Overview | Partners | Target groups |Background | Activities | Results | Press Release | Duration

Overview

AEMA – Adult Education Made Accessible is a Grundtvig Network project funded by the European Commission through the Lifelong Learning Programme. The idea for the AEMA-Network was born in 2011, when the applicant organisation queraum received an Innovation Grant from the WAFF (Wiener Arbeitnehmerinnen Förderungsfonds) to develop the so far not existing conceptual and organisational Framework to set up a “One-Stop Barrier Check Point”, which should

• have the necessary content and legal knowledge about the different aspects of Accessibility,
• is able to inform Governmental and Non-Governmental as well as Business Organisations,
• conducts Awareness trainings,
• delivers Accessibility checks together with the organisations to assess their current level of Accessibility and based on the results
• direct them to the best suited Accessibility experts from it established Network.

With the AEMA (“Adult Education Made Accessible”) Network a committed and professional Consortium sets out to tackle both of these problems by implementing an ambitious and qualitative working programme including and closely interlinking both a Development and a Network-Building approach, with the aims of

• and “One-Stop information Portal” that takes into account and is informed directly through the perspectives and initiatives of people with disabilities and Adult Education Providers, whilst
• closely building the necessary national and European connections between Adult Education Providers and Professional Services as to achieve a sustainable Quality Network.

Partners

Project Promoter

Queraum. cultural- & social research (Austria) 
www.queraum.org

 Project Partners

Innovia – Service und Beratung zur Chancengleichheit gemeinnützige GmbH (Austria)
http://www.innovia.at/neu/

P.A.U. Education (Spain)
http://www.paueducation.com/en/company

EAEA (Belgium)
www.eaea.org

Folkuniversitetet, Kursverksamheten vid Lunds universitet (Sweden)
www.Folkuniversitetet.se

Julie Lunt Ltd (United Kingdom)

ADPIOS (France)
http://adpiformation.fr

JRacio human capital development company, LTD. (Slovenia)

Rytmus (Czech Republic)
http://www.rytmus.org/

DIA-SPORT Association (BG)
www.dia-sport.org

Symbiosis Foundation (Hungary)
http://www.szimbiozis.net/?mode=3

Institut für Soziale Infrastruktur – ISIS (GE)
http://www.isis-sozialforschung.de/web/

Target groups

• Adult Education Providers
• Trainers in Adult Education
• People with Disabilities
• Organisations of and for people with disabilities
• Experts on Accessibility
• Governmental Organisations and Funding bodies
• Other interested Stakeholder

Background

Questions of accessibility and education are at the heart of both, European legislation in general and European Disability Legislation in particular, with a “EU Accessibility Act” being in its final consultation round before being released. This “Accessibility Act” is supposed to underline the importance already made through the European Union’s Disability Strategy “A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe“. Also the European 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth is clear that increasing participation in adult learning and making it more equitable is crucial in achieving its ambitious aims. Based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights for People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) Article 24 (5), “States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others.“ To this end reasonable measures shall be provided to promote accessibility by identifying and eliminating the various barriers.

Access to adult education is a key factor for inclusion. However, not everyone has got equal access to adult education. Existing comparative data (e.g. the ANED synthesis report on accessibility of people with disabilities in education) shows that people with disabilities are the group with the lowest rates of participation in post- and upper secondary educational settings, with the evident consequences on reduced labour market participation. Also the EU Action Plan on Adult Learning („It is always a good time to learn“) sees people with disabilities as one of the most disadvantaged groups in terms of their low participation in adult education. Thus improving access to adult participation can be seen as an important vehicle of addressing these inequalities later in the life course and as such promote both the persons employability as well as personal development – two of the major goals of adult education policies.

Activities

• Prepare a list of Accessibility Criteria based on the real life perspectives of people with disabilities and the achievements of Adult Education Providers
• Prepare a Competency Catalogue that clearly reflects what Experts on Accessibility should be able to do in order to support Accessibility on the different Accessibility Domains
• Develop a qualitative and comprehensive “Accessibility Framework”, which include Self-Assessment Tools and corresponding Online Applications for Adult Education Providers and Experts on Accessibility
• Test these products in real life settings to check and eventually adapt their usability, feasibility and practicability
• Provide an “One Stop Information” AEMA-Portal, available through www.accessibility-europe.net and disseminate the results and products widely and visibly on national and European level
• Develop a system for the Recognition of Achievements and Competencies through the Issuing of Accessibility Quality and Competency Badges, to build the organisational structure for a One-Stop Accreditation and Support Service (Accessibility Check-Points), backed up by sustainable national Trust Networks, and to ensure sustainable exploitation of project results by elaborating the foundation for a European Quality Network

Results

Press Release

Duration

01. January 2014 – 31. December 2016