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Online Information on Employment and Training Opportunities for Disabled PeopleProject Reference Group Meetings |
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Agenda: |
Eve Davidson - Isaware
Gill Carter - Tameside College
Dave Ellis - Toucan
Alex McDonald - Toucan
Robert Baslington - Breakthrough UK Ltd
Lorraine Gradwell - Breakthrough UK Ltd
Diane Topping - CAB
Charles Caine - DIAL (Denton)
John Turpin - DIAL (Trafford)
Ruth Gould - Full Circle Arts
Peter Fell - IRISI
Mary Moss - Isaware/Workers Educational Association (WEA)
Rowan Purdy - MIND in Manchester
Linda Doyle - Manchester Community Information Network
Tish Dockerty - MTMC
Colin Floyd - Manchester Youth Service Disability Project
Jessica Guilfoyle - Oldham Peoples Advocacy and Leisure (OPAL)
John Clark - Project Evaluator
Ian Harford - WEA
Anika Ireland - Voluntary Action Manchester (VAM)
Agreed, matters arising will be covered through the agenda items.
There has been a meeting of the Training/User group to discuss the training programme and how it can best be delivered. At the meeting it was identified that some organisations would like the training to start before September and to carry it out more intensively.
This group of trainees is timetabled to start in July at Tameside College with two sessions per week, it is expected that their training will be complete in four weeks.
The majority of trainees will begin in September attending one session per week, we will be using a site in central Manchester (MTMC) with the option of Tameside College.
The training qualification will be the NcFE Certificate in Telematics (Level 1) with Level 2 being completed in 1999.
The direct training will then be 'multiplied out', by using the organisations involved, to reach disabled 'users' of the project's Information Service as well as skills on using the Internet etc.
Presently the project's web site contains information about its aims and objectives, although there has been recently added links to other related projects, employment, education etc.
The site will undergo further development with these sections being expanded and the Information Service having a home page (the present project information will become a section within that home page).
Within the site there will be a section on formats and examples of how the site could be viewed in order to allow people to explore the ways in which sites can be made accessible and user friendly.
The project is working on producing guidelines that are easily understood about making web sites as accessible as possible. There is a vast quantity of information available via the Internet but to raise the issue of access this needs to be in a manageable document.
We hope to produce a documents that provides ways in which the issue can be demonstrated quickly rather then expecting people to read through documents.
The project site will follow these guidelines as well as using the web checkers that we are promoting.
The idea of a 'access symbol' will be used but rather than develop an 'approved stamp' through the project, we shall support the web access symbol currently being used within the Internet.
The next newsletter will contain further information and continue the promotion of access and practical steps that can be taken.
There has been a transnational meeting held on the 15th & 16th June, Turin, Italy.
CEPES (Spanish Business Confederation for Social Economy) project 'CEPADITE' is to examine the Teleworking models with regard to disabled people. They are supporting 20 people into work through training and employment. Within the project they are aiming to raise awareness of employers in Spain towards the employment of disabled people, also to develop an economically and socially acceptable strategy at a European level to enable the integration of disabled people within employment.
The ILO project 'CONTATTO' is working with an organisation representing people with a visual impairment (FIARP). The project is based in Sardinia, working with the Sardinian Regional FIARP Association, and is to set up a social co-operative of visually impaired people to look at how social and economic inclusion can be continued and improved. They are also examining how social co-operatives can work, within this area, and its possible impact on legislation in Italy.
The ILO is involved as managers of the project as well as six other projects throughout the various regions in Italy. All the projects involve the ILO and the Regional Associations of FIARP, but are looking at slightly different areas, for example, the rehabilitation services.
The partners agreed at the meeting that the transnational work would produce the following:
The dates for meetings this year have been set as follows:
As well as the themed areas the meeting will discuss the national project etc. Further details will be available through the project's web site.
ECOTEC have recently started a round of seminars exploring the areas of 'soft outcomes' and 'managing transnational projects'.
All Employment funded projects will attend a seminar and take part in workshops that explore the above areas, from these ECOTEC will be producing conference findings on the feedback that they receive.
The transnational meeting also agreed to use John Clark as an external evaluator for the transnational activities.
A reminder that the evaluation forms should be returned as quickly as possible in order for the evaluator to 'feed' back information into the project.
Through the contact with the ISaware project an event is being held on September 25th at the Manchester Town Hall. It will be looking at the issue of Information and Communication Technology access, how it can be improved, what immediate steps can be taken etc.
The project is part of the Disability Technology Forum (DFT) which has been established to raise the profile of the access issues and the concept of 'universal design'.
TOUCAN is to organise a network event in December (3rd & 4th) for Horizon projects in the North West. It will focus on projects funded through two strands of Horizon - Employment (this project) and Youthstart.
The aim is to share ideas, information, common areas of work, improve communications etc.
9. Date of Next Meeting
Tuesday 22nd September 1998 10.30am - 12.30am
St Thomas's Centre
Ardwick Green North
Manchester
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Last updated: 6 August 1999
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