1.1. Background.

Workpackage 04 aims to identify, classify and describe existing programs and good practices in AT education that are addressed to persons with disabilities and/or the elderly throughout the EU. A survey was carried out at international level by means of a purposely-designed questionnaire. In addition, several on-site visits were made in order to collect additional information and insight about a number of outstanding programs based on different approaches.
Many organisations in the field such as users' and professionals' organisations, rehabilitation centres, etc. actually run AT educational activities, both in the form of teaching and training. These may vary in nature, ranging from activities focused mainly on individuals to the establishment of different types of lessons, seminars and courses. Very often AT is delivered as part of a wider programme with more comprehensive objectives like rehabilitation and social integration, development of personal autonomy, etc.
Until now, no-one has ever carried out a complete survey of these experiences to find out about contents, targets, typologies and methodologies used. This is the very first attempt to fill this gap, a need which is strongly felt in the field. Indeed, many respondents expressed an interest in finding out about other initiatives in the sector, exchanging ideas, and getting in touch with organisations that run these activities.
The purpose of the questionnaire was to collect information about existing educational activities regarding AT for persons with disabilities and the elderly, and to highlight the link, if such a link exists, between education for AT and education for autonomy and/or independent living. The variety of meanings attributed to these terms in different contexts and in different countries has been reflected throughout the survey.
The questionnaire was divided into different sections, not only to permit the collection of information on the organisations, but also to obtain a detailed description of their educational activities on the basis of a purposely-designed classification.
The data obtained have been classified and grouped in different ways to highlight differences and similarities among the various activities and organisations, but also to infer — whenever possible — general trends and common needs.
The questionnaires returned by some of the organisations revealed particular interest in and stress on AT education as an instrument for autonomy, as well as strong involvement in the independent living movement. These organisations were subsequently singled out for on-site visits. In addition, the training activities of the three EUSTAT partners representing end-users (GIHP, ANLH and PRISMA) were considered and described.
A special part of this report has been dedicated to the analysis of on-site activities.

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1.2. Method.

Before proceeding with analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires, it is important to consider first some aspects of the questionnaire's structure and methodology. Since the survey's structure will form the basis of the data analysis, it would be useful to recall here the criteria that underpin it.
Following the analysis, some remarks concerning the methodology for on-site visits are reported.

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1.2.1. Questionnaire structure.

The questionnaire was divided into three sections, with a "progressive selection" technique, running from Section One to Section Three:

1. Section One contains general data of the organisations contacted, with the aim of identifying and classifying their objectives, their main field of activity and finally their involvement in educational activities.
2. Section Two was to be filled in by all the organisations that are in some way involved in AT education and/or information initiatives (especially related to autonomy and independent living) for persons with disabilities and/or the elderly. The information concerning those activities to be provided included target population, experience in the field, involvement in AT, and typology of the organised activities.
3. Section Three was addressed to the actual target of EUSTAT, i.e. organisations which carry out training courses and seminars on AT for persons with disabilities and/or the elderly in relation to autonomy and/or independent living. The section was subdivided into three main parts corresponding to the three crucial phases in arranging educational activities: selection, organisation, and implementation. There was also a final phase containing questions on past, present and future changes, offering the compiler an opportunity to look at the organisation's activities with an attitude of self-assessment.
   

The progression is shown in the chart aside.

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1.2.2. Questionnaire dissemination.

The main target of the survey was organisations involved in some way in structured educational activities for AT and those that considered it important for the autonomy of persons with disabilities; in any case, data concerning organisations involved in more general educational activities for independent living or for coping better with disability have been also collected.
The target of questionnaire addressees was defined as follows:

1. EUSTAT partners involved in educational activities for autonomy through AT;
2. organisations in some way involved in the field (user organisations, providers of health or social services) that have been identified by the partners and already included in the EUSTAT database produced within WP02;
3. organisations discovered through extensive searching on the Internet;
4. organisations suggested by questionnaire addressees (there was a special part in the questionnaire requesting such suggestions).
   

