BYOD as educational method leading to improve employability of adults with intellectual disability Erasmus Project

Project Title

BYOD as educational method leading to improve employability of adults with intellectual disability

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

European Union, through its politics, make efforts to fully integrate persons with intellectual disability into society. According European Commission: “Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning that develops key competences and basic skills. Key competences and basic skills are needed by all for personal fulfilment and development, employability, social inclusion and active citizenship.”
The determinant of inclusion of adults with intellectual disability is the quality of life of this group. The quality of life of these people concerns areas such as: independent living, work, interpersonal and social skills, security and others.
Thus, the system of education and support for people with intellectual disabilities must be constantly developed.
Today’s world is being more and more based on the internet, social media, digital equipment and mobile apps. Ability to use the Internet, finding information, resources and interact with others is becoming a daily necessity and is becoming a basic skill required even in workplaces that do not require any specific qualification. Adults with intellectual disability, as the rest of society, use smartfons, tablets, less often smartwatches with internet access. But, as shows short research made by partners, the possibility which are delivered by devices in connection with internet are hardly used. What more, teachers/trainers have really low knowledge on how this chance can be used in educational process.
BYOD – “Bring Your Own Device” is a method used in university education and in business. Partners of the project found this idea promising in education and therapy of adults with intellectual disability leading to entering to labour market. First of all the method is attractive, motivating and gives new, useful and well accepted in society skills. Second, there are applications which can be useful not only in searching job, but also in its maintaining.
The project target groups are teachers, trainers, coaches of adults with intellectual disability. In the project new methodology will be elaborated and proposed to be included in professional activity. This group will be equipped with a large set of materials and courses plus possibility to exchange experiences with other professionals.
Second target group are adults with intellectual disability who are not participants of formal education and they have a developmental opportunity to work.
Project objectives are:
creating equal opportunity – elaborated methodology on how to apply new technologies in educational process brings equality in using ICT;
promoting independent living – better preparing for job, motivating and ability to maintain job leads to independency in everyday life;
delivering new methodology which can be applied in efficient education of persons with intellectual disability – improving and enhancing educational offer of different centers supporting persons with intellectual disability.
Project is focused on elaborating new educational methodology and delivering materials and courses to both target group.
In the project partners will::
– create a handbook for teachers with list of useful mobile applications, methodology “BYOD leading to increased employability” description, scenarios of classes;
– create set of materials in easy to read text about how and what for You can use Your mobile device;
– organize course for teachers “How BYOD method and mobile equipment can increase employability of persons with intellectual disability”;
– prepare set of webinars presenting how to use BYOD in different fields of independent life of persons with disability (self-presentation, finding a way, etc.);
– prepare MOOCs for teachers’ trainers, teachers working with persons with intellectual disability, adults with intellectual disability and entrepreneurs presenting persons with intellectual disability as potential employees.

The partnership is created by organizations supporting persons with intellectual disability in fields of education, applied ICT, employment, independent living from Poland (PSONI), Greece (Margarita), North Macedonia (Association ActivUM), Spain (Fundacio Espurna) and University Harran (Turkey) which delivers knowledge on education and training on the university level.

The project will introduce a new methodology that develops education leading to employment, and thus indirectly will contribute to increasing employment of people with intellectual disabilities, increasing their inclusion in social life and enabling independent living. Teachers will be able to broaden their offer of education with a modern, attractive proposition. The project will provide packages of valuable materials for teachers and people with disabilities, including digital publications, webinar recordings and MOOCs.
The methodology may be developed in the future, new elements may be added enabling contact of employers and people with id who are looking for job.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 241279 Eur

Project Coordinator

Polskie Stowarzyszenie na rzecz Osob z Niepelnosprawnoscia Intelektualna & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Association for activism, education, culture and art Civil Center AktivUM
• FUNDACIO ESPURNA DE LA COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA
• HARRAN UNIVERSITESI
• ERGASTIRI EIDIKIS AGOGIS MARGARITA