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Online Information on Employment and Training Opportunities for Disabled PeopleThe Newsletter |
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(Published Quarterly)
Table of Contents |
The site will shortly undergo further changes providing information in the following categories in an attempt to make the information more accessible:
This is only the first stage in developing the service and will be changed and expanded throughout the project.
The development of the site will also be taking into account the format and how information is presented. It is vitally important that users, either information workers or individuals, can access the site easily and find relevant information within it.
To check this accessibility we will be using the people and organisations directly involved to 'test' the Information Service. We would also welcome comments and suggestions from other interested parties as all feedback will enable the site to be develop in the most accessible and 'user friendly' way. If you have any articles or information you would like to include please contact the project, address/email address at the end of this newsletter.
The first group of information workers will start their training on the 6th July, at Tameside College.
Other groups of information workers will be starting at different times throughout the project from September and it is expected that all the information workers involved will have achieved their Level 1 NVQ by the end of 1998. They will be registered on the NcFE Certificate of Telematics and in 1999 the NQV Level 2 training programme will start.
The training is particularly focused on the use of the Internet within the following broad categories:
In addition to this we will also be running sessions on how to make web pages accessible to all.
It appears that training courses do not deal with the issue of accessibility (as stated in the Internet Accessibility article in this newsletter) and that the issue is often ignored.
The project is not only focusing on the Information Workers with organisations but aims to increase the access to the Internet through their experience. It is supporting the organisations involved in passing on the Internet skills to the individuals that are supported by them.
If your organisation would like to take part in our training programme or you have any ideas please contact us at the address shown on at the end of this document.
The 'On-Line' project is a founder member of the newly formed Disability Technology Forum (DFT), which is made up from organisations in the region interested in how IT can help and support disabled people. The Forum aims to ensure that the voice of disabled people is noticed by policy makers in relation to the development of IT in schools, libraries and business and ensure that the new technology becomes accessible by all. The Information Society can change the quality of life for people with disabilities by improving access to information, advice, leisure activities and jobs.
The next meeting of the Forum is at 10.00am, 29 July 1998 at the Greenbank Centre, Greenbank Lane in Liverpool.
For further information contact the project or Andy Mitchell, chairperson of the DTF, on 0151 733 7255.
The latest newsletter is now available at the GLADNET web site at:
http://www.gladnet.org/
The ultimate objective is the promotion of disability policy and programme reform favouring integrated training and employment options for working age disabled persons. It works to achieve this objective through collaborative applied research projects, and by the global exchange of information via the Internet.
Since the last newsletter it has become clear most organisations and projects are simply not addressing the issue of accessibility. In an attempt to raise awareness of the issue the project has been actively promoting the use of web access checkers in the process of making the Internet accessible to all.
A good example is Bobby, which highlights accessibility and access problems and also makes suggestions on how your page can be improved.
There is also a good checker from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) (not available anymore - 28/7/99)
The aim is that these checkers are only the start of the process not the finish, it is important to note that we see these checkers as the basic requirements that people should work towards.
We are also promoting the use of the Internet accessibility symbol as part of the process of raising awareness. Further information and instructions on how to use the Web Access Symbol are available at the following site:
http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/symbolwinner.html.
The use of the access symbol in itself does not guarantee that the Internet will become accessible overnight but highlights the issue that the Internet should be made accessible.
An 'Open Day' is being held on Friday 25th September, 11am - 3pm at Manchester Town Hall, and will be looking at and promoting the issue of equal access for disabled people to electronic information and communication. The open day is the result of the 'On-Line' project working with ISaware project in raising accessibility issues. The ISaware Web site now includes a section covering accessibility.
If you would like more information then please contact the 'On-Line' project.
The latest Access Guidelines from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) are available at:
http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-WAI-USERAGENT
To view how a site or page looks in a Text Only Format (and how many sites do not provide access) use the following checker:
http://www.miranova.com/~steve/Lynx-View.html (not available anymore - 28/7/99)
For more general information visit the webABLE site at:
http://www.yuri.org/webable
This provides a vast library of interesting material with a focus on web accessibility and assistive and adaptive technology.
The project 'The Information Society disAbilities Challenge' can be found at:
http://www.isdac.org/index.htm
Its aims are to achieve full access.
The transnational part of this site features other projects, in Spain and Italy. Transnational co-operation promotes the sharing of innovative ideas & approaches across national boundaries.
There has been a recent meeting, 15th - 16th June, of the partners involved in the transnational programme, at the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Vocational Training Centre in Turin. During the two-day meeting the national projects were outlined and their progress so far was updated.
The ILO project is in conjunction with the FIARP organisation and its Regional Associations. FIARP represents disabled people with Retinitus Pigmentosa (RP). The 'On-Line' project will be working closely with their Regional Association in Sardinia. Their project aims to set up a social co-operative to create and maintain employment for people with RP was well as providing a translation and printing service.
The Spanish partners, CEPES, are to examine the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking models, and to improve the economic and social inclusion of the disabled. Also to promote the exchanges of experiences between organisations that work with the unemployed.
The transnational partners have agreed to jointly produce the following:
The various activities within the project are the subject of a continuing evaluation by an external evaluator. A final report will be prepared by the evaluator, for inclusion with the report, which Toucan are required to make at the end of the project.
The formal objectives of On-Line will be the focus of the evaluation. However, other issues will be covered including the extent to which the project (or elements of it) meets the expectations and needs of all participating organisations and disabled individuals.
A similar approach is being taken to the evaluation of the transnational project - Telematics and Disability. The evaluator would be pleased to provide more information about the evaluation, or to receive any relevant information. Please contact:
John Clark
Tel/Fax 0114 235 1423
Email: johnclark2@compuserve.com
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Last updated: 6 August 1999
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