04.11.2016

Accessibility is a right, not a privilege

This is the message the AEMA project consortium has been repeating for the last three years. As the project is now coming to an end, the partners gathered in Vienna to reflect on the past and plan the future. What remains undisputed is that the commitment of the organisations involved has succeeded in making adult education more accessible.

Enlargening the network, planning further activities, such as stakeholder meetings, and finalising the AEMA portal were among the issues discussed at the meeting in Vienna.

During its lifespan, the AEMA project has aimed at increasing participation of people with disabilities in adult education. In the next weeks the partners will be organising activities to ensure the sustainability of the project results.

A unique opportunity for adult education providers

One of the key tools produced is the AEMA portal that connects adult education providers and experts. The main goal of the consortium is now to contact the providers and experts to subscribe to the portal. This is considered to be a unique opportunity for those two groups to meet, find interesting resources and work together towards an increased accessibility, participation, transparency and quality of adult education in Europe.
Once subscribed to the portal, providers can assess where they are in term of accessibility in 6 key areas and use the portal as

  • quick guide,
  • a tool to review and improve practices,
  • an assistant to plan the development of all of some of key areas,
  • a source of information to design policies (on internal, sectoral, regional or national level).

Additionally, experts on accessibility will be able to use the portal to show their competencies (based on a competency catalogue) in the field of accessibility and support adult education providers who wish to receive support in making their organisation or learning offer more accessible.

A key feature of the portal is that it is available in 8 languages.

More information:

AEMA portal

Text: Francesca Operti

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