Development of an easy-to-read gardening book for professionals training people with intellectual disabilities

<< Background >>The EU promotes the active inclusion and full participation of people with disabilities in society, in line with the EU approach to disability human rights, which means that disability is a rights issue and not a matter of discretion. This approach is also at the core of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).Easy Gardening. Erasmus + project (February 2022-February 2024) aimed to contribute to the social participation of people with disabilities by improving their vocational skills for employment.“Vocational training fosters innovation, creativity and self-confidence.”The current labor market means that many of our students with disabilities are unable to access employment.The supply of vocational training for people with disabilities is limited. Adapted materials usually have to be developed by the teachers themselves, since they are not already designed. In addition, the subject matter was selected because it is one of the professions in which PWiD are most likely to find employment.<< Objectives >>This project, with partners from Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Spain, sought to improve the training of trainers working with people with disabilities in the field of gardening and agriculture, providing them with adapted resources, so that such training has an impact on the employability of people with disabilities.To this end, as operational results, it was intended to provide materials, tools and resources to students with intellectual disabilities, as well as to teachers, training staff, mentors, trainers, leaders of VET centers, to facilitate the incorporation of people with intellectual disabilities in training actions for employment.<< Implementation >>To this end, within the framework of the project, the following have been developed:- the creation of a gardening/agriculture training manual in accessible format;- the creation of a training manual for trainers in gardening, inspired by accessible practices and inclusive practices;- the preparation, implementation and evaