Educational support for persons with intellectual disability suffering internet crime and violence Erasmus Project

Project Title

Educational support for persons with intellectual disability suffering internet crime and violence

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 2017

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

Today’s world is based on the internet and social media. Ability to use the Internet, finding information, resources, and contact with others is now a requirement that makes an element of everyday life, for socialising, learning or getting a job placement even when no other qualification is required. People with intellectual disability also use the Internet more frequently and manage more and more functions. What is more, they are encouraged to use new tools, as they are enabling their full inclusion into the society like nothing has before.
Anyone can be subject to cyber violence, and that is becoming an unfortunate element of everyday life. However, knowing that persons with disabilities are much more likely to become victims of violence, and in particular persons with intellectual disability, who are within this group exposed to further vulnerabilities, even in the absence of a reliable research, it is easy to conclude that persons with ID are much more prone to cyber violence than many, if not even any, other groups.
With this in mind, partners saw a great and urging need to develop tools that would help persons with intellectual disabilities cope with violence online. This projects was an attempt to fill in the gap. Project was aimed on enabling educators who are providing education to persons with intellectual disability to mainstream the information about cyber violence into their educational programmes and empower persons with ID to stay safe online. Project objectives were to give educators and persons with ID necessary knowledge about the dangers of the internet, help them deal with cyber violence and find support that they need when they are exposed to it.
As a first step, project partners collected case studies which demonstrated the examples of situations in which persons with intellectual disabilities were victims of cyber violence. Having developed ethical standards, partners collected experience of persons with ID, which set basis for the curricula and training materials. Every case was commented by psychologist and police.
After getting the experience of possible dangers and solutions, partners together with beneficiaries with intellectual disability created films based on chosen cases. Films enriched database with safety rules.
Next step in project activity was elaborating packages of course materials for teachers and for adults with intellectual disability. Materials were tested during conducted courses.
Furthermore, partners prepared a digital guide for police and other services and individuals with useful tips, brochure in easy to read text and AAC tool with set of phrases and pictograms which could be used during the interview with person with intellectual disability.
The case studies collection, as well as the curricula and other training materials that were developed as intellectual outputs of the project, are publicly available under open-licence in six languages.
The partnership represents a unique combination of expertise and experience. We have the largest European organisation of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families, a big national organisation providing services to persons with ID, organisations that provide training to persons with ID and we included experts in cyber violence and cyber crime with their specific expertise.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 191243 Eur

Project Coordinator

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

Project Partners

• Spolecnost pro podporu lidi s mentalnim postizenim v Ceske republice, z.s.
• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE SANTAREM
• Association Regional centre for people with intellectual disability Poraka Nasa
• INCLUSION EUROPE AISBL