ViPi @ various events

The ViPi team can be found at following events in the near future:

• 25th May 2012: Mary Kitzinger Trust invited talk.
• June 14th 2012: Demonstrations and tests of desktop ICT games to staff and user group at Oak Field School.
• 17th-18th October2012: UK Workshop (Autumn School) event in collaboration with Oak Field School
• 23rd and 24th October 2012: ITAG (demonstration stand, papers and presentation on games)
• December 2012: European day of People with Disabilities policy event, Brussels, Belgium (demonstration booth)

WSIS 2012 – Sessions on accessibility in education

ViPi is at WSIS 2012, Geneva, Switzerland, and recorded following videos that give a good impression of the work that is done on understanding and providing accessible education worldwide.

The first video features Jutta Treviranus (IDRC) on FLOE and Open Educational Resources at WSIS 2012.

The second video features Axel Leblois (Executive Director G3ict) on Lifelong Learning with Assistive Technologies at WSIS 2012.

These videos clearly illustrate the importance and relevance of the ViPi project.

We hope to publish some more videos in the next few days.

ViPi @ Interactive Technologies and Games: Education, Health and Disability 2012

ViPi will attend the “Interactive Technologies and Games: Education, Health and Disability 2012” conference at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK on 23rd and 24th October 2012. ViPi will contribute with a paper on accessibility and the semantic web, as well as will have a dedicated booth. We hope to welcome you there.

The week before, the ViPi project will also organise its training workshop at Nottingham Trent University premises.

Visit the conference social media:

http://itag.gamecity.org/
http://www.facebook.com/iTAG.conf
http://twitter.com/#!/ITAG12

Call for papers:

The aim of the conference is to bring together academics and practitioners working with interactive technologies to explore and innovate within the areas of Education, Health and Disability. We have a particular focus on the use of gaming hardware and software to implement accessible solutions, interaction design using new input/output devices and the increasing impact of ubiquitous computing on our everyday well being.
The conference provides an excellent opportunity to showcase practice and to mainstream research ideas and outcomes. It introduces a wider audience to key findings and products from research and illustrates how practice feeds back into and informs research. The conference creates a forum for two-way communication between the academic and practitioner communities and particularly welcomes user led presentations and workshops.
The programme includes presentations of papers, workshops, and an exhibition space for demonstrations and posters. This event is held in partnership with GameCity – the World’s best-loved videogame festival (http://gamecity.org/) and delegates are welcome to attend all GameCity events including the opening drinks reception.

Scope:

As guidance to participants on scope of papers and activities we state that: ‘Education’ includes both compulsory and post-compulsory education; ‘Disability’ includes physical, sensory and cognitive impairment; and the impact of interactive technologies and games on health and well-being is also a focus of this conference. An emphasis is placed on practical applications and guides to where currently available training resources and tools can be found and used. A selection of papers will be published electronically in full, so presentations will be limited to 20 minutes for the key findings, including time for questions from the floor. It is hoped (as in previous years) that the best papers will be published in a special issue of a relevant academic journal.

Previous special issues have included:

• Journal of Assistive Technologies – Volume 3 issue 2 June 2009 (ITAG 2008 selected papers)
• Computers and Education – Volume 56, issue 1 (ITAG 2009 selected papers)
• International Journal of Games Based Learning – in press (ITAG 2010 selected papers)
• Journal of Assistive Technologies – Volume 6 issue 3 in development (ITAG 2011 selected papers)

Themes and topics:

The conference encourages multidisciplinary papers and examples of themes and topics include (but don’t let this restrict you):
Games Based Learning:

• Social and collaborative aspects of games (e.g., educational aspects of Massively Multiplayer Online Games)
• The efficacy of games based learning
• Self authored content and personalisation in games
• Learning theory, pedagogy and instructional design in games
• Motivational aspects of games
• Collaboration between Science and Art for more effective learning
• Games to promote the inclusion (e.g., for offenders and people with disabilities, motivation of female gamers)

Game related Technologies:

• Using contemporary games controllers to create new opportunities in health and rehabilitation applications (e.g., applications for Wii Fit, Kinect. Move).
• Brain control interfaces to games
• Pervasiveness and mobility of games
• Location based services
• Handheld learning in the classroom

Games for Health:

• Serious games for clinical assessment (e.g. after stroke)
• Serious games for rehabilitation and treatment (e.g. of phobias, ADHA, post-traumatic stress disorders, stroke)
• ‘Modding’ for health
• Art and music rehabilitation in 3D multisensory environments
• Games for children in hospital
• Games to increase physical activity in children

Accessibility and Design:

• Open source accessibility
• Participatory design
• Design for all
• Natural user interfaces
• The representation and promotion of gender equality in games
• Alternative input modalities to games for people with disabilities (e.g., brain, haptic and audio interfaces)
• Access to interactive technologies for elderly people

Web based technologies:

• Resources for interactive learning tools and environments, e.g. Flash, podcasts, simulations, mobile games, Web 2.0 tool etc.
• The Internet as a communication medium ( e.g. for people with Asperger Syndrome).
• Browser based games and linking into social media channels Submissions

Those wishing to present papers or hold a workshop should send abstracts, to a maximum of 500 words. For those hoping to exhibit or produce a poster, a 300-word abstract is required. The deadline for submissions is Friday1st June 2012 to be sent to: karen.krelle@ntu.ac.uk

Final copies of accepted papers are required by Friday 14th September 2012.
There is a conference fee of £150 for 2 days, and £80 for 1 day registration. This price includes your invitation to the Game City opening event, lunch, and morning and afternoon refreshments.

