1. Introduction
The Scientific and Validation Committee has the task of analyzing and selecting the training materials from the four projects which will become a part of the final compilation. This compilation will be addressed to stakeholders (professionals, employers and local authorities) involved in the integration of persons with disabilities in the open labour market.
The guiding principle of this compilation consists of The Place-Train-Maintain approach to supported employment, which we have here relabelled the Choose-Get-Keep approach (Choosing jobs – Getting jobs – Keeping jobs).
Because of the volume of material to be read (approximately 3000 pages) the Scientific and Validation Committee has asked the 4 project leaders for extra information to gain a clearer insight and facilitate our search for the right material for the project.
We asked them for the following information about their projects:
1) Description of the target group (this can be done in terms of a) General
Intelligence/knowledge; b) Physical factors; c) Social and emotional performance; d) Clients’
background, environment)
2) Methodology; which method was used for example in determining/assessing the target
group or strategies to train them etc.
3) Results of the project
4) Conclusions and recommendations
5) An overview and summary of the project
6) The key elements of the project to include under the categories of ‘Choosing jobs-Getting jobs-Keeping jobs’
Based on the answers of the project leaders we concluded that three of the four projects lead their target group towards the open labour market. The two Leonardo projects were very explicit on this. Out of the two Grundtvig projects only the project “I Am 2003” offered some material which was of use.
Concerning the project Mo.Bi.Le not much clear information was available. We got some extra information that was slightly confusing. Afterwards we discovered that some products, which had been sent to us, were coming from other projects.
We concluded that only essential information from the Mo.Bi.Le project should be included in our project. We present a summary of the results of this project in Appendix 5.
2. ATLAS
This project was developed because organisations providing vocational training to persons with little or no schooling noticed that the most common reason for people losing their job was lack of social skills. It is hard to make an objective assessment of the level on which someone is performing in social situations, and even harder to decide on which skills need development, and how should be trained. Specific training on behavioural inadequacies in social situations would strengthen someone's chances of carrying out his or her tasks and necessary responsibilities in the workplace. This project focuses on jobs in the three different types of employment; open labour market, sheltered workshops & day centres.
2.1. From social skills to social competences
After an introduction by David Felce (Cardiff University), the partnership decided on a review of labour market related social skills, ranging from “making eye contact when talking to a colleague” to “wearing appropriate clothing during work”. After the review was presented to experts in the various partner countries, the responses were incorporated in a final review of 62 skills. It was decided after recommendation by Ronald Haccou (Fontys OSO, University of Applied Sciences) that the focus should no longer be on social skills alone, but to broaden this to social competences.
What is meant by competences? Competence is someone’s ability to perform a certain task. This ability can be described as the product of (underlying) knowledge, experience, skills and attitude, which becomes evident in a certain context at a certain moment (Weggeman). We can identify not only social competences, but also professional and citizenship competences in people. By focusing attention on knowledge, experience and the attitude of clients or their environment, as well as focusing on skills, we not only achieve a more ‘holistic client approach’, but are also provided with a better picture of the approach to adopt for a possible training programme. It is important here to emphasize that competences cannot be seen separated from both the context and the time in which these are discussed. Competences shown in the training class will be shown differently in a simulation, and will be different again in a real life setting (for instance a small shop or a big supermarket). Viewing the different components entailed in competences separately, we can have a better understanding of the following:
• Attitude includes things like motivation and personal traits. (I want to be a gardener or I am…)
• Skills can be divided into basic skills and key skills, general practical skills and specific practical skills. (I can mow the grass and trim the sides)
• Knowledge entails educational skills as well as equipment or company skills. (I know how to handle the mower)
• Experience is what a client has done in the group so far, or part of it. (I have experience in operating a tractor mower)
Which social skills do employers regard as important to develop?
After an overview was made of labour market related social competences and relevant skills, the ATLAS partners conducted surveys amongst employers. Three relevant sectors were approached:
• (Light) industrial
• Open space planning
• Service sector (catering/cleaning)
(A ‘Sterk in Werk’ follow-up survey in March 2004 showed that over 50% of its clients eventually worked in one of these sectors)
Within these sectors, employers were approached in the following sub-sectors:
• Free companies
• Sheltered employment
• Day centres
The 7 competences (see appendix 2) tested with several employers were:
• Ability to communicate
• Ability to perform during work
• Ability to have positive relations on the work floor with e.g. superiors and customers
• Ability to have positive relations with colleagues
• Ability to behave in a socially accepted way
• Ability to manage his/her stress effectively
• Ability to comply with general rules and agreements
Competences that can be described for instance as: the ability to communicate adequately in one’s job as an assistant gardener in the free labour market.
