Erasmus+ Project Key Action 2 - Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices (Strategic Partnerships for school education)
Code of the project: 2017-1-ELO1-KA201-036289
Acronym: PrECIVIM
Rationale of the project. During the past three decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of persons with visual impairments and additional disabilities (MDVI) within the general population of persons with visual impairments. People with MDVI constitutes a distinct and heterogeneous group with a unique set of needs and every student with MDVI presents a unique educational challenge. The current project concerns the training of teachers regarding how to assess and teach communication skills to children with MDVI. Communication is fundamental in learning, acceptance by peers and meaningful participation in the home and community. Assessing communicative skills in children with MDVI is a challenge. A range of subskills need to be assessed, such as receptive, expressive skills, sensory and motor skills related to communication, collaboration with families is required, conducting structured and unstructured observations are important and there is a need to request evaluations by specialists. The accurate assessment of communication will enable teachers to set realistic goals, develop appropriate learning exercises and address the educational needs of children with MDVI.
Objectives of the project:
- to develop a screening inventory of the communicative profile of MDVI students,
- to create communicative, learning, and social opportunities for students with MDVI,
- to promote the collaboration between universities, schools and associations of individuals with visual impairments and multiple disabilities.
- to point out the best practices and guidelines for the development of effective communication regarding students with MDVI enhancing their acceptance and promoting their inclusion from a broader social context.
The outcomes of the project will be shared through the project portal as Open Educational Resources(OER).
Coordinator: University of Thessaly-Greece
Partners:
- Babes Bolyai University, Department of Special Education, Romania
- Roehampton University-RU
- Special School for the Deafblind – Greece
- Special School for the Visually Impaired Cluj -Napoca, Romania
- Whitefield Academy Trust –UK
- St Barnabas School for the Blind – Cyprus
- Amimoni – Panhellenic Association of parents and friends of visually impaired people with additional handicaps - Greece
- European Blind Union
- IT Company.
Intellectual outputs:
- a report on scoping regarding the situation analysis which will address and determine the special needs and challenges from the current situation students with MDVI and their needs (intellectual output - tangible)
- a joint training material for the training of all participating educators (school staff) which will be based on the scoping (intellectual output - tangible)
- a portal which will include three distinct sections: (a) public dissemination, (b) private collaboration, and (c) e-learning module (intellectual output - tangible)
- training events during which schools, associations and universities will collaborate to encounter communication difficulties of students with MDVI by screening and evaluating (event - intangible outcome)
- a guide with the best practices regarding ways of implementing the developed communication tool (intellectual output)
- a policy recommendations and guidelines report which will include recommendations and guidelines for policy makers and stakeholders (intellectual output - tangible)