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Description
According to a Training Employability Accessibility Framework report, despite their competencies, people with vision impairment find it particularly difficult to find work. Among those affected are English teachers. They rarely take up employment in state schools, but they can work with adults and have their own business. We know from interviews conducted by Favicon Media that people with vision impairment see working online as an opportunity, but this is hindered due to teaching materials suitable for their perception ability not being available. Widely available PDF format and interactive materials offered by publishers for working remotely are not fully readable with srcreen readers used by people with vision impairment. Support will be provided for English teachers with vision impairment to develop their professional competencies and give them work tools aligned with the current online teaching trends. Working with representatives of the vision impaired community, we will create an electronic database of teaching materials suitable for the perception ability of teachers and pupils with vision impairment: Three mini-courses and thirty grammar and vocabulary lessons. We will conduct a series of training sessions on IT (platforms and work tools for language teachers), method (teaching method and technique, group activation) and development (motivation, dynamics, group management, self-confidence, assertiveness). The trained persons will conduct online English courses for forty people in vulnerable groups. We will provide them with psychological support, networking meetings, and workshops on legal and financial aspects of employment and running a business The project will benefit twelve English teachers with vision impairment from all over Poland. Ready tools will be produced for blind people and people with vision impairment for teaching English online. The participants will improve their competencies and know-how regarding giving classes remotely.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of exclusion of visually impaired people from the labour market. Despite their skills, these people find it particularly difficult to access employment (Training Employability Accessibility Framework report). This also applies to English language teachers. Although they rarely take jobs in public schools, they can work with adults and run businesses. Visually impaired people believe that working online can be an opportunity for them, but a barrier is the lack of access to learning materials adapted to their perceptual abilities (Favicon Media). Publicly available PDF and other interactive materials offered by publishers for remote working are not properly read by screen readers used by visually impaired people.
The project carried out a number of activities to support visually impaired English teachers to develop their professional skills. They were provided with tools for online work and training to improve their skills in this area. An electronic database of teaching materials adapted to the abilities of teachers and students with visual impairments was created: 3 courses at different levels and 30 grammar and lexical lessons. The visually impaired teachers were trained in online methodology and new technologies, including the use of Zoom communicator and the course platform developed in the project. They then conducted online language classes for 40 students with disabilities from all over Poland. The lessons took place on average twice a week for one semester. During the lessons, the teachers worked in groups to improve their teaching skills and also received individual psychological and coaching support. There were also group workshops on assertiveness, effective group work and stress management, as well as legal and financial workshops.
The aim of the "Promotion of Accessible E-learning" project is to disseminate information about the electronic database of educational materials for teaching English adapted to the abilities of visually impaired users. 15 films were produced to show how the platform works and how it can be used, 2 promotional films and a promotional sub-site were created to collect information and promotional materials accessible to visually impaired users (www.platforma.strefai.org.pl), and a social media promotion campaign was carried out. The promotional activities contributed to the registration of 107 new users of the e-learning database.
As a result of the project, 12 visually impaired English teachers have gained the tools and knowledge to do their job online. Their social and financial situation improved. The project participants developed their professional skills to teach in groups based on innovative working methods and tools. It was also an opportunity for them to exchange experiences and make valuable professional contacts. An important outcome of the project is a database of educational materials for teaching and working with blind and partially sighted teachers of English, containing materials and enabling further exchange of materials developed and adapted by the teachers and lecturers.