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Description
The project will, with the help of assistive technologies and trained professional staff, contribute to creating equal opportunities in education for children with disabilities attending ‘Centres for Training and Education (CTEs)’.
Project activities include:
- Equipping CTEs with assistive technologies based on a needs analysis individually tailored to each CTEs (including, type and amount of equipment already available, number of children attending, types of disabilities).
- Training professional staff at the CTEs on the use of assistive technologies as a tool and teaching methods regarding teaching children with disabilities as well as sharing best practice on the use of assistive technologies (through e.g. workshops, conferences and study visits).
- Awareness raising activities focusing on inclusive education for children with disabilities.
Summary of project results
Children with disabilities have been identified as a vulnerable group whose empowerment requires additional specific measures and the removal of barriers to achieving equal educational opportunities. The 2014 Strategy for Education, Science, and Technology recognized the challenges of developing comprehensive support for students with disabilities, as well as the need to strengthen the capacities of education staff in centres for training and education to align their work with modern practices in the field of education and rehabilitation.
Centres for training and education are specialized educational institutions designed for children with disabilities, adapting to their educational needs. However, CTEs are facing a general shortage of assistive technologies, especially the appropriate equipment needed to provide students with equal and higher-quality educational opportunities. The number of students in CTEs is rising, and with each new generation specific adaptation needs can appear. Most existing equipment in CTEs is designed for a single type of disability, without taking into consideration the adaptability to multiple types of disabilities simultaneously. Acquiring new equipment presents a challenge, as the costs are often too high given the existing financial resources of CTEs.
In 2018, CARNET conducted an initial needs assessment in 21 CTEs (60% of all such centres in Croatia) through a survey. The survey results and basic data on the CTEs'' end-users identified major challenges, including a severe shortage of general-use technology, specialized assistive technologies, and the need to strengthen the capacities of educational staff. A total of 90% of surveyed CTEs expressed the need for training on the use and effective implementation of equipment in the process of teaching. These findings clearly indicated that educational staff require high-quality professional support in using assistive technologies in the teaching process and in everyday work with students with disabilities.
An additional challenge is the perspective of the general public, including prejudices that may appear towards children with disabilities from their peers without disabilities, as well as from parents, teachers, and other stakeholders in the educational process.
The project was implemented through 4 main activities, involved 3 project partners, and included a total of 34 CTEs across Croatia.
As part of the "Project management activities" activity, a successful and high-quality collaboration was achieved among project partners, the inclusion of CTEs in the project was conducted, and support was provided to participants. Effective and responsible administrative implementation, monitoring, and coordination contributed to the successful realization of all other project activities.
The "Equipping CTEs with assistive technologies" activity contributed to the improvement of the quality of the CTEs'' daily operations. Based on the equipment catalog developed within the project, the CTEs expressed their needs. According to these needs, the procurement of equipment was divided into four groups, depending on the type of assistive technologies, and deliveries were carried out in several phases. All ordered equipment was delivered successfully. The project partners'' institutions have also been equipped to support research and ensure experience in using the equipment, enabling sharing the acquired knowledge to CTEs.
Through the activity "Education of education staff in CTEs for the use of assistive technologies in education and work with children with disabilities" the capacities of educational staff in CTEs, as well as those of the project promoter and partners, were strengthened. The training was conducted in four cycles: "Inclusive culture in education", "Effective communication as a prerequisite for establishing efficient relationships", "Assistive technology – an essential tool in education", and "Reflective workshop – application of assistive technology and serious game in daily work". Each cycle featured a specific topic. Also, a series of webinars was conducted, and an online course was developed. Through these activities, participants were provided with the necessary knowledge on how to use assistive technologies and integrate them into their daily work with children with disabilities.
The "Awareness raising campaign" activity aimed to raise public awareness on the issues and challenges within the education system regarding equal opportunities for children with disabilities. Enhancing the project''s visibility through dissemination activities and the development of a serious game has addressed prejudices, contributed to their elimination, and created the preconditions for the inclusion of children with disabilities.
The overall objective of the project was to support the creation of effective preconditions that contribute to equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities, and to better and more successful inclusion into society. The specific objective of the project was to improve the education of children with disabilities by providing access to assistive technologies, as well as its adequate and efficient use in educational activities.
The outcome of equipping institutions for children with disabilities with assistive technologies was achieved through the public procurement process, regular coordination with suppliers, and the calibration of the delivered equipment. A total of 34 CTEs across Croatia were equipped with assistive technologies.
Through multimodal and carefully planned educational activities, along with continuous support, the outcome of educating the educational staff in CTEs on the use of assistive technologies in education and work with children with disabilities was successfully achieved. A total of 1324 unique participants took part in at least one mode of training (workshops, webinars, and short training events in Iceland for principals and educational staff) organized within the project.
The outcome of improving the education of children with disabilities by providing access to assistive technologies was achieved through the equipping of CTEs involved in the project with assistive technologies, as well as through the education and motivation of the educational staff for the implementation of assistive technologies in daily work. By the end of the project, 89.3% of children had access to assistive technologies, and the daily learning process was enhanced for 2170 students with disabilities who were trained in use of assistive technologies.
The awareness raising campaign and the promotion of inclusive education for children with disabilities were carried out through the creation and distribution of promotional materials (chalks, T-shirts, brochures, diffusers, etc.). Public attention was captured by a short animated promotional video broadcast on TV and the development of a serious game aimed at fostering a better understanding of disabilities. The CARNET user conferences CUC 2022 and 2023 and the ATTEND conference featured presentations about the project. Additionally, the equipment catalogue published on the project website provides an overview of the currently available and used assistive technologies in Croatia.
Summary of bilateral results
The City of Reykjavík, as the Icelandic partner, represented the donor countries, and contributed its expertise as an institution responsible for the education system, especially for the education of children with disabilities. Reykjavík facilitated collaboration with numerous organizations, which shared their knowledge with participants from Croatia, particularly during short in-person training events.Short training events in Iceland, aimed at education and capacity building, were organized on several occasions in six groups. The 1st group consisted of the project team members from CARNET, ERF, and FER, while the 2nd and 3rd groups included a total of 34 CTE representatives. The last three groups included a total of 67 members of CTEs'' educational staff. As part of the training, participants visited institutions which are directly involved in or responsible for education and care.The City of Reykjavík partner participated in numerous project events. At the ATTEND conference "Na naš način", held in Opatija on May 25-26 in 2022, all project partners participated. The conference featured a joint presentation of the ATTEND project and its defined project activities, along with individual presentations. At CARNET’s user conferences CUC 2022 and 2023, the City of Reykjavík gave presentations and workshops.During the finalization of the project, the City of Reykjavík joined CARNET and Croatian project partners at the final workshop and the closing event.The contribution of the Icelandic partner added significant value to the project through its participation in various activities, particularly in the field of education, and through support in knowledge transfer. The Klettaskóli institution, which participants visited during the short training event, took part in all project activities by doing lectures and workshops on the use of assistive technologies. Additionally, as part of the project, the City of Reykjavík equipped Klettaskóli with assistive technologies.