Programs in
Assistive Technology Education
for End-Users in Europe

Name of the organisation
    AZIENDA USL 12
    Centro Informazione Ausili
Address
    Via Borgo Palazzo 130
    Bergamo
    ITALY
    Telephone: +39 35 385520
    Fax: +39 35 385523
Key Person of the organisation
    Micaela Bianco

A provider of health and/or social services involved exclusively in rehabilitation, but which organises educational activities addressed to a large target both of users and professionals. Educational activities began 5-10 years ago and embrace the issues of independent living and coping better with disability, as well as AT.

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

  • 2 training courses, exclusively in non-residential form, addressed to a target of professionals in the field;
  • 4 seminars, in the form of monographic seminars and topical workshops, addressed to educational professionals, administrative officers and technicians;
  • 3 information activities, in the form of conferences, round tables, exhibitions, and exchange of experiences, mainly addressed to a target group of users, administrative officers and technicians;
  • activities addressed to the individual (2,700 interventions), in all the possible considered forms, addressed to a wide range of persons, both users and professionals.

Generally, AT plays an important role in all these initiatives except for the those addressed to the individual, where its importance varies according to the kind of problem considered. All the proposed AT-related areas are considered.

TRAINING COURSES AND SEMINARS

The two non-residential training courses only differ in their target. They include monographic seminars on the following topics: a) wheelchairs; b) aids for communication; c) aids for mobility. Unfortunately, some parts of the questionnaire are missing.
Title of the initiative
Typology
Year
Duration

(in hrs.)
Number partic.
Target
Number teachers
L'autonomia possibile

(Possible autonomy)

congress
1991
6
100
pers. with disab., fam., rehab. prof., soc. work.
5
Introduzione agli ausili per operatori socio-sanitari nel territorio

(Introduction to technical aids for social and health professionals)

n/r train. c.
12
50
trained nurses
3
Introduzione agli ausili per terapisti che operano sul territorio

(Introduction to technical aids for rehabilitation professionals)

n/r train. c.
1997
20
9
rehab. prof.
2

Selection

Publicised via leaflets, advertisements on other media, and mailing that was sent out to as wide a target as possible. Consequently, a large public was expected, and so no special criteria for choosing participants were adopted.

Implementation

Lessons were based on a set of education methods that included lectures, group discussions, simulation, and role-playing, and were developed with the aid of overhead projection, slides and video. Hands-on sessions comprised presentation/demonstration, experimentation and individual use of products.

Further remarks

After reviewing the year's educational activity, the organisation decided to shift from training courses to seminars.