Programs in
Assistive Technology Education
for End-Users in Europe

Name of the organisation
    DISABLED PEOPLE OF CLARE
Address
    Rozton, Corofin
    Co-Clare
    IRELAND
    Telephone: +353 65 37370
    Fax: 353 65 37297
Key Person of the organisation
    Dermot Hayes, programme manager

A user organisation comprising persons with disabilities which is involved in various activities: information/advice for end-users, training/education, research, pressure group activities and public awareness raising. Educational activities began less than 5 years ago and are addressed to persons with disabilities, personal assistants and professionals; they also encompass 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:

  • 6 training courses, in non-residential form, addressed to a target of adults: persons with disabilities, rehabilitation and educational professionals and personal assistants;
  • 4 seminars, in the form of topical workshops, addressed exclusively to personal assistants;
  • 10 information activities, mainly conferences, round tables, exhibitions, addressed to persons with disabilities, educational and rehabilitation professionals and personal assistants;
  • 14 activities addressed to the individual, in the form of advice, peer counselling and advocacy, addressed to a target of persons with disabilities and personal assistants.

The role played by AT in all these initiatives is important and the AT-related areas considered are: employment, recreational activities, service delivery issues, standardisation and general accessibility issues, communication, mobility and reading/writing.

TRAINING COURSES AND SEMINARS

The educational activity described in the questionnaire is entitled "Word processing" but no information concerning duration, target or number of participants was added.

Nevertheless, a description was given of its organisation and implementation modalities, as follows.

Selection

The organisation's initiative was publicised through leaflets, posters, advertisements in other media, and information was distributed to a special address database, but also to user organisations, family associations, rehabilitation centres, voluntary services, etc..

No special criteria were adopted for choosing participants, except for age (adult); the teachers were selected on the basis of both expertise and popularity. A preference for teachers with disabilities was expressed, and these were selected according to their level of expertise.

Organisation

The initiatives took place at different venues located as need arose and chosen above all on the basis of comfort, overall accessibility and accessibility of bathrooms; coffee and lunch-breaks on site were organised, as well as welcome sessions. Only one teacher was involved in the course, so no co-ordination was needed.

Implementation

The methods used to deliver contents are simulation and group work, supported by the use of educational aids such as overhead projection, video and handouts. The hands-on sessions took the form of experimentation of products. Interactivity, learning by doing and discussion are the preferred pedagogical key-words and these reflect a sense of interaction among the participants.

Self-presentation was carried out during the opening day to collect information about the participants, and this information was considered extremely useful for updating the organisation's statistics, readjusting the initiative's contents and methods on the basis of the target, and also for redefining course objectives. Similarly, participant feedback was collected through personal impressions, once again used to readjust the initiative's contents and methods, and to redefine the objectives of the organisation's educational activity. Follow-up was done through direct contact and interviews.