No comprehensive directory of organisations mainly involved in the field of education of persons with disabilities and end-users actually exists, and producing one would prove difficult for the (already mentioned) reason that a very large number of organisations involved at different levels in the field of disability are also undertaking activities of this kind. Consequently, a very general criterion of involvement in the field of disability was applied when selecting potential respondents to the questionnaire, leaving the task of classifying them for EUSTAT purposes to the analysis stage.

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1.2.3. The returned questionnaires.

One hundred and sixty-three questionnaires were returned, coming mostly from EUSTAT partner countries, which were also those where the greatest number of organisations were contacted (this is examined in detail in Chapter 2 and presented in Table 1).
As stated in the previous section, the group of organisations contacted was in part suggested by the partners, thus strongly dependent upon their knowledge range, and in part derived from an extensive search on the Internet, and therefore reliant on the effectiveness of the information available. As a result, some countries were represented less than others in the mail out, and some are not represented at all in the answers (the UK for example).
The organisations that did not answer by the deadline were contacted by phone, but in many cases this contact proved unsuccessful: it was difficult to find the right person, or to dialogue in English, or to obtain the answers to the questionnaires. In addition, the fact that the majority of returned questionnaires come from EUSTAT partner countries may also be due to the consolidated relationships existing between the field organisations and the partners themselves, a fact that may have prompted the desire to take part in the survey.
Consequently, it must be underlined that the sample of this survey cannot be considered statistically representative of all the programmes existing in the field of AT education for persons with disabilities and the elderly. The analysis presented here concerns this collected sample only, and does not pretend to make general conclusions about all the existing experiences. Given these limits, this work can nevertheless be considered as a snapshot of ongoing educational activities (whether they be veritable structured programmes or one-off events) that aim to reinforce the autonomy of end-users, where knowledge of AT is considered to some degree.
Before commencing further analysis, another comment must be made concerning language. The problem of the use of common terminology is well known in the research methodology field, and was carefully considered during questionnaire design. Nevertheless, some compilers might have experienced difficulty grasping the precise and sometimes unusual language contained in the questionnaire. The major problem might have lain in the classification of the different educational activities (training courses, seminars, information activities, activities addressed to the individual), not only because these terms may well be used differently from country to country, but also because many of the organisations contacted carry out these activities every once in a while without necessarily having specific know-how in the field of education. The stratagem used to deal with this problem was to provide a set of sub-categories calling for details and examples for each of the activities (for example, in the case of seminars: monographic seminar, series of seminars, topical workshop, etc.). The entire breakdown can be found in the questionnaire, which is enclosed within this document.
It should be remembered that the questionnaire also had the purpose of encouraging respondents to reflect about their educational activities, and contact with new and more rigorously structured language for describing them may well have provided a cue for this reflection.
The same risk of misunderstanding may have arisen with the specialised terminology adopted (e.g. from pedagogy or management science), and in this case we preferred to let the compilers answer on the basis of their understanding of these terms. Although they may have adopted the "common" meaning that these expressions sometimes assume, this nevertheless allows us to get a glimpse of the world of ideas that supports the organisations' activities.

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1.2.4. On-site visits.

On the basis of the returned questionnaires, six European organisations were chosen for on-site visits: the three partner organisations directly involved in activities for end-users plus three external organisations selected because their questionnaire response demonstrated direct involvement in AT training for persons with disabilities. They are:

1. ANLH in Brussels, Belgium;
2. Centro Studi PRISMA in Belluno, Italy;
3. GIHP Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France;
4. ILCS - Independent Living Services in Dublin, Ireland;
5. ISL - Interessenvertretung "Selbstbestimmt Leben" in Erlangen, Germany;
6. JAG - Jämlikhet Assistans & Gemenskap in Stockholm, Sweden.
   