The surveys resulted in the compilation of a list of 27 ‘key social skills’ (arranged below under the 7 competence categories) - skills that it is particularly important to develop in order to participate successfully in the labour process.
Ability to communicate
2 ability to ask for information
3 ability to follow someone when they are speaking (eye contact)
4 ability to follow to instructions or questions
Is able to perform during work
11 a sense of responsibility
13 motivation
16 loyalty towards the job and the company
17 the willingness to listen and learn
Is able to maintain positive relations on the shop floor e.g. with superiors and customers
20 ability to know when to ask permission
21 ability to know when to apologise
22 ability to be friendly to customers
23 ability to follow rules / to observe the regulations and agreements
25 ability to be honest, open and realistic about own abilities
Is able to engage in appropriate relations with colleagues
26 ability to co-operate with colleagues
27 ability to ask for help or support when needed
30 ability to be aware of certain workplace conventions and not to contravene them
34 ability to be able to establish appropriate relationships with same and opposite
gender
38 ability to be respectful of others' opinions
Is able to behave in a socially accepted way
41 ability to judge what is appropriate in workplace relationships
43 ability to keep personal life and work related issues separate
44 ability to avoid contravening these social conventions/boundaries
49 ability to recognise unacceptable practices
Is able to manage his/her stress effectively
56 ability to persevere
Is able to comply with general rules and agreements
57 ability to be punctual
58 ability to be fit
59 ability to take care of personal appearance
60 ability to take care of personal hygiene
61 ability to wear correct clothes for the job
2.2. Instruments to use for assessment
The next stage of the project was the inventory of measurement instruments that through different means clarified the degree to which the clients mastered social skills/competences. After all, it is only after the starting level has been determined (zero measurement) that the eventual training can begin. The inventory of measurement instruments took place in two ways:
1. Based on an information grid, partners collected information about instruments that were well known to them (used or not used in the company itself). Apart from the grid information they tried to collect manuals of instruments, demonstration versions or other materials.
2. Desktop research was conducted by the University of Wales (scientific partner) in order to collect further information.
Initially, the intention was to choose the assessment instrument that was most satisfactory in terms of the expectations of the ATLAS partners. This instrument was subsequently to be used during the ATLAS test phase, to test results and effectiveness on a practical level. However, the choice of just one instrument was not possible, for several reasons. For one, most instruments were available in only one language, which made them inaccessible for many partners. ATLAS did not have the financial resources for translation of a complete assessment instrument (although there were contributors who did translate their instrument in the interests of the ATLAS project). There were also restrictions on the free use of (licensed) instruments. One instrument was to be used only after the people involved had followed a specific course. This made ATLAS partners decide to incorporate all instruments collected (9 in total) in the ATLAS decision tree. Based upon specific questions, an insight is gained into the nature of the different instruments, in order to reach a choice that is geared towards personal needs and the nature of the individual organisation.
Finally, the items in the various instruments are compared with the list of (62) skills and (7) competences, as ATLAS has developed them. This way it may happen that one instrument gives a better indication of the ‘communicative skills’ of a client, while another establishes the capacity of a client to become ‘team player’ in a positive sense or otherwise. By choosing a competence-based approach, the ATLAS Project group was obliged to deal with a number of competence-based instruments (STARR, Portfolio, SMART, ‘Profile of the Workplace’ and ‘Person-Centred Planning’).
2.3. Methods to train social skills
The next step was to investigate which methods there are available to train social skills specifically. After 18 months the theoretical framework of the ATLAS project was determined and the collected information was summarized in a handbook. This served as a guideline in the one-year test phase. Simultaneous with the ATLAS test phase, an inventory of training methodologies was compiled. The method was similar to the inventory of assessment instruments:
1. Partners collected information about training methodologies (well known or used by them)
2. Scientific partner Fontys OSO carried out desktop research
Collecting experiences with regard to testing/training instruments during a one-year test phase.
