Innovative Solutions based on Emerging Technologies for Improving Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative Solutions based on Emerging Technologies for Improving Social Inclusion of People with 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 higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one billion people are in need of assistive tools. Such tools are becoming increasingly digitized through the use of Information Technology (IT). However, only a small percentage have access to needed technology what has a negative impact not only on their lives, but also on their caretakers/families and the society as whole. Because they are perceived as different, they also frequently encounter stigmatization, discrimination and inequalities, largely by people who are not properly educated on social inclusion. Therefore, without innovative IT solutions based on emerging technologies (e.g. IT tool with Augmented Reality glasses which displays communication commands for contacting caretakers), people with disabilities (PWDs) are isolated. The “Innovative Solutions based on Emerging Technologies for Improving Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities (INNOSID)” project builds upon ten years long activities of the “ICT-AAC Competence Network” and broadens its activities geographically (through internationalization) and technologically (through focusing on emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 3D-printing). ICT-AAC main vision is enhancing social inclusion of PWDs by designing and developing free IT solutions aimed at enabling communication, supporting education, and raising public awareness about needs and abilities of people with disabilities.

The INNOSID project will be implemented by the consortium consisting of 6 higher education institutions (HEI) and 1 non-governmental organization (NGO) from the domain of the people with disabilities, from 5 EU countries (Croatia, Spain, France, Portugal, Hungary). The project goal is to improve social inclusion of PWDs by creating innovative IT solutions based on emerging technologies. To reach the project goal, the following three equally important objectives will be fulfilled: (i) developing a multilingual support for existing IT tools for improving social inclusion of people with disabilities; (ii) designing new innovative IT tools based on emerging technologies for improving social inclusion of people with disabilities; and (iii) improving higher education system through tackling skill gaps – raising awareness, developing open educational resources and providing training to students and lecturers in the area of innovative IT solutions based on emerging technologies.

The INNOSID objectives will be achieved through delivery of the following results: (i) multilingual support for 5 ICT-AAC applications (support for Croatian, English, Spanish, Hungarian, French, Portuguese, including multilingual user guides); (ii) study on emerging technologies for improving social inclusion of people with disabilities; (iii) 4 product vision statements and specifications for IT tools for improving social inclusion of people with disabilities; (iv) 2 newly developed, free and publicly-available IT tools (software) for improving social inclusion of people with disabilities (including user guides); and (v) 20 slide decks published as Open Education Resources (OERs).
In order to deliver INNOSID results, the consortium will organize and implement: (i) 4 multiplier events for disseminating project results to target groups (and broader audience); (ii) 4 learning/teaching/training (LTT) activities for providing training to students and lecturers (based on blended mobility and project-based learning) in the area of innovative IT solutions based on emerging technologies; (iii) 7 transnational project meetings to ensure project delivery tracking and quality verification; and (iv) dissemination and visibility activities based on project’s web page and social media to ensure efficient communication about results to internal and external stakeholders, as well as project sustainability and impact by providing open and free access to developed IT tools, user manuals and OERs.

INNOSID project target groups are: (i) people with disabilities; (ii) students from participating HEIs; (iii) lecturers (researchers) from participating HEIs; (iv) high school students; and (v) IT companies. The project will directly include a few dozen of people with disabilities through evaluation of the newly developed IT tools and participation in the multiplier events, while the number of indirectly impacted people with disabilities will be significantly higher as developed IT tools will be available for free download via Internet. Around 60 students and 35 lecturers from INNOSID consortium HEIs will be involved in learning/teaching/training activities, while around 300 high school students will participate in the INNOSID multiplier events. Several IT companies which will participate in the project will benefit from ready-to-use specifications for IT tools aimed to improve social inclusion of people with disabilities, what will help them to fulfill their corporate social responsibility function in such a way.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 311270 Eur

Project Coordinator

SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU & Country: HR

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA
• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE SANTAREM
• IMT Atlantique Bretagne Pays de la Loire
• SVEUCILISTE U DUBROVNIKU
• Hrvatska zajednica za Down sindrom
• DEBRECENI EGYETEM