project, we had worked with our European partners on the transversal skills of these people, so it seemed obvious to us to associate digital skills with them. After a survey of the clients of each organization on the uses of digital technology, followed by another survey on the needs, we decided to focus on the basic tools allowing a greater accessibility to the digital world, especially ICT. Being able to communicate via email, video-conferencing, social networks, gaining autonomy (time management, tasks, budget, travel), while addressing the issue of security, were the main needs to which we looked for adapted answers.