Before the test phase began, it was agreed that the partners would conduct practical tests with the testing and training material collected (in the ATLAS handbook) on at least 10 clients. The purpose was to assess whether or not the collected instruments and methodologies positively contribute to the developmental possibilities of clients and their chances of finding or retaining a job in the free labour market/supported employment. During the test phase, logbooks were kept for individual clients. Halfway through this, conclusions and recommendations were collected based upon the evaluation forms that had been handed out. These were discussed during a separate project meeting in Romania with trainers from the various partner organisations. The trainers resumed the test phase back in their own organizations, which had been strengthened with new ideas and remarks. After the test phase, experiences, conclusions and recommendations were collected.
2.4. Conclusions and recommendations
Initially the idea was to publish a CD-ROM, but this gradually changed, and publishing an ATLAS book (English language) was decided upon instead. It was decided that the book would be translated into the languages of the ATLAS partner countries (Germany, Greece, Holland, and Romania), which are available on the ATLAS website (www.projectatlas.org). This way, the project will not only have an interactive character, but will also remain up-to-date for longer. The ATLAS partners hope that both the ATLAS book and the website will invite readers/visitors to express their opinions or reactions, which subsequently will be shared with a broader audience.
The following conclusions and recommendations were made during the project:
Management in organisations must realize what competence-based thinking implies, and what the consequences are for their own organisations. The recommendations for management teams were as follows:
• The management team should invest time and finance in starting such a project
• The management team should adopt competence-based training
• One member of the management team should be responsible for this
• A policy plan should be set up over the course of a few years according to which all organizational aspects are reviewed with a view to a competence-based approach (financial, schooling, staff, infrastructure etc.).
The recommendations for trainers are were follows:
• Training should be more focused on working with this method (e.g. knowledge of appropriate testing and training materials)
• Peer consultation and mutual cross-border exchanges should be organised. This will speed up the process.
• There should be better understanding of the various learning styles, and in particular individual competences
• There should be active involvement of all actors in the client’s environment (parents, employers, social workers etc.) in the reintegration process
• There should be a greater focusing on the client, and he or she should be considered a worthy interlocutor and contributor to his or her training.
At a curriculum content level we recommend:
• A clear description of the competences required from clients
• Visualising the way they have to be tested in a clear and conscious manner
• Keeping an eye on the various contexts in which clients are trained
• Smoothening the transition between testing and training
• Distinguishing clearly between social, professional and citizenship competences
At an institutional level we recommend:
• Informing partners in the business community about the dual training system keeping an eye on the five main headings of the place-train-maintain approach: Knowledge of the Person and his/her Potential (Vocational Profiling); Job Finding; Job Analysis, Matching and Placement; Job Training; Maintenance Arrangements
• Taking care that (both inside and outside the institution) sufficient employees are trained this way
• Clearly describing the competence profile of the work place in order to match it to the client profile
• Primarily involving trainers that endorse this new way of training
• Developing a portfolio that is understood by everyone
The key elements of the project to be included under the categories of ‘Choosing jobs-Getting jobs-Keeping jobs’
• Identification of the 27 key social skills
• Definition of labour market related social competences
• Implementation of an assessment procedure for competences as a starting point for competence-based training
• Using the Atlas decision tree as a guide to 8 assessment instruments for social competences which have proved to be useful for work-related settings. The criteria were selected to offer a clearer picture of the nature of the assessment instrument. It summarises their main characteristics.
• Generating an overview of assessment instruments and training methods
3. Conversion
3.1. Why the Conversion project?
It is now acknowledged both on a European and wider international level that persons with disabilities should be guaranteed inclusive employment.
Numerous studies and reports over the past twenty years have demonstrated the advantages of inclusive employment over specialized employment. There are however still very few Europeans with disabilities in inclusive employment, despite the fact that there are notable pockets of success in a minority of member states. Inclusive employment for persons with disabilities is therefore a central aim of the project.
This project is based on the findings emerging from another Leonardo da Vinci project – LABOr –which established a knowledge centre on training and employment enhancing measures for persons with intellectual disabilities. The LABOr findings clearly identify ‘Supported Employment’ as the most successful strategy for integrating persons with intellectual disabilities in the open labour market. The Conversion project builds on these findings. Traditional agencies providing specialized employment that have accepted the need for change and are committed to the process of transition are very often faced with a seemingly insurmountable gap in knowledge and skills at both management and staff level, and are unsure how to complete the transition in an effective and sustainable way.