Accommodation and Travel Links: https://www.conferencebookings.co.uk/delegate/NCBITAGEHD2010
NottinghamCityTravel Link: http://www.nctx.co.uk/

Prizes Offered:

As in previous years prizes will be awarded!

• Best Paper Award: £250
• Best Student Paper award: £250
• Best Student Poster: £150.

Vilnius ViPi workshop – Strengthening ICT skills of people with disabilities

The ViPi Workshop “Strengthening ICT skills of people with disabilities” took place at the Hotel Amberton in Vilnius Lithuania on Wednesday 2nd of May 2012.

The agenda was as following:

• 14:30 – 14:35 Welcome (Vilma Butkute, Hiteco)
• 14:35 – 14.45 General introduction of the ViPi project (Karel Van Isacker, PhoenixKM)

Current project work and findings:

• 14:45 – 15.05 ViPi Survey (Andy Burton, NTU)
• 15:05 – 15:25 Basic ICT Training curriculum (Andy Burton, NTU)
• 15:25 – 15:45 ViPi platform technologies and integration pathway (Karel Van Isacker, PhoenixKM / Panagiotis Tsoris, Steficon / Kosmas Petridis, Hypertech)
• 15:45 – 16.00 Coffee-Break
• 16:00 – 16:15 Mobile applications (Panagiotis Tsoris, Steficon)
• 16:15 – 16:30 Semantic Content Management enhancements (George Milis, G.M EuroCy Innovations Ltd)

Lithuanian situation regarding education and employability of people with disabilities (invited talks by representatives):

• 16:30 – 16:45 The National Association of the People with mental disabilities “VILTIS”
• 16:45 – 17:00 Lithuanian Association of the Blinds
• 17:00 – 17:15 Association of the People with Physical disabilities “NEGALIA”
• 17:15 – 18.00 Open (moderated) discussion among participants, to affect the present and future of the ViPi project
• 18:00 Wrap-up and closing

We had an interview with Teresa Aidukienė, Head Specialist of Pre-School and Primary Education Division of the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science. She worked before as Head Specialist of the Special education Division.

Survey report – ICT training and learning experiences of people with disabilities

ViPi released the ViPi Stakeholder Survey – Consolidation and comparative analysis of findings, including the Research Methodology & State of the Art. Both can be downloaded in accessible pdf format.
The survey was devised in the early stages of the ViPi project in order to gain data about the ICT training and learning experiences of people with disabilities, the organisations representing them, trainers, policy makers and intermediaries. The report comprises the survey analysis findings related to ICT training, Community needs, relevant methodologies, pedagogical approaches, available training material, etc. Furthermore, it contains a comparative analysis, describing, assessing and comparing the national peculiarities and similarities of the end-user requirements in the different partner countries.

3rd project meeting in Lithuania

The next ViPi project meeting will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania on 2-4 May 2012. It will start with a ½ day workshop in the afternoon of 2 May, while the project meeting is scheduled for 3-4 May in Druskune.

ViPi @ 2-Days Comenius, ICT and Language projects meeting in Brussels, Belgium

ViPi attended the 2-Days Comenius, ICT and Language projects meeting in Brussels, Belgium on 16-17/02/2012. ViPi was also moderating a discussion group on Project Promotion in the ICT workshop session on using the AECEA ICT Community.

Comenius, Languages, ICT Kick Off Meeting 2012

ViPi will be present at the Comenius, Languages, ICT Kick Off Meeting organised in Brussels on February 16 & 17 2012.

ATLEC kick-off meeting

The EC funded ATLEC (Assistive Technology Learning Through A Unified Curriculum – 518229-LLP-1-2011-1-UK-LEONARDO-LMP) project, coordinated by PhoenixKM, and contracted by Oak field School and Sports College (UK) organises its kick-off meeting on 16-17/01/2012 in Nottingham, UK. Its output will also be taken onboard in the ViPi portal, as well as its mobile ICT AT training application.

The EU needs to do more to include people with disabilities

“The EU needs to get more people with disabilities into jobs and include provisions on disability in more of its other policies,” says Parliament in a resolution, passed last week, on the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020.
“Over 80 million people, i.e. around 16% of the EU’s total population, are living with disabilities. The Europe 2020 Strategy target of 75% of the population aged 20-64 in Europe 2020 in employment cannot be achieved unless it includes people with some form of disability”, said Àdám Kósa ahead of the plenary vote.
The employment rate for people with disabilities is only around 45 % in the EU and this is one of the groups hardest hit by the financial crisis, says the resolution, which was passed by a show of hands.
Austerity measures must not become a pretext for unjustified cuts in services for persons with disabilities or in projects for their social inclusion, MEPs say.
The European Parliament stresses the need to reach a swift agreement on the proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. This was approved with 362 votes in favour, 273 against and 23 abstentions.
It also calls on the European Commission to reinforce anti-discrimination and accessibility provisions in the EU’s cohesion policy plans for 2014-2020, public procurement reform proposals and to present a legislative proposal for a European Accessibility Act with strong and binding measures at EU level to improve access to goods and services for people with disabilities.
MEPs call on EU Member States and the European Commission to recognise sign language as an official language in the Member States. The rapporteur himself is deaf and is assisted by an interpreter using sign language during meetings.
Finally, the resolution calls on Member States and the Commission to swiftly ratify and implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). So far, the Convention has been ratified by 17 Member States.
Source: AccessForAll.eu