Il Tassello Mancante - Il Tutor Digitale per Non Vedenti e Ipovedenti

"<< Background >>The project aimed to meet specific needs of enhancing the use of assistive ICT through a proper professional support who can lead blind & visually impaired (VI) users to overcome the technological problems in using their devices at work or for daily life needs. Exploiting the potential of assistive ICT/software and filling the gap to flank/support the VI users in overcoming difficulties/limitations deriving from their poor accessibility and usability is a priority. Partners -indeed- detected the lack of a connection - the so-called ""Missing Tile""- between the supporting services to date offered by Blind Associations and the need of a full access to assistive ICT shown by the VI users. Current daily life interactions & work activities require more and more the use of ICT (laptops, mobiles, etc), and the full use of these devices became the requisite to be actively & productively involved in the society, especially if you are a VI person. The incorporation of the latest assistive ICT in the professional dimension also widened the potential range of work positions/tasks that can be covered by VIP contributing to improve their participation within the business and to the effectiveness of their own professional supply & satisfaction<< Objectives >>DIGIVET4VIP aimed at promoting social inclusion and outreach/stability in the Labor Market of VIP by improving access and use of assistive ICT through a proper technical assistance flanking them to solve technical problems they meet in using special technological assets. So, it acted on operators from Blind Associations by improving their technical knowledge and strengthening their digital skills to better and consciously manage assistive ICT. In partners' intent, indeed, Missing Tile is a professional with supporting/guidance assignments for VI users inside Associations whose peculiar expertise is enriched by specific digital competences to act as Digital Tutor, which play as intermediary between VI user and a full inclusive use of ICT. The Tutor can help VIP not accustomed in using assistive software/ICT for many reasons (age, new blinds, poor digital skills, poor use of software/procedures…) providing fitted remote support. Professional upgrade is done by the core result: a PROCEDURE enabling operators to run and solve various technical problems met by VI in the daily use of assistive devices by interacting with user software interfaces, webpages, functions, etc, offering qualified help to VI.<< Implementation >>The Project entailed for 5 Activities, that were:• the managerial one, necessary to the whole work management and partnership cooperation, also including the online coordination sessions (the virtual meetings) and the different kind of transversal actions such as assessment & dissemination (ACT.1 PMI);• the core one, to create the Procedure as project key concrete result, essential to pursue its goals and to reach the expected outcomes on target groups. (ACT.2 Sharing good practices & experiences in dealing with assistive ICT-Problem Solving Procedure for the most used accessibility programs). ACT. 2 was split in several work phases related to the sequential Procedure developmental steps: an initial mapping to highlight the most used assistive ICT tools for accessibility and the related most recurring technical problems met by VI users in work and daily use; the Procedure drafting by coding and systematizing the previously detected problems and the related solving strategies; Assessment, validation and final Procedure's release as OER;• Activities for transnational coordination in presence: the Meetings (ACT. 3, KOM in Florence; ACT.4 TPM1 in Warsaw; ACT.5 Final TPM in Florence, combined with the final exploitation conference).<< Results >>The Project concrete output is the Problem-Solving Procedure listing the most recurring technical problems that could be met by VI users in dealing with assistive ICT to be managed/solved by properly prepared operators, equipped with peculiar digital skills and tailored knowledge on visual impairment and on features and aims of the most used assistive supports. The Procedure's contents can enable the operators in force of Blind Associations to run and solve the difficulties that could arise while VIP interact with user interfaces of software/web pages/services, etc., becoming exactly the “Missing Tile” of the project’s title: the key joining link between users and the Blind Associations, offering qualified and affordable help to VIP, who use ICT for their work and daily life. This way, the operators' peculiar expertise is enriched by specific digital competences, converting them in ""Digital Tutors"", an intermediary between the VI user and the full and inclusive use of ICT that, never than today, are becoming essential. This leads to a better and ""technologically anchored"" preparation of the operators from the partner Blind Associations, and so to improve/update the supporting services for their VI users."