EU Leonardo Project AHVIIT – ACCESS (Audio Haptics for Visually Impaired Information technology)

This project, partially financed by the Community Vocational Training Action under the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme, seeks to improve the inclusion of workers or trainees who are blind or visually impaired in vocational training programmes using visual materials, by delivering these in a non visual format, which is touch and sound. The project will design, produce and test pilot learning materials, as well as create an online training programme for teachers.

[ClickPress, Tue Oct 24 2006] This project, partially financed by the Community Vocational Training Action under the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme, seeks to improve the inclusion of workers or trainees who are blind or visually impaired in vocational training programmes using visual materials, by delivering these in a non visual format, which is touch and sound. The project will design, produce and test pilot learning materials, as well as create an online training programme for teachers.

The need is identified by the low employment levels and specialist training facilities available for this group. Unless facilities and systems are devised and introduced now, the acceptance of e-learning as an essential feature for modernisation and adaptation of training systems across the EU may continue with the substantial exclusion of this group.

The added value is in removing unemployed people from incapacity benefits, state or charitable support and allowing them full inclusion in the workforce as well as the career enhancement of workers already within the target group.

The aims and objectives are to produce three pilot VET training courses that contain a significant element of visual graphics, in the form of ‘Talking Tactiles’. Initial activities by the VET partners will be the compilation of 3 sets of lesson content materials, then by association with a specialist SME business, a series of associated tactile diagrams will be designed and produced. These tactile diagrams will then undergo a process that essentially ‘copies & pastes’ audio files into the graphics files.

By this innovative methodology, we will improve accessibility to visual graphics for the visually impaired. With the use of a specific piece of computer peripheral hardware (previously developed), as the user touches any part of the tactile overlay, associated sound files will deliver lesson content material in support of the tactile user surface navigation / interface.

There are some 450 million people in the EU. Depending on the source, the % of people who are recorded as blind or visually impaired varies from around 1.5% to 4% of the population depending on age grouping. Taking a conservative 2% as a reasonable average on this basis there would be some 9 million people who at some stage of their life cycle could benefit by assistance from this project, in education, in vocational training, or for recreational purposes.

This project is about making learning materials that are visual by nature accessible to those who are partially sighted or blind. It will also offer a significant advance to the objective in that it will stem the risk of an “ever widening gap between those that have access to the new knowledge and those who do not”.

The partners in this project are:
- RNC (Royal National College for the Blind), United Kingdom
- BFW Duren, Germany
- Royal Visio (National Foundation for the visually Impaired and Blind), The Netherlands
- Tactility, United Kingdom
- NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland), Ireland
- e-ISOTIS (Information Society Open To Impairments), Greece
- RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind), United Kingdom

e-ISOTIS (Information Society Open To ImpairmentS) is a non-profit making organisation founded in December 2002, working with People with Disabilities, Elderly, their spouses as well as members of the ICT (Information Communication Technology) community, worldwide. Currently, its associated members represent 350.000 people with impairments, located in European countries.
e-ISOTIS’ scope is to ensure that people with disabilities, elderly and their families are fully involved in the preparations and activities in line with the slogan "nothing about people with disabilities without people with disabilities". By supporting People with Disabilities and elderly, e-ISOTIS aims at assisting its members in overcoming the existing barriers and experiencing an Information Society that opens up new opportunities for development, prosperity and quality of life.

e-ISOTIS is the dissemination leader of this project.

For More Information, please contact:
Mrs. Zoe Apostolopoulou
e-ISOTIS
40 Klitaimnistras
Athens 131 22
Greece
Phone:+30 210 2693760
Fax:+30 210 2693775
info@e-isotis.org

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