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BACKGROUND: This paper presents part of the work undertaken by the European Network for Technology Enhanced Learning in an Inclusive Society (ENTELIS) to respond to the need for bridging the digital divide. It is based on previous evidence of lack of digital skills of people with disabilities of all ages to effectively participate in the digital society. OBJECTIVE: The paper aims to present the results of an exploratory study conducted in different European countries in order to identify needs, barriers, opportunities and good practices. METHODS: Data collection included the collection of experiences and best practices, and interviews conducted with different groups of people with disabilities of all ages and other stakeholders in five countries. RESULTS: Results emphasize the vital role of ICT-AT for independence, social integration, educational success, employment opportunities, and overall quality of life, while there seems to be heterogeneity in the way technology is considered and utilized among various groups of PwD. A number of challenges and barriers for ICT-AT competence development are also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Considerations and suggestions for further research, for policy and for practice implications are discussed, mainly focused on reducing the abandonment of ICT-AT, on responding to user's heterogeneous needs and on strengthening facilitating factors for the acquisition of digital competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the approach taken to iteratively evaluate a set of VR/AR (virtual reality / augmented reality) applications for five different manual-work applications - terrestrial spacecraft assembly, assembly-line design, remote maintenance of trains, maintenance of nuclear reactors, and large-machine assembly process design - and examines the evaluation data for evidence of the effectiveness of the evaluation framework as well as the benefits to the development process of feedback from iterative evaluation. ManuVAR is an EU-funded research project that is working to develop an innovative technology platform and a framework to support high-value, high-knowledge manual work throughout the product lifecycle. The results of this study demonstrate the iterative improvements reached throughout the design cycles, observable through the trending of the quantitative results from three successive trials of the applications and the investigation of the qualitative interview findings. The paper discusses the limitations of evaluation in complex, multi-disciplinary development projects and finds evidence of the effectiveness of the use of the particular set of complementary evaluation methods incorporating a common inquiry structure used for the evaluation - particularly in facilitating triangulation of the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are underrepresented in the labour force. OBJECTIVE: To examine the meaning of employment, as it is understood in the context of participation and integration in society, among persons with SCI in six European countries. We ask how SCI relates to employment, for the functions of employment, alternatives to employment, and its obstacles. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 74 persons and qualitatively analysed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Employment was ranked as very important independent of the participants current employment status. We identified three main functions of employment: 1) employment contributes to the creation of personal and collective identity and social recognition; 2) employment enables structuring of time and distracts from impairment and pain; 3) employment is as an important social arena that facilitates interaction with other people. Voluntary work and domestic work did not fully replace the social functions of employment, nor correspond to the design of the disability compensation systems. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the high value of employment and a need to pay more attention to a broader range of productive work. It also reveals the interdependencies between employment status and income mediated by the disability compensation schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article presents a student evaluation of a joint international education developed as part of a European project which sought to equip health care practitioners with the skills to support employability of individuals furthest removed from the labour market, disadvantaged on account of age, gender, migration or ethnicity. Participants: Thirty eight students out of the forty one students that participated in the pilot of four modules (NL, UK, SE, DE) returned completed digital questionnaires (92.6% response rate). Methods: The study is descriptive by nature. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from students. Additionally students attending the module in the UK also took part in a series of qualitative interviews which sought to explore their experiences in more detail. These were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. Results: Students reported that joint education facilitates competence development. The competencies they identified (Information Communications Technology) were recognised as being key to enhancing employability of disadvantaged groups. Conclusions: The joint international education exemplified by EEE4all offers one model of how to build a responsive international curriculum to ensure that the workforce of the future is well placed to meet the needs of this changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]