The Irish site was indicated by the Centre for Independent Living in Clare, which we had asked to visit, but they suggested meeting the principal Irish Centre for Independent Living in Dublin.
Interviews were conducted with key personnel from all these organisations, and in some cases this was accompanied by on-site visits. JAG in Stockholm organised a meeting with its President during one of their courses, so it was possible not only to hold discussion, but above all get a feel of the atmosphere of the course, get to know some teachers and trainers, and look at general arrangements.
The interviews usually began with general questions on the political, social and historical context in which the organisations were established, and then moved on to their educational activities, involving more direct questions on course organisation, modalities, main aims, programs, etc. The interviewees (all leading members of the organisations) were very kind and gave detailed information; they showed a peculiar propensity to link their experience strictly to the social background of their country, as well as to the general independent living movement worldwide.
A seventh organisation has also been described, namely:

• IMPT - Institute for Matching Persons and Technology, Inc. in Webster, NY, USA.
  

The director, Dr. Marcia J. Scherer, is a researcher well known in the field for her important "Matching Persons and Technology Model", and was invited to Italy by SIVA in October, 1997 for a conference and an exchange of ideas. The importance of her experience in the field of AT education for persons with disabilities lies in the originality and effectiveness of the approach, which has attracted considerable interest in other countries as well. For this reason, we decided to include a brief description of some of the tools used in her work together with the reports on the on-site visits.

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1.3. Findings.

Counselling, peer counselling, advice, information, tutoring, peer tutoring, teaching, training: all words that circulate within the world of disability and the elderly, activities which are appearing and developing all over the world.
But what is really happening? Is it possible to take a closer look at these activities? What are the topics dealt with? What ideas and ideals are proposed? What methodologies are adopted? Is it possible to compare and transmit such experiences from one country to another, from one organisation to another?
These questions, along with many others, underpinned the construction of the questionnaire and the analysis of the answers hereafter presented, reflecting the urge and the need to plunge into this lively, multiform context - one that in recent years has been producing new proposals and initiatives to support and spread the ideas of autonomy and independent living for persons with disabilities and the elderly. Information, education and training are growing everywhere, and AT is one of the most commonly considered issues: our purpose was precisely to learn more about these activities, to single out their strengths, characteristics, prospects and results.
We were not disappointed. The general picture that emerged from analysis of the questionnaires is rich in detail and peculiarities, and in some way surprising.
In this first section a more global approach to our data is presented, stressing the common and salient data. In the second section detailed data analysis will be presented, while the third section comprises descriptive file-cards of the different initiatives collected through the questionnaires.
Let's look firstly at the general lines emerging from the 163 returned questionnaires.

Quality of answers.
The first thing to note is the precision and timeliness of the responses. While recognising that the total number of initiatives in this field is not so large and, as already mentioned, our sample is not to be considered representative (see chapter 1.2.3.), this fact created an impression that the organisations are keen to describe their educational activities. Many willingly accepted the suggestion to photocopy the third section of the questionnaire before compiling it so that a copy could be completed for each educational activity; they also sent in materials, especially information leaflets.

Target.
Grouping the organisations all together and then comparing the user organisations (persons with disabilities, the elderly, families) with the professional organisations (health and social services, etc.), we find that the former are more commonly represented in the returned questionnaires; while, if we separate the data, the health and social services are pre-eminent.
For 33% of the organisations contacted, education/training activities are the main activity carried out. Out of the total, 79% are in some way involved in educational activities (21% answering no), with different degrees of involvement (addressed to various targets, or only to one of them): this fact is very interesting, because it shows these are pressing concerns in the world of disability.

Educational activities.
In comparison with all the other principal activities in the field (rehabilitation, care, information/advice, etc.), training/education is just one of those carried out (11%), while with reference to the total number of returned questionnaires, it represents 33%. The main effort in training courses seems to come from the organisations of persons with disabilities.
In any case, education is hardly ever the sole activity of the responding organisations; on the contrary, numerous activities are conducted, covering different ranges and overlapping in various ways. A large number claim that their educational activities actually address autonomy, with AT playing an important role (57%), and independent living.

