Digital Storytelling for up-skilling and empowerment of learners with intellectual disabilities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Digital Storytelling for up-skilling and empowerment of learners with intellectual disabilities

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: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) represent one of the most marginalized and discriminated against groups. What is especially worrying is discrimination in education-people with intellectual disabilities receive fewer educational opportunities than any other group. On the other hand the Convetion on the rights of people with disabilities obliges countries to guarantee that people with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else: “Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market.” This is the first principle in the “Pillar of Social Rights” adopted by the European Commission in April 2017 to guide EU policies towards better working and living conditions for European citizens. (Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport).

This project deals with an educational challenge to promote the full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The MAIN AIM of the project is to develop an innovative learning approach – digital storytelling adapted to people with intellectual disabilities with an aim to deliver an innovative, empowering and fun tool for teachers/facilitators that work with intellectually disabled which will help them up-skill, understand and empower intellectually disabled persons.
Project specific objectives:
– to up-skill facilitators/teachers who work with intellectually disabled to use digital storytelling method adapted to intellectually disabled and thus increase people with ID acquisition of different life skills: literacy, digital skills, social skills, etc.
– to increase educational opportunities for intellectually disabled to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market
– to enhance basic skills (literacy and digital skills) of people with intellectually disabilities, enable their participation in society and thus increase their social inclusion
– to mainsream and sustain innovative digital strorytellin methodology that explains the practical implementation of the process with practical cases and includes Methodology implementation manual and Simple guideline for people with ID for future use.

Digital storytelling is a simple and creative process through with people with little or no computer experience gain skills needed to tell a personal story as a two-minute film using predominantly still images that can be streamed on the web or broadcast on television. Digital Storytelling reveals the power of an individual voice to influence positive changes. Stories can create the opportunities for individuals to see themselves and provide a window that allows others to see and experience other people’s circumstances and perspectives. Digital Storytelling has the potential for connecting a community through shared experiences and developing tolerance by understanding someone else’s story. Empowerment, understanding and social inclusion of vulnerable target groups is a driving force of this method.

By the adaptation of digital storytelling method to people with ID and implementation of the method among intellectually disabled we enhanced the access, participation and learning performance of intellectually disabled. In addition we empowered them to tell their own life stories and thus raise awareness about the target group, promote non-discrimination and contribute to their social inclusion. Furthermore we developed recommendation for multiplication of the methodology into EU educational systems of intellectually disabled to increase their learning outcome.

Project activities:
1. Management and coordination
2. Dissemination and sustainability actions
3. Evaluation and quality assurance procedures
4. Prototyping phase to define the real needs of the two target groups (people with ID and their teachers) and preparation of guidelines for adaptation of DS programme to untellectually disabled
5. Development of a digital storytelling programme and methodology adapted to people with intellectual disabilities
6. Elaboration of recommendation for implementation/introduction of the method into mainstream education of intellectually disabled and development of methodology implementation manual

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 245970 Eur

Project Coordinator

CENTER ZA IZOBRAZEVANJE IN KULTURO TREBNJE JAVNI ZAVOD & Country: SI

Project Partners

• ReykjavíkurAkademían ses.
• A.N.F.F.A.S. Onlus di Pordenone
• Upstream Stories
• Keski-Pohjanmaan koulutusyhtymä
• VsI Tarptautinis darbo kontaktu tinklas