European Peer Counselor Training in Accessible Tourism Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Peer Counselor Training in Accessible Tourism

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Disabilities – special needs; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The goals of the European programs for lifelong learning, the “UN Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of People with Disabilities” and the “EU Disability Strategy 2020 for Inclusion in Europe” are better and equal participation of people with special needs in adult education activities, but also as an adult educator himself. The EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020 calls for the accessibility of tourist offers and travel destinations, as well as barrier-free travel in general.
Unfortunately, in most tourist destinations only a few facilities are accessible or have entire service chains, and few employees in tourism have the appropriate awareness and skills for inclusive tourism. Not many people with disabilities are themselves involved in existing training programs.
In summary, we have made progress in some European countries and destinations, but this is not enough to meet the requirements of the UN Disability Rights Convention and accessible tourism strategies in Europe.
A key to implementing the above strategies is better and adequate training for decision-makers and employees. The overriding principle in the inclusion process of people with special needs is their involvement in all relevant topics, activities and processes as experts in their own interest.
Therefore, the project had two core target groups for training activities:
On the one hand people with disabilities as peer counselors and on the other hand the central decision-makers and employees in private and public institutions and companies in the tourism and leisure industry.

Six partners from Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Croatia developed and implemented an innovative methodology for training people with disabilities to become adult trainers in accessible tourism in a regional, but also in a European context. The European approach resulted from international tourism, best practice sharing, collaboration and expert mobility.

The main activities and results were:

1. Development and implementation of a Peer-AcT methodology for the organization and implementation of peer advice in barrier-free tourism
2. Development and implementation of a peer counseling / training methodology and a curriculum for training Peer-AcT trainers as peer counselors in the field of inclusive and barrier-free tourism.
3. Development and implementation of 5 regional Peer-AcT training centers
4. Development and implementation of a Peer-AcT training course for inclusive and barrier-free tourism
5. Development and implementation of 2 e-learning courses with tutorials and videos
6. Development of a manual with a marketing / exploitation strategy for the implementation of local training centers for Peer-AcT trainings and courses in inclusive and barrier-free tourism.
A total of 63 people with disabilities were trained as Peer-AcT trainers. 46 Per-AcT trainers and tourism experts were given inclusive training in the training centers for the implementation of courses on inclusive and barrier-free tourism and 41 actors from tourism took part in the Peer-AcT courses for inclusive and barrier-free tourism.
The results of the project were shared through the partnership internally to members of their networks and externally to a wide audience from local stakeholders and civil society organizations to regional and national authorities, European agencies and networks through a website, social media such as Facebook, newsletters and press relations spread.
The project partners held public seminars / workshops for stakeholders and two conferences at their project locations in order to inform the relevant stakeholders and the interested public about the activities and intellectual results of the project.
The main long-term effects of the project are the strengthening of the equal participation of people with disabilities as peer experts and adult educators, a greater awareness and a higher level of knowledge and skills of key decision-makers and employees in tourism and leisure activities, European cooperation and exchange / mobility of peer experts. Indirectly, better accessibility and barrier-free accessibility of the tourist destinations involved, a rethinking and change in awareness in the group of professional employees who work in tourism-related professions, and the beginning of the creation of so-called service chains were achieved.
All information and results of the project can be downloaded from the project website www.peeract.eu.

Project Website

http://peeract.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 349341,39 Eur

Project Coordinator

Verein zur sozialen und beruflichen Integration e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Udruga za kreativni razvoj Slap
• Unione Montana Alta Langa
• KOPF, HAND und FUSS gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Bildung mbH
• Asociación para el Estudio y Promoción del Bienestar Social
• Zöld-Aktív Szociális Szövetkezet