3.2. From A to Z: empowering first line staff and managers
Mission statement of the project: The specific aim of the Conversion project was to develop and pilot a training programme enabling both front-line staff and managers to acquire the needed skills to be able to support the movement of persons with a disability from specialised employment to employment in the open labour market.
3.3. Innovative approach
The training materials developed during the project promote and contribute to the process of innovation in vocational training. The training materials use a twin-track approach as they take into consideration not only the needs of front-line staff, but also the needs of management in the conversion process. Front-line staff needs are addressed by developing training materials in the area of supported employment. Management’s needs are addressed through the development of training materials in the area of change management. These materials have been piloted on both sets of personnel.
3.4. Products
3.4.1. Training Materials
The main products of the project consist of two training modules, one on supported employment and the second on change management. Pilot projects using the training materials have been completed in France, Ireland and Poland and they have proved effective in re-skilling staff and supporting the process of transition from specialized service provision to labor market participation of persons with disabilities.
Both modules are available and can be downloaded from the new http://www.employmentforall.eu website.
Supported Employment module
The module concerns supported employment – a proven strategy for ensuring that persons with disabilities (including those with significant disabilities and high support needs) are effectively employed in real jobs for real pay in the open labour market. The module is designed to equip the learner with knowledge and skills to supporting persons with disabilities to develop careers and become successfully employed in the open labour market.
It is particularly appropriate for staff that provide direct support to adults with learning disabilities.
General aims of the module:
· To familiarize participants with the model of supported employment, its values and principles;
· To enable participants to support individuals with learning disabilities to plan and develop careers;
· To equip participants with the knowledge and skills in marketing supported employment and in finding jobs for individuals with learning disabilities;
· To provide participants with the skills to support successful working relationships between employers and their employees with learning disabilities;
· To support staff working in specialized settings to make the shift towards supported employment.
Composition of the module:
The module consists of 5 Units corresponding to the general aims underlined before:
Unit 1: Supported Employment, its values and principles
Unit 2: Supporting Individuals to plan and develop careers
Unit 3: Marketing Supported Employment to Employers
Unit 4: Supporting Job finding
Unit 5: Supporting Successful Working Relationships
The module also includes:
· Module descriptor
· Guidelines on how to use the Tutor Manual “using the Tutor Manual”
· Activity materials and additional materials
· A portfolio of Assignments (2 assignments)
Self (web-based) study for Supported Employment
This module on supported employment has been designed as a self-study module that you can download from the website of the Conversion project: www.employmentforall.eu.
This module has been nationally accredited by the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC). This is the Irish statutory body with responsibility for making quality assured awards in accordance with national standards within the national framework.
This module is designed to equip people with knowledge and skills to support individuals with learning disabilities to develop careers and become successfully employed in the open labour market.
Learners who successfully complete this module will:
• be familiar with the model of supported employment and its underlying ideology
• be capable of supporting individuals with learning disabilities to plan and develop careers
• develop knowledge and skills in marketing supported employment and in finding jobs for individuals with learning disability
• acquire skills in supporting successful working relationships between employers and their employees with learning disabilities
Change Management module
This module is designed to equip the learner with knowledge and understanding about change processes and how they affect individuals and organizations. Participants will learn how to build motivation and commitment and to plan the change process adequately.
The module provides staff at all levels with an understanding of the personal and organizational implications of change and equips them to plan and manage the transition from specialized settings to supporting labour market participation in a systematic fashion.
This module is specifically designed for managers and front-line staff in service agencies wishing to shift their focus from specialized employment to inclusive employment for persons with disabilities
General aims of the module:
· To enable participants to develop an understanding of change processes and how they affect organizations, teams and individuals;
· To enhance in participants the capacity to identify key stakeholders in the change process so that they can understand what drives these stakeholders to act and to communicate with them in a way that generates support for the change process;
· To create in participants an understanding of the way people interact in organizations, and the way behaviour impacts on the change process;
· To support participants in developing skills to plan the change process correctly.