Language.
The answers confirmed the doubt about the existence of a common terminology in the field; some showed signs of uncertainty or imprecision (see the detailed analysis in Chapter 2), demonstrating that universally accepted meanings or general agreement on specific terms have not yet taken shape. Some international ideas (especially the widely used term "independent living") are growing and are being put into practice in a variety of ways, depending above all on socio-economic conditions in different countries. These ideas are taking on different forms and are involving various methodologies, being implemented in new and different activities (sometimes re-inventing the meaning in original ways), even if the words used to refer to them remain the same.
This dual process (using the same terms, inventing original ways of bringing them to fruition) can be effective in responding to the complexity of reality: on the one hand, the use of the same words can be seen in terms of the need to identify, to belong to a large, worldwide movement fighting prejudices and building a new identity of self-determination for persons with disabilities; on the other hand, the creation of original activities in each country may correspond to the need to invent something original, adhering to one's own special socio-cultural situation.
Staying with the topic of language, in Section Two of the questionnaire, where the different educational activities are categorised, some compilers displayed indecision, probably because they could not find an exact definition for their organisation's initiatives. This was later demonstrated by the fact that in the more detailed Section Three, we found that initiatives similar in duration, organisation and implementation were classified in different ways. In this sense, the most common aspect is the variety of meanings given to "training courses"; these have probably been interpreted as prevailingly practical courses, and for this reason many "seminars" could be classified within the former category. On the one hand this may confirm the need and urgency to build a common language which could enable serious comparison and exchange of experience; on the other hand, this finding suggests that in this field the educational impulse is largely guided by the necessity and urge to intervene and respond to needs, but is still not discussed much or compared.

Typology of educational activities.
Out of all the educational activities classified and submitted to the organisations in the questionnaire, the results clearly show that the lion's share is occupied by activities addressed to the individual, which have been variously defined as advice, peer counselling and self-help; we noted considerable variation among these, but advice is prevailing. It would also be worth reflecting about these category names in terms of the meaning given to the different practices involved, and also the kind of practices which are covered by the same terms. For example, we found a peer counselling service run by families and for families, but also peer counselling or self-help offered by health services.
The second place is occupied by information activities (conferences, exhibitions, mass media coverage, etc.). Of these, the most common choice is the option "exchange of experiences", a fact that suggests some perplexity; this will be discussed in Chapter 2. Exhibitions are widely represented, as they are an important occasion for the world of disability that is constantly on the lookout for new ideas and suggestions.

Educational activities and AT.
The role played by AT is considered in some way by all the organisations, but in a diverse range of ways. Almost all activities devote some attention to AT. A minority provide just "brief information", while the others tend to consider the AT role as "relevant", "important" or "very important", depending on the type of activity.
Out of all the AT-related areas, "communication" is the issue most frequently involved, followed by "general accessibility issues" and "mobility". A detailed analysis of this issue is presented in Section 2.4.5.

Training courses and seminars.
The events of prevailing interest for EUSTAT, namely training courses and seminars, are not yet so numerous, in fact they are the least common of all the considered alternatives. However, as we shall see, they are strongly rooted and full of potential; they address a host of issues in novel ways. In some cases they are held on a regular basis year after year, while in others they form part of the organisations' overall education programme. Of the seminars, the most common type are monographic initiatives (topical workshops and monographic seminars), while the non-residential courses are most common type of training course.
The training courses and seminars do not seem to be addressed to a previously defined public, but to a heterogeneous target, a fact that is borne out by the low number of "single answers"; probably, these mainly concern general issues or, on the contrary, quick dips into specific issues.

Selection phase.
All these initiatives are supported by heavy publicity, mainly through leaflets sent to the organisations' own address databases, which comprise both a well-known target and key persons. Together with this focused distribution, the organisations also adopt more general advertising with a higher social impact, channelled through the media and exhibitions.
Another fact clearly emerges from analysis of the answers to the other questions: teachers and tutors are mainly chosen on the basis of quality, since the level of their expertise is considered the most important factor. The same applies when teaching and tutoring roles are filled by persons with disabilities, who in our sample do not receive any special preference.

Organisation phase.
The organisations seek suitable places to hold their training courses and seminars, locations which can be set up especially for that purpose on their premises or carefully chosen off their premises. In selecting the venue, organisers not only take account factors related to the participants' physical well-being such as general comfort and the accessibility but also their psychological well-being, planning different kinds of breaks, and welcome and farewell sessions.
When more than one teacher is involved, the need for a co-ordinator of the initiative is considered, both in the preparation and in the implementation phase. In some cases, planning and progress meetings for the teachers are also established.

