The ENTELIS+ Consortium partners organised an accessibility session, #RightToConnectNow at EASPD’s 25th Anniversary Conference in Brussels on 12th and 13th October. The session was divided into two parts with the first one showcasing training modules prepared by the consortium partners accompanied by discussions surrounding the on-ground experience of the pilot training in four countries with the target group. 

Every project measures a part of its success through the outputs achieved. Therefore, the second part of the session witnessed dissemination of different outputs such as success factors, mapping of good practice, fact sheets etc. produced in the project by the partners. In addition, a separate workshop was organised where the consortium partner ‘FUNKA’ facilitated a training on digital accessibility and how to provide this training to persons with disabilities.  The project outputs are also digitally available on the website here. 

The FUNKA workshop slide can be found here 

Luk Zelderloo, Secretary General, EASPD opened the session with a welcome speech highlighting the importance of strategic public and private partnerships to develop innovative methods and practices to foster inclusive education.  Alongside shedding light on enhancing digital skills and competencies of digitally excluded groups, particularly persons with disabilities of all ages. Furthermore, Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf Secretary General, AAATE shared the key objectives of the ENTELIS+ project and the ENTELIS Network.  

Ilaria Valoti moderated the panel session where panel speakers Sarah Gavra Boland (Saint John of God Community Services), Aaron Reitbauer (atempo Betriebsgesellschaft), Elli Kafritsa (Vocational Traianing Center MARGARITA), Sofia Ceré (AIAS Bologna Onlus) shared on-ground experience of conducting accessibility training in Austria, Ireland, Greece and Italy using the training module prepared by the consortium.  

Several key elements were highlighted as essential in promoting digital accessibility to person with disabilities such as:  

Accessible training materials: Vocational Training Center MARGARITA provided training to beneficiaries with intellectual disability, service providers and specialized professionals such as psychologists, occupational therapists, speech & language therapists, social workers. The participants were actively involved in learning about digital accessibility via PowerPoint slides that were created in an easy-to-read format. The trainer also used a digital game, “Kahoot” where the participants could easily join in the questions answer session about the training. 

Importance of Digital accessibility and assistive technology: In Ireland the trainers from Saint John of God Community Services highlighted how digital accessibility is important for communication, education and employment for persons with disabilities. From the training modules, the beneficiaries explored how to use the built-in accessibility and accessibility checker in Microsoft Office which is an essential tool in education and employment for persons with disabilities. Apart from the training modules, beneficiaries learned to explore accessibility features on mobile devices as these features are more practical and can be used very easily.  

The speakers also highlighted that during the pandemic the digital divide escalated as service providers faced difficulties to support old people and persons with disabilities. This was largely because beneficiaries had a lack of understanding when it comes to accessing the internet and digital devices. Hence, it is crucial for service providers to use quality materials to train beneficiaries on digital accessibility.  

The event closed with Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf presenting a short video on the social media campaign #RightToConnectNow initiated by the ENTELIS+ project partners.