Design of the module:
The module has 6 Units corresponding to the general aims underlined here before:
Unit 1: Understanding change
Unit 2: Stakeholder analysis
Unit 3: Dealing with the human side of change: resistance
Unit 4: Effective interactions in organizations
Unit 5: Managing stakeholders
Unit 6: Planning implementation: the Change Roadmap
The module also includes:
· Portfolio of Assignments
· Module descriptor
· Guidelines on how to use the Tutor Manual “using the Tutor Manual”
· Activity materials and additional materials
The module has been piloted in three agencies in France, Ireland and Poland. The module has been revised after this pilot phase, and is now available in final format on the www.employmentforall.eu website.
3.4.2. A literature review
The project conducted a literature review of policy instruments, practical tools and projects that involve the Conversion process with a particular focus on research work from the United States and Europe. The literature review was conducted to allow the project team to benefit from international experience so as to ensure that the modules developed would include the key elements of successful Conversion programmes. The project also set up a focus group with a team of key managers from the KARE organization in Ireland. KARE is one of the few agencies in Ireland that have successfully closed their sheltered workshops and changed to a service model that promotes inclusive employment using the Supported Employment Strategy. The results of this focus group were also used in the design of the modules.
The roadmap is another product of this project. The roadmap is based on details from the training modules, feedback from the pilot agencies and input from other agencies that have already gone through the Conversion process. The roadmap intends to give basic guidelines for those agencies that wish to embark on a transition process from specialised employment for persons with disabilities to employment on the open labour market.
Moreover, the roadmap:
• Shows how to move forward with inclusive employment;
• Identifies major issues to be addressed while working through the conversion process;
• Highlights the critical success factors in this process;
• Underlines which logical steps to take;
• Outlines how to interact with all parties involved in the Conversion process.
• The road map integrates the subject matter of both training modules developed during the project.
• The project findings indicate that the process of change can only be successful and sustainable if agencies take into account three different concepts:
o The triangle of success
o The balance of energy
o Network building
3.5. Conclusions and recommendations
The pilot phase of the Conversion programme provides sufficient evidence to recommend the utilization of the materials throughout the EU Member States. The following recommendations are made to support their use in an effective and efficient manner:
• We recommend that the European Commission takes full advantage of current work in regard to the ‘State Aid Regulation’, ‘The Green Paper on the Modernization of Labour Law to meet the challenges of the 21st century’ and the ‘Strategy for active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market’. The guidelines with regard to the national action plans on employment should be adapted to facilitate this.
• We recommend also that the European Commission includes the findings of our project in the development of the European Qualification Framework in order to guarantee that future professionals understand how to facilitate the inclusion in the open labour market of persons with disabilities.
• We recommend that each Member State, in the context of the National Action Plan on Employment for People with Disabilities, commit to setting up a national task force to include all of the relevant stakeholders. These national task forces will have the development of a comprehensive, multifaceted National Strategy and Pact as their brief, with the aim of translating the policy of open labour market inclusion into reality for all persons with disabilities who wish to be employed.
4. I Am 2003: INTEGRATIVE ERWACHSENENBILDUNG
4.1. An overview and summary of the project
The EU project I AM 2003 – Inclusive Adult Education Model, was started in October 2003. This project is based on the principle of providing equal opportunities ‘to live as others do’ (the central idea of Lebenshilfe Graz and surroundings– Voitsberg, Austria), and it aims to enable the extensive participation of persons with disabilities in all areas of life and, therefore, also in educational services and lifelong learning.
Through transnational cooperation the I AM 2003 project developed, tested and disseminated an inclusive adult education model for the target group of persons with disabilities. The project was coordinated by Lebenshilfe Graz and surroundings – Voitsberg. The collaborating partners came from Bulgaria (Association DIA-Sport), Germany (Club 82), Italy (Comune di Colleferro), Austria (CONVELOP and the Styrian Chamber for Employees and Workers), Slovenia (Center Janez Levec) and Hungary (NIVE). This project was carried out with the support of the European Community in the framework of the Socrates Program.
Within the framework of this project a criteria catalogue was developed to serve as a written guideline for the structure, organization and implementation of inclusive education in public education institutions. Furthermore a curriculum for the training of educational assistants, who are to accompany and support disabled people during the course of their education, was drawn up. In order to optimally prepare the persons with disabilities for inclusive courses, a curriculum for the acquisition of a basic qualification and, in addition to this, an educational CD-ROM for the training in this basic qualification was developed.
The pilot study took place in the partner countries of Germany, Bulgaria and Austria; here the model was tested and evaluated. In order to optimally address the needs of persons with disabilities it is very important that the target group be incorporated into the development process throughout the course of the project.
