ECDL for People with Visual Disabilities in Hungary

Acronym of the case:

ECDLforblindhu

Web address of the case:

http://www.ecdl.hu/english/index.php

Country of the case:

Hungary

City/region:

Nationwide

Posting Date:

5 October 2010

Last Edited Date:

06 October 2010

Author:

Bartlomiej Telejko (ECDL Foundation)

eAccessibility | einclusion | eSkills

Type of initiative

Project or service
Promotion/awareness campaign

Case Abstract

Benefits from advancements in technology and ICT have dramatically improved the quality of life for people across the globe. Unfortunately, people with disabilities still face numerous difficulties while trying to become more tech-savvy. It is especially difficult for people who are blind and visually impaired to get a proper ICT skills training course. This project aims to empower them with the skills to use ICT and gain access to digital content. In Hungary, the John von Neumann Computer Society (NJSZT) and ECDL Hungary have been promoting digital literacy for people who are blind and deaf for over ten years, by organizing relevant training and offering ECDL Skills Cards free of charge. So far, it has only been the specialized test centre of the Faculty of Informatics of the University of Ã“buda where the training sessions were able to be delivered.

In an agreement signed in April 2010 by ECDL Hungary and The Informatics for the Blind Foundation (Infoalap) the two organizations committed themselves to cooperate in building a nationwide network of ECDL test centres where blind people could receive tailored ECDL training and gain certification. Many already disadvantaged people find it almost impossible to evolve career-wise, as they usually do not have the possibility to achieve further qualifications. The action undertaken by Infoalap and ECDL Hungary aims to change this norm by assisting with blind peopleâ€™s full integration into society and the job market. International Data Corporation (IDC) in its report on e-skills in post-crisis Europe estimates that by 2014, 92% of work places in Hungary will require digitally literate employees. Europe is suffering from a growing professional ICT skills shortage and a digital literacy deficit. ECDL Hungary and Infoalap believe that the benefits of the digital society should be available to all European citizens regardless of their educational and social background. Thanks to this project people with disabilities will be able to fully participate in the digital society and economy.

Description of the case

Domain

eInclusion

Topic

(public) e-services for disadvantaged people | Digital literacy and competences | eAccessibility

Sector

Education, Science and Research | Local/Regional Community Development

Start date - End date

April 2010 (Ongoing)

Date operational

April 2010

Target Users

People with disability | People with no or poor digital literacy | Unemployed people | Other

Target Users Description

The target group for this project includes people who are blind and partially blind in Hungary. ICT has greatly changed the way people who are visually impaired can access information and therefore participate in society on a more equal footing. However some people who are blind and visually impaired still face numerous social constraints due to insufficient levels of digital literacy. This target group has little or no knowledge of basic IT skills.

Scope

Local (city or municipality) | National

Status

Implementation

Language(s)

Hungarian

Policy Context and Legal Framework

This project is in line with the â€˜Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: A Digital Agenda for Europeâ€™ especially with its provisions to enhance digital literacy skills and inclusion. It helps to achieve many objectives specified in the document such as: â€˜helping members of disadvantaged social groups to participate on a more equal footing in digital societyâ€™, addressing â€˜their disadvantage through increased employabilityâ€™ and promoting â€˜effective ICT training and certification outside formal education systems, including the use of online tools and digital media for re-skilling and continuing professional developmentâ€™ (p. 25).

At a national level this is the first opportunity for people who are blind to gain a well-known international computer skills certificate through a national network of Training/Test centres. Its distinctive feature is a special module which is offered for them i.e. Screen Reader and Character recognition, a module initiated and developed by the John von Neumann Computer Society (NJSZT â€“ as ECDL Hungary) in collaboration with the Technical High School of Budapest. The project fits into the national â€œDigital Equal Opportunities Programâ€ also launched by NJSZT in 2007, in accordance with the programme by the Hungarian government.

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

Training and education

Overall Implementation approach

Non-profit sector

Technology choice

Standards-based technology

Funding source

Charity, voluntary contributions

Project size

Implementation: €49-299,000

Yearly cost:

€1-49,000

Implementation and Management Approach

ECDL Hungary is actively involved in the administration and delivery of the ECDL certification for people with visual impairments and has committed to providing the best possible testing experience for these candidates. From 2006 we organise trainings and ECDL tests for people who are visually impaired and deaf, offering both tests and ECDL Skills Cards for free. Training is offered free of charge by the Technical Highschool (today called University of Ã“buda), Neumann JÃ¡nos Faculty of Informatics as an ECDL Test Centre. For the last 4 years hundreds of successful ECDL tests have been fulfilled and 300 ECDL certificates have been issued. The idea of setting up a network of Test Centres is based on the fact that the computer is indispensable for people who are visually impaired in the Information Society if they wish to have equal rights within the labour market. In Hungary there are more than 200,000 visually impaired people (and this number is growing every year), therefore it is obvious that a single training and test centre cannot fulfil all requirements. As a number of centres have already been set up by the government to assist people with physical disabilities, the project is based on the infrastructure (special software and hardware) of these and also on the accredited ECDL Test Centres in their neighbourhood. The best solution would be to initiate training and test sessions in every county and therefore ECDL Hungary and its partner, the Informatics for Blind Foundation are making efforts to set up the network until the end of 2010. Fortunately, the first Conference for Blind about ECDL which was held in June 2010 was very successful and many Training Centres (accredited ECDL Test Centres) showed their interest in teaching and testing visually impaired people.

One of the main points of the implementation is that â€“ according to the philosophy of ECDL Foundation â€“ ECDL certificates for the blind have the same value as the â€œtraditionalâ€ certificate. Therefore, ECDL Hungary, respecting the international Quality Assurance Standards, developed special rules (more time for testing, special software, tests led by accredited ECDL Testers but also that the test is allowed to be held outside an accredited ECDL Test Centre: in a Rehabilitation Centre with the necessary infrastructure, etc.); however, the difficulty of the tests is the same: ECDL Hungary has developed a special Question and Test Base where the quality and level of the tests are the same, but the questions are modified slightlyÂ to the physical needs of blind people.

Technology solution

ECDL is a technology and vendor-independent system. Therefore every solution is accepted which is able to fulfil the requirements of the ECDL Syllabus. The special technologies used for testing the visually impaired are ScreenReader and Character Recognition software.

Impact, innovation and results

Impact

The main results of the project is that up until now 250-300 people who are blind received an ECDL certificate which has helped some of them to become employed, and many others will have the same possibility soon, not only in the capital (Budapest), but nationwide. The best case scenario would be if in the coming years at least 10% of the Hungarian population of people who are blind (approx. 2000 persons) could learn and fulfil the requirements of the ECDL (start) certificate. In order to respect the financial restrictions of these people with disabilities and also taking into account ECDL Hungaryâ€™s capacity to assist, governmentâ€™s support is needed.

Track record of sharing

The Syllabus, TestBase and any other professional details about the ScreenReader and Character Recognition Module â€“ as an Endorsed Product accredited by ECDL Foundation - are available on request from ECDL Hungary. This is a complete source of information in how to ensure digital literacy for people who are visually impaired. We presented the plan of the project at the international Forum organized by ECDL Foundation in 2008.

The aim of John von Neumann Computer Society with the development, accreditation and launch of the above mentioned Module for visually impaired people was to ensure the possibility for the target group to obtain the same and equivalent digital literacy certificate (ECDL) as â€œnon-disabled peopleâ€. The philosophy behind it comes from the target group itself: â€œNon-disabled people should understand that they donâ€™t have to feel sorry for usâ€¦, but they should give us the possibility to demonstrate our capacities.â€ Considering this, John von Neumann Computer Society and ECDL Hungary has developed an OCR and ScreenReader Module, which is offered as an alternative to ECDL Module 6 - Presentation. The result is a Question and Test Base for the Blind which is the same level as the standard ECDL certificate and fulfils all the requirements of the standard ECDL Syllabus, but respects the natural demands of those who cannot see.

The tests to be fulfilled for an ECDL certificate are:

Mandatory Modules:

Module 2 - Using the Computer and Managing Files, Module 3 - Word processing,Â Module 4 - Spreadsheet, Module 7 - Web Browsing and Communication

Optional modules (3 of them to be chosen):

Module 1 â€“ Concepts of ICT, Module 5 â€“ Using Databases, Module 6 - Presentation, Module 9 - Image Editing, Module 10 â€“ Web Editing, OCR and Screen Reader (for the Blind)

The aim of the current project is to extend the possibilities for visually impaired people in learning and for them to be tested across the whole country, through a network of ECDL training centres.

Lessons learnt

1. Digital Literacy is for everyone and should not be an exclusive right. The ECDL certificate should be available for the visually impaired in every country.
2. People with visual impairments would like to have the possibility to learn and they DO WANT to fulfill the necessary criteria to obtain a certificate of the same value as â€˜non-disabled peopleâ€™. They DO NOT WANT to be treated differently.
3. Certification is needed for people with visual impairments to be able to become employed in the more demanding and dynamic Information Society, but they have no financial possibility to pay the standard fee for training and testing. Therefore, public funding and governmental support is absolutely necessary to be able to carry out similar projects.

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