Includ-ed, red europea de educación inclusiva

Resumen

The Check and go website has been developed by the EU project Check and go – Barrier-free basis for people in companies. The aim of the Check and go project is to enhance access to workplaces for people with disabilities. With the tools developed in the project, people with disabilities will find it easier to apply for a trainee post or a job in a company. By constructing an individual profile of accessibility they will be able to say quickly and easily what barriers they face and what they need in order to do their job efficiently. In addition, companies that receive applications with this profile of accessibility can easily determine if the applicant will fit into the company and people with disabilities will be able to find a suitable job quickly and easily.

The project website as well as the project products are in the following languages: English, German, Greek, Italian,Swedish, Slovak, Slovene. All the products are availbale for free on the project website.

Objetivo del proyecto:

• > To enhance the communication and information between people with disabilities and companies, thereby establishing easier and quicker employer-employee relationships.
• > To empower people with disabilities to say clearly what individual requirements they have regarding accessibility. 
• > To enable potential employers to check if those needs can be achieved or implemented in their company. 
• > To improve the quality standards for accessibility for people with disabilities in companies 
• > To make it easier for people with disabilities to apply for posts or study visits abroad.

Metodología

• > Development of an individual profile of the demands for the training and the tool to be developed originating from the view of people with impairments and learning difficulties. People with disabilities participated in the process of developing project products as ‘experts on their own needs’.
• > Analysis of the barriers of real workplaces
• > Consideration of the findings from earlier pilot and mobility projects (ex. “Barrier freedom in companies”
• > Development of the project tools at a transnational level
• > Testing of its usability by various companies as well as by people with learning difficulties and disabilities in all the participating countries.
• > Incorporation of the evaluation results
• > Production of the tools in all languages of the participating partner countries (German, Italian, Greek, Swedish, Slovene and Slovak)
• > Provision of the tools for free on the Internet

Público objetivo

• People with disabilities:
• People with learning disabilities (people with learning difficulties) 
• People with physical impairments 
• People with sensory impairments
• Companies or other organisations:
• Small and medium-sized companies
• Large-scale enterprises 
• Social organisations
• Educational institutions and care centres for people with disabilities:
• Vocational training organisations 
• Vocational counselling centres 
• Organisations for integration and rehabilitation
• Others:
• Job coaches, 
• Job-assistants, 
• Vocational advisers, support workers.

Innovaciones de la buena práctica

The project fills the communication and information gap between people with disabilities and their potential employers and trainers in the companies in order to facilitate the access of this disadvantaged group to practical vocational training and to the labour market.
The tools developed in the project should enable people with disabilities who apply for a trainee post or a job in a company, to initiate a direct exchange of information with the contacted companies and therefore provide a basis for a traineeship or a permanent job. Companies are supplied with realistic and detailed information about the demands of the applicants in terms of barrier freedom which are made on them and their employees. In this way companies can proof if they can cope with the demands.
In order to reach its objectives, the project includes counselling, training and practical support for an efficient exchange of information between people with disabilities and companies in the critical phase of the application for a job. As a result, it should become easier for people with disabilities to gain professional experience in a short time in their country as well as abroad and this can therefore increase their chances of getting a job.

Logros de la buena práctica

1. “Training tool“ for people with disabilities

The training tool has been especially developed for people with disabilities to improve the key vocational skills and abilities, which are particularly important in the job application and job interview phases, as well as in other situations at a workplace which may require clarification. It is addressed to people with disabilities, their trainers/instructors or job coaches.

The training tool is structured as a modular system. The three main topics are ‘Get to know yourself’, ‘Get trained and get ready’ and ‘Go’ and include modules such as: ‘Learning to understand disabilities caused by the environment’, ‘My capabilities and my dream job’, ‘Define your needs for accessibility’, ‘Application form’, and  ‘Job interview’. These modules can be chosen individually to fit specific needs.

In addition to the training contents, the module ‘Learn to use the check and go tool to make your individual profile of accessibility for a job’ gives practical advice for using the check and go tool, which allows the user to construct his/her individual profile of accessibility. The duration of each module depends on the target group, number of participants as well as the participants’ previous knowledge. Approximate duration: 2 to 3 hours.

Download of training modules on the internet  http://www.checkandgo.eu/applications/cag/index.php/TrainingTool/

2. “Check and go tool“ to construct a profile of one’s individual demands or a profile of the accessibility

The “check and go tool“ enables people with disabilities to construct a profile of their own individual demands or a profile of the accessibility using lists of criteria. The “check and go tool“ is conceived in a clear and easy way so as to facilitate a barrier free use to people with learning difficulties, blind people or people with other impairments (WAI-criteria, level AAA).

The relevant criteria for the users of the “check and go tool” are divided into barrier groups such as for instance the barrier group of mobility, the barrier group of communication, orientation etc. The users choose the group they consider to be important for them, that is the group they think they belong to.

Each one of these barrier groups consists again of a combination of barriers, which are relevant for the group in question. They are then followed by detailed lists of criteria, which can be chosen by the users from a database so as to enable them to specify their individual needs in the matter of a barrier free workplace and then print a profile with a list of the individual demands which they have specified.

http://www.checkandgo.eu/applications/cag/index.php/CheckAndGoTool/

3. “Advice tool“ for companies

The advice tool is a self-explanatory information tool for companies seeking to integrate people with disabilities. Employers, human resources employees, trainers and other employees can use this tool to acquire skills on disability issues, on the significance of accessibility, on different kinds of disabilities and impairments, on country-specific legislation and funds and finally on the use of the individual profile of accessibility generated by people with disabilities in the check and go tool. This tool will enable companies to realise more accessibility in the company and to improve the integration and inclusion of people with disabilities.

http://www.checkandgo.eu/applications/cag/index.php/AdviceTool/

Socios y otros actores que participan en el proyecto

The Check and go project is promoted by the atempo company LLC working in partnership with 13 organisations, 28 test companies and 9 social partners throughout 7 European countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia and Slovenia).
Detailed information: http://www.checkandgo.eu/applications/cag/index.php/HomeDetails/