LOOMY.NET AWARDED AS BEST PRACTICE BY DEA PROJECT

An international team working on an e-learning and digital literacy initiative called DEA (Digital litEracy open to ImpAirments), supported by the European Commission (DG Education and Culture), catalogued and analysed best practices in e-learning targeting people with disabilities, and in particular those initiatives that address digital literacy.

[ClickPress, Wed Jun 21 2006] An international team working on an e-learning and digital literacy initiative called DEA (Digital litEracy open to ImpAirments), supported by the European Commission (DG Education and Culture), catalogued and analysed best practices in e-learning targeting people with disabilities, and in particular those initiatives that address digital literacy. In this respect, the project organised its conference on 16 June 2006 in Brussels, Belgium, and awarded the selected best practice Loomy.net, an Internet Portal for people with learning difficulties. This platform was the direct result of the GET_CONNECTED project, which was partially financed by the DG Education and Culture under Joint Actions Programme.

Loomy.net platform scored high in all categories, namely:
• Effectiveness: an increasing number of users that are exploring and using the services.
• Transferability: although from its outset it was an ambitious project, it provided an excellent example for other institutions who could consider on the one hand to use Loomy.net or to apply something similar using the provided Loomy.net handbook (available for free).
• Innovation: it combines “traditional” technological solutions, but in a new creative and accessible way, taken into account the needs of the targeted end-users.
• Target compliance: a particular attention was paid to the characteristics of the different kinds of users, thus offering specific content suitable for three different levels of learning difficulty, and this through a multilingual web site.
• Accessibility: the project is highly accessible in terms of technology needed (a PC and the internet connection) and is for free, while also respecting all accessibility guidelines in terms of W3c guidelines, “AAA” compliancy, etc.

More info and access to the actual Internet platform is available at www.loomy.net.
For more information about the DEA project, and the various analysed practices, please visit www.deaproject.org/.

More information on Loomy.net
The GET-CONNECTED project, which was successfully completed, aimed at the development, pilot testing and enhancement of an accessible Internet Portal, specifically conceptualised to meet the needs of young and adult people with learning difficulties.

The target group addressed three different levels of learning difficulty. Namely:
• Level 1: Youngsters and adults that can understand only images
• Level 2: Youngsters and adults that can understand key single words
• Level 3: Youngsters and adults that can do basic reading

The objectives of the project were the following:
• Analysis of the type of information that our target group needs
• Analysis of the functionalities and the facilities the internet portal should support in order our target group to use the portal in an easy and friendly manner
• Development of the Internet Portal at the address www.loomy.net
• Development of training curricula for our target group to learn to use ICT (Information Communication Technologies)

This European project comprised nine organisations from nine different member states:
• ALPHA NOVA, (Austria): National organisation in Austria that offers living, working and training facilities to people with learning disabilities
• INFORMATION SOCIETY OPEN TO IMPAIRMENTS, e-ISOTIS, (Greece): European Non Profit Organization that advances the use of accessible ICT and the conduction of innovative training focusing on independent living of disabled people
• FONDACIA INTEGRA, (Bulgaria): NGO based in Bulgaria for offering adult training
• THE SHEPHERD SCHOOL, (United Kingdom): Special School in England for children with learning disabilities and cognitive impairments
• I.P.S.S.C.T. ''GIUSTINO FORTUNATO'', (Italy): Standard school in Italy with children with learning disabilities supported by integration
• FEDERACION PROVINCIAL DE ASOCIACIONES DE MINUSVALIDOS FISICOS DE CORDOBA (FEPAMIC), (Spain): Regional Federation of Associations in Cordoba, Spain that deal with people with physical disabilities
• ED-CONSULT, (Denmark): Consulting company in Denmark specialised in e-learning and validation of training practices
• KOLPING-BILDUNGSWERK DV PADERBORN EV, (Germany): National organisation in Germany that offers sheltered living and vocational training to people with learning disabilities and cognitive impairments
• MAD STUDIOS, (Slovakia): Software Company in Slovakia that develops Web-Based applications.

Contact details
alpha nova BetriebsGesmbH.
Römerstrasse 92
8401 Kalsdorf
Austria

Mrs. Silke Fahrner
Phone: +43-3135-56382-13
Fax: +43-3135-56382-25
Web: www.loomy.net / www.alphanova.at
silke.fahrner@alphanova.at

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