AWARD – Autistic World A Real Dimension Erasmus Project

Project Title

AWARD – Autistic World A Real Dimension

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 vocational education and training

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

AWARD Autistic World A Real Dimension was born from the awareness that, although in most member states there is evidence of the inclusion of young people with disabilities in education and employment inclusion measures, people with autism often remain excluded. This is due not only to a widespread lack of awareness about the characteristics of autism and the needs of autistic but also to the limited adequacy of the VET world concerning their learning difficulties and the lack of specialized training of teachers, trainers and business tutors. This problem is particularly felt in the countries involved in the AWARD project: Sardinia (Italy), Romania and Germany. In Sardinia, young people with autism attend high school, some of them obtain a diploma, others only a certificate of attendance. For most of them, the end of the school cycle represents the end of a daily commitment and a real, at least formal, inclusion. In Romania the involvement in school is difficult because there is a lack of skills to involve autistic people, the same problem is experienced in the VET system. In Germany, the involvement of autistic people is very high but in differential contexts (i.e., in situations or classes dedicated only to them) and the concept of inclusion in work contexts with neurotypical people is still not widespread. The priority needs to which the project wanted to respond is to allow young people with autism to live a dignified life and aspire to work, as enshrined in the Italian Constitution. To do this, it is necessary to share strategies of education and training for work adapted to the peculiarities of learning, sensitizing the work environment and society so that they become formative and inclusive entities. AWARD has worked to build a new training system in the field of VET, to support job placement by directly involving all stakeholders in the process: trainers, educators, business tutors and young people with autism. The project has seen the development of a model of training trainers (IO1) that is based on psycho-educational skills and methodologies of working alongside the autistic person useful to operate as a “job coach”. The model also involved company tutors, providing specific training so that inclusion was effective. The project also provided for the development of a model of job placement for people with autism (IO2) that is based on a close connection between training and work activity. The training took place in a classroom setting of pseudoenterprise and was designed to acquire exactly the specific skills required by the young person in training. To support the VET training were developed other tools to enhance the acquisition of specific and transversal skills, namely, a video-modeling system used by trainers, tutors and trainees themselves consisting of shootings made by them with their cell phones. As final products, a short film (IO3) was created to raise awareness of the new training system among schools, families and companies, and a real educational game (IO4), created in the context of the German Game Museum, in Chemnitz. The targets of the project were: VET trainers and teachers (30), business tutors, and young people with autism aged 17 to 29 years engaged in VET or out of school, who were brought back to a VET training system. AWARD has also provided a learning activity for a group of teachers to share the working model developed, a pilot course (3 months in the classroom and 6 months of training) during which 15 autistic people in each country have been supported by teachers trained according to the new model. The pilot experience has allowed validating the AWARD model. Several multiplier events were organized to disseminate the intellectual products and results obtained. Among the results: establishment of a first group of a new class of trainers who can act as a link between autism and the world of work in the 3 nations involved; free availability of a “training package” for trainers and business tutors from any nation interested in assisting young autistic people to enter the world of work; 30 teachers who have enhanced their skills to support the job placement of autistic people; activation of an initial nucleus of collaboration made up of organizations from different economic sectors and nations able to continue to give added value as nodes in key networks; greater awareness of the autism issue; promotion and dissemination of real opportunities for job placement for autistic people; cultural growth of the partners.

Project Website

https://www.cpeleonardo.it/progetto-a-w-a-r-d/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 319633,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fondazione Centro Professionale Europeo Leonardo & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Promoform
• A18onlus – Associazione Autismo 18 anni
• Associazione Studio L&P (Learning & Progress)
• Liceul Tehnologic “Ioan Slavici”
• Solaris Foerderzentrum fuer Jugend und Umwelt gGmbH Sachsen