Adult education is the continuation or resumption of organised learning following the conclusion of an initial educational phase. In the European context, lifelong learning characterises "all learning activity undertaken throughout life with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competences within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective". This EU definition, which was laid down in the 2001 document ‘Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality’, has lost none of its validity today.
One element of adult education is self-determined, complementary learning taking place in a person's leisure time. Another component is ongoing education as a continuation of initial training. Both of these elements are also important in the area of adult education for persons with disabilities. Every member of our society has a right to education. In view of today's multiple and swift social, technological and economic developments, it is particularly difficult for persons with disabilities to become and/or remain competitive in the labour market. The necessity of education in
adulthood is particularly evident and significant for the personal development of persons with disabilities. The movement for the self-determination of persons with disabilities has led to a continuous increase in demand for educational opportunities. Expanding knowledge and personal competencies must become a real possibility, even for persons with disabilities.
For this reason the project ‘I AM 2003’ was launched by Lebenshilfe Graz und Umgebung – Voitsberg [Life Aid in Graz, Voitsberg and surrounding area]. It was conceived as a transnational two-year project with financial support from the Grundtvig programme of the European Commission. The project focuses on the qualitative expansion of integrative adult learning opportunities in the area of public education. It aims at facilitating the access of persons with disabilities to public learning opportunities and providing support in this area. One of the main target groups of the project are public and private adult education institutions seeking to open up their range of learning activities to persons with disabilities. With these institutions in mind, a list of criteria has been developed which serves as a written guideline for the conception, organisation and implementation
of integrative education in institutions of public education. However, the project's primary target group are young people and adults with intellectual and multiple disabilities, but with a strong personal interest in ongoing education. The project aims to prepare this target group for attendance at integrative adult learning events through the acquisition of basic qualifications. In addition, they are given help and support by trained learning assistants in order to achieve this goal. Both the curriculum for the acquisition of basic qualifications and the training provided for learning assistants were conceived and developed within the scope of the project.
4.2. Content of the project
The results of the project show that integrative adult education can be successful if concepts for change are taken into consideration on three levels, and consequently that the three parameters of the integrative adult education model are fulfilled:
• at the level of the adult education institution: planning courses that are accessible to all, creating appropriate framework conditions (e.g. barrier-free access) and preparing adult education instructors to work with the 'persons with disabilities' target group (list of criteria)
• at the level of the client: preparing persons with disabilities for integrative adult education through the acquisition of basic qualifications (curriculum for the acquisition of basic qualifications and learning CD)
• at the level of methodology: providing assistance and ongoing support for persons with disabilities in their lifelong learning activities through specially trained learning assistants(curriculum for training learning assistants)
4.3. List of criteria
The list of criteria developed within the scope of the project is intended to serve public and private adult education institutions as a guideline for the conception, organisation and implementation of integrative education.
The criteria are:
• objectives of and considerations about integrative adult education
• description of the target group(s)
• specific characteristics of integrative education
• organisational framework conditions
• basic methodological and didactic issues
• guidelines for instructors
• summary of the curricula for the learning assistants and for the acquisition of basic
qualifications
• possible topics for integrative adult education
• project experience
4.4. Acquisition of basic qualifications
The curriculum for the acquisition of basic qualifications for people with special needs serves to prepare participants for public education through the acquisition of basic qualifications. This curriculum was developed in cooperation with persons with disabilities in order to achieve optimum long-term effectiveness. Contents were selected and formulated with the assistance of a course director. The curriculum consists of 42 units grouped into three main modules. The current curriculum users are people with intellectual impairments or slow learners who are
being prepared for public learning opportunities through basic qualification. Training is a concrete step towards implementing the principle of lifelong learning. Improving educational options for this target group is the primary aim of the programme.
4.5. Overview of the curriculum
Module I:
“Reading and Writing” is composed of six parts: 1. Assessment of abilities; 2. Development of reading skills and reading pace; 3. Development of text comprehension; 4. + 5. Development of writing and composition skills (computer assisted); 6. Writing a CV in table form.
Module II
“Communication” is composed of the following parts: 1. Verbal communication – Self presentation; 2. Non verbal communication, Meta-communication; 3. Communication training; 4. Information flow (sending and receiving); 5. Development of fluency in speech /Story, narrative (retelling); 6. Speech correction; Communication disorders.
