Programs in
Assistive Technology Education
for End-Users in Europe

Name of the organisation
    REGIONE AUTONOMA VALLE D'AOSTA
    ASSESSORATO ALLA SANITA', SALUTE E POLITICHE SOCIALI
    Servizio Informazione Disabili
Address
    loc. Grand Chemin 30
    11020 Saint-Cristophe (Aosta)
    ITALY
    Telephone: +39 165 235238
    Fax: +39 165 235238
Key Person of the organisation
    Paola Cattelino

A provider of health and social services mainly involved in education/training, information/advice and public awareness raising. Educational activities began 5-10 years ago and are addressed to persons with disabilities and professionals the issues of independent living, coping better with disability and AT are embraced.

The educational activities carried out over the past 5 years can be classified as follows:

  • 9 non-residential training courses, addressed to a target of persons with disabilities, social workers, educational and rehabilitation professionals, administrative officers and students;
  • 50 seminars, in the form of topical workshops and lessons for other courses, addressed to the above-mentioned target;
  • 100 information activities, represented by conferences, mass media coverage, exhibitions and congresses, and exchange of experiences, addressed to a wide public;
  • activities addressed to the individual (a total of 1,000 interventions) mainly in the form of advice, information services and advocacy, addressed to a target of persons with disabilities, the elderly and families.

AT plays an important role in all these activities, and almost all the areas related to AT are considered, mainly in the activities addressed to the individual.

TRAINING COURSES AND SEMINARS

Even though numerous courses and seminars are listed in the following table, only a general description was given, probably because they differ little in terms of organisation and implementation.
Title of the initiative
Typology
Year
Duration

(in hrs.)
Number partic.
Target
Number teachers
Progettare per tutti I

(Planning for all I)

n/r train. c.
1991
80
technicians
10
Progettare per tutti II

(Planning for all II)

n/r train. c.
1995
30
technicians
15
L'autonomia delle persone disabili

(Autonomy of persons with disabilities)

mon. sem.
1994
100
pers. with disab., fam., rehab. prof., educ. prof., soc. work., adm. oFF
5
Gli ausili per l'autonomia della persona disabile (Aids for autonomy of persons with disabilities) n/r train. c.
1989
40
rehab. prof., pers. with disab.
6
La formazione e la pratica dello sci nordico (Training and practice of cross country skying) res. train. course
1992-1995
60
rehab. prof., pers. with disab.
3
Lezioni

(Lessons)

other
1989-1997
1200
educ. prof., soc. work., other
2
Essere disabile, essere persone

(Being disabled, being a person)

top. work.
1992
20
pers. with disab., fam., other
10
Disabilità ed informazione

(Disability and information)

mon. sem.
1990
20
pers. with disab., soc. work., adm. oFF
4

Selection

The initiative was widely publicised through all considered media, even if the advertising in specialised journals and other periodicals proved to be the most effective. Information was sent out to the organisation's address database, but also to user and voluntary organisations. Participation was restricted to adults with motor impairment, but selection was also made on the basis of professional experience and personal interests. Teachers were selected according to their level of expertise, while no preference for those with disabilities was expressed.

Organisation

The various initiatives took place at different venues defined and found as needed, with overall accessibility in mind. Coffee-breaks and welcome sessions were offered, and a teachers' secretariat set up.

Implementation

Content was mainly delivered through lectures and group discussions, but also through group work, during which experimentation of products took place. The hands-on sessions also featured presentation and demonstration of products, while the more theoretical lessons were presented by the aid of overhead projection, slides, film and handouts. The theoretical and practical aspects of the lessons were also reflected in the key-words chosen to describe the learning styles, i.e. learning by doing and good presentation.

Participants filled in a presentation form and this information was then used to readjust the contents in line with the real target. Feedback was collected both through a final questionnaire and personal impressions, and here again the information was used to reflect about the effectiveness of the educational activity. Follow-up was done via a questionnaire and direct contact.