Implementation phase.
The instruments and tools used to support the lessons are of a traditional nature, the most common being the overhead projector. The major area of innovation is the widespread adoption of different didactic methodologies for the same event; this probably reflects an attempt to meet the particular needs of the moment, rather than to adhere to precise educational planning. Generally speaking, the lessons (mostly in the form of lectures) are followed by hands-on sessions made up especially of presentations and demonstrations.
It is possible to detect a certain interest in the evaluation of the public's satisfaction, since different instruments and methodologies are used to collect the participants' opinions; these range from direct contact with colleagues to the setting of a final questionnaire.
A certain tendency towards self-reflection can be recognised in the final open-ended questions, which in some cases were filled in with great care. The terminology used by the compilers was sometimes the same as that adopted in the questionnaire, almost as if a "common language" had been established. This fact was important in assessing the questionnaire's effectiveness, demonstrating the power to foster an attitude of self-assessment among the compilers.

On-site visits.
Finally, the on-site visits provided an opportunity to take a closer look at some organisations that conduct training and other educational and information activities addressed to the individual. The first point to make is that work with the individual is predominant for all these organisations, and is carried out using different methodologies. A similar situation occurred here as was reported in the earlier discussion about language-related issues, namely that similar practices are often labelled with different terms, while different practices are sometimes labelled with the same term. This may have come about as a result of the peculiar meaning given to some terms that reflects special practices rooted in well-defined historical and social contexts within particular countries, even though these same terms are used at international level. Obviously, clarification is now needed in order to compare methodologies and results, and define common practice: special local meanings cannot be superimposed on the meaning that a term has in other regions; in any case, the need for dialogue on these issues is widely shared.
When filling in the questionnaire, most of the organisations had these individual activities in mind rather than training courses or seminars (as they themselves stated during the phone interviews). This confirms that information activities and activities addressed to the individual are the main vocation of the responding organisations. By the same token, their reporting of the educational results obtained within information and counselling/advice activities is not necessarily "wrong", because great changes can actually be brought about in the individual as a consequence of these activities.
But in a way generalising all activities as being educational can limit and affect the possibilities of the organisation itself to engage in explicitly educational activities: by clarifying what they are actually doing from a methodological point of view, new possibilities, unexplored fields of action and research can be foreseen and practised. In addition, the adoption of a common language in the field will foster real comparison of activities and the transfer of experience from one region to another.

Final remarks.
As expected, the core of our sample is made up of organisations devoted to promoting traditional activities connected to the clinical field, which can be classified as health and social services; the educational activities that these services carry out generally constitute professional in-service training for their employees.
The most interesting developments are to be found on the other side of the fence: enthusiastic organisations on the front line in their profession, experimenting new ways of addressing end-users and new methodologies for reaching them effectively, seeking to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and the elderly - these are the ones that are approaching the educational world with curiosity and a sense of critical self-awareness.
Some seem to be conscious of the role that society as a whole can play in modifying people's ideas and attitudes, and consequently use the press and electronic media, but also propose public initiatives themselves. Some, striving to be seen as active in the field, responded in the questionnaire that they are already involved in educational activities, adding a note that "we'll be doing so very soon". Some others are preparing themselves by acquiring special equipment and instruments, and exploring new methodologies.
In conclusion, it is worth pointing out a common feature that emerges from analysis of the responses given by organisations that hold training courses and seminars: in publicising, organising and conducting educational activities, they all appear to place great importance on personal contact. Almost all the organisations go to the trouble of maintaining their own address database, which they call on when starting up a new initiative. They also set great store by a number of aspects that reflect particular consideration for the individual and the group, things like taking special care in arranging seating and facilities, as well as offering flexible hours. Even though they have a preference for lectures, they also place particular importance on final discussions and hands-on sessions. Some even come close to a collaborative approach, holding group work and role play. Finally, judging by their questionnaire replies, all these organisations greatly value feedback from the participants, which they collect and take into consideration when planning further events.
All these organisations seem to be natural addressees of EUSTAT, whose project results and materials must meet the objectives of providing the long-awaited tangible response in the field of end-user education.

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