Module III
“Useful training for daily life - organizational skills” is composed of the following parts: 1 +2. Time management; 3. Organising daily tasks; 4. Using public transport; 5. Organizing leisure activities; 6. managing personal finances.
Module IV
“Useful training for daily life – administrative skills” is composed of the following the parts:
1. Visiting a public (state) institution; 2. Making inquiries and requesting information at an inquiry office; 3. Filling in an application form; 4. Paying bills; 5. Taking letters to the post office
Module V
“Useful training for daily life – social skills” is composed of the following the parts: 1. Appropriate behaviour and social etiquette; 2. Using the telephone; 3. + 4. + 5 How to act in a group; 6. Knowing your rights; 7. My assistant – my partner
Module VI
“Computer knowledge” is composed of following parts: 1. Getting to know the computer; 2. Working with the educational CD-ROM; 3. Starting the word processor; 4. + 5. Writing and formatting the text on the word processor; 6. Sending the document, finding and reviewing the I AM website.
Module VII
“Foreign language / English” is composed of the following parts: 1. Greetings and farewells; 2. Numbers; 3. Elementary colours; 4. Questions and answers; 5. Words concerning physical appearance; 6. Introductions
In addition, basic qualifications can be acquired by means of a learning CD used within the context of assisted self-study. The learning CD contains individual teaching sequences taken from the curriculum.
4.6. Learning assistants
Learning assistants offer persons with disabilities need-oriented support to help them take advantage of educational opportunities. They accompany persons with disabilities to adult education events, support them in coping with organisational and administrative tasks, offer individual tutoring and follow learning objectives that have been established together. The learning assistants support persons with disabilities in their efforts to achieve a self-determined life.
Learning assistance is a mechanism that guarantees people's universal right to education and it constitutes an important step in the normalisation process.
Overview of the curriculum for the training courses of learning assistants:
· Module I: "The integrative adult education model"
· Module II "Basic didactic issues"
· Module III "The functions and tasks of the assistant"
· Module IV "Support provided by the assistant"
· Module V "Work placement"
Objective of successful integrative adult education:
The aim of integrative adult education is to help persons with disabilities in their efforts to achieve a self-determined life and to allow them unrestricted access to society:
· empowerment in professional life
· easier access to and/or better chances of advancement in specific jobs
· easier access to existing educational opportunities
· less inhibitions in taking advantage of public educational opportunities
· improved social competence
· more self-confidence in public, learning conflict rules and communication techniques and achieving new motivation in an effort to boost self-confidence and foster personal wellbeing
· opportunity for personal and professional training for the target group and individual support
4.7. Results of the project and summary
For persons with disabilities, being offered opportunities to expand their knowledge and their personal competence is anything but self-evident. The "I AM 2003" project makes it possible.
Experience gained from the project has been extremely positive, and shows how much interest persons with disabilities have in lifelong learning.
Integrative adult education makes lifelong learning possible. It allows disabled people to expand their school knowledge, develop their social competence and increase their chances in the labour market. They can improve their self-reliance and achieve greater personal independence. This strengthens their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Integrative adult education facilitates the participation of persons with disabilities in social life and improves their quality of life.
To summarise, we can say:
• Persons with disabilities are highly interested in adult education and personality development –and the integrative adult education model helps them overcome barriers and inhibitions.
• Empowerment of the target group – once their inhibitions about taking advantage of adult education opportunities have been overcome, persons with disabilities, with the support of learning assistants, are able to gain self-assurance and motivation with regard to further education and lifelong learning.
• Individual assistance offers individual development opportunities for persons with disabilities, boosting their motivation and helping them to achieve better qualifications and a greater level of integration.
• So-called ‘soft skills’ are important prerequisites when applying for jobs. Practising these skills within the context of the basic qualification course is very helpful and supportive for future integration in the labour market or in adult education.
• The ‘I AM 2003’ project can be seen as an important step towards achieving equality of rights and a self-determined life for persons with disabilities.
• By helping participants achieve basic qualifications and facilitating their access to further education, the "I AM 2003" project can be seen as a support measure for the integration of persons with disabilities in the labour market. It is important to mention that in order to achieve a successful integration in the labour market personal competencies are just as important as professional ones.
Back