E-Learning for Visually Impaired Persons (E-Learn-ViP)

The main objective of this project is to enable blind people and people with visual handicaps the access to e-learning courses in the following way:

• Evaluation of the already existing e-learning courses in all countries of the partner-organization trough unique measures which take into account the specific needs of persons having visual handicaps; these measures would be:
  • the accessibility of all components in an e-learning environment;
  • the methodological adaptation of provided e-learning courses;
  • the availability of special educated Tele-Coaches corresponding to the methodological needs and the technical necessary assistant devices commonly used by visually impaired persons.
• The publication of the result of this evaluation with a detailed description of the available courses and service providers of e-learning services for visually impaired persons on a national and trans-national level trough websites, conferences, trade press and trade fair. This initiative is also addressed to  service-providers, distributors and developers of e-learning, platforms, media and software as training centres for people with visual handicaps and their self-help organisations (e.g. Federations for the blind). Information on e-learning courses in the project partners' countries will be provided trough a web-based platform, where such data will be rated and structured by level of accessibility, variety and focus graduation of the courses provided.
• The development of innovative guidelines for service-providers developers of multimedia and e-learning platforms. These guidelines consider the essential elements of an e-learning platform which are the learn-management-system, video conference system and the multimedia learning-contents.

Description of target users and groups

Persons with visual handicaps.

Description of the way to implement the initiative

The following approach has been followed:

• A new standardised rating system has been created by target group oriented rating criteria;
• Research and evaluation of available e-learning service providers and developers of e-learning courseware accessible for visually impaired people in the countries of all participating partners;
• Rating of the available courses with the developed rating catalogue;
• Publishing the results on Website and trade press and conferences. Informing training centre and self-help organizations specialised to the target group;
• Developing a accessibility guideline and samples of accessible e-learn-environment to enable and improve for visually impaired persons the access to e-learning components;
• Publishing the results and the accessibility guideline on the project website and an ISBN-registered multimedia CD-ROM in five languages (English, French, German, Danish and Dutch).

Main results, benefits and impacts

This initiative is expected to develop an objective and comparable rating system to assess e-learning courses in accordance to the needs and demands of persons with visual handicap.

Lessons learnt

Detailed information on the lessons learnt will be added in the upcoming weeks by the concerned authors.