Promoting Effective Communication for Individuals with a Vision Impairment and Multiple Disabilities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Promoting Effective Communication for Individuals with a Vision Impairment and Multiple 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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

During the past three decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of persons with visual impairments and additional disabilities (MDVI) within the general population of persons with visual impairments. People with MDVI constitutes a distinct and heterogeneous group with a unique set of needs and every student with MDVI presents a unique educational challenge.
The current project concerns the training of teachers regarding how to assess and teach communication skills to children with MDVI. PrECIVIM attempted to bridge assessment and intervention and underlined the need of assessment of communication skills for the development of individualized educational approaches and the use of appropriate educational material in order to promote the communication skills of students with MDVI.
In essence, the PrECIVIM project had the following objectives:
• to develop a screening inventory of the communicative profile of MDVI students,
• to create communicative, learning, and social opportunities for students with MDVI,
• to promote the collaboration between universities, schools and associations of individuals with visual impairments and multiple disabilities.
• to point out the best practices and guidelines for the development of effective communication regarding students with MDVI enhancing their acceptance and promoting their inclusion from a broader social context.
Ten organisations (i.e. universities, special educational settings-schools with MDVI, associations of students with MDVI, and IT company and one NGO) were included in the PrECIVIM project and shared their knowledge and experience to serve the above objectives.
All original objectives of the project were met. The achievements which exceeded the initial expectation of the project was the creation of another intellectual output (i. e. IO8) which was entitled: “Miscellaneous Videos” Intellectual Output 8, consolidated the outcomes of IO1, IO3, IO4, and IO5 through videos. The aim of the videos wat to highlight the basics of complex communication needs through discussions (theory, dialogue, and debate) through a simulation class.
Regarding methodological aspects, the training phase consisted of a combined type of training. That is, a face-to-face sessions and on-line meetings. This type of training was characterized as blended or hybrid and was considered to be a formal education program which combined face-to-face sessions and distance reflective meetings based on digital and online media (IT-platform, IO2). Each participating organization was in charge for the training phase, determining an optimal mix of on line and face-to-face instruction. The project portal (IO2) functioned as a platform supporting this multi-dimensional training phase and will allowed all participating organizations to interact and exchange useful information. The training phase (duration 30 days, i. e. 5 days face-to-face instruction and 25 days on-line media) was spread into a time-length of approximately 5 months (M14-M19) so the participating organizations were very flexible to organise them at their disposal.
The total number of the participants who participated in the face-to-face trainings was 144, whereas 135 professionals were involved in the synchronous on-line training events delivering 259 reflective logs during the implementation phase of the project. The impact of the project was not limited to the participants in the activities. The proposal involved other stakeholders from the local community as much as possible in the project activities (i.e. national conferences, European conference, development of best practices guide and Police Recommendations and Guidelines Report). Hence, the project is framed within a longer-term perspective, and planned with a view to achieving a multiplier effect and sustainable impact. As a result, it is argued that PrECIVIM had the potential and achieved impact on local, regional, national and European level, through the production of Intellectual Outputs which can be downloaded free from the project website (Intellectual Outputs (precivim.eu). They are flexible, easily transferable and free. Apart from each partner who acted as a dissemination lighthouse on local and regional level, EBU (European Blind Union and participations in European Conferences) ensured the impact on a European level as well.
Last but not least, the pivotal role of the collaborative network has to be mentioned regarding the impact of the project at the local and European level. The concept of parallel collaborative networks was adopted in the PrECIVIM project. One network was structured within a partner’s country and the other level of activities concerned the collaborative network which was developed among the partners from different countries. In this way the dissemination and the impact was conducted within and between the participating countries and created a fruitful basis for longer-term benefits.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 280552,22 Eur

Project Coordinator

PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS & Country: EL

Project Partners

• Amimoni – Panhellenic Association of parents and friends of visually impaired people with additional handicaps
• St Barnabas School for the Blind
• ROEHAMPTON UNIVERSITY LBG
• Liceul Special pentru Deficienti de Vedere Cluj-Napoca
• TRAPEZA PLIROFORION & PERIEHOMENOU A.E.
• Whitefield Academy Trust
• Special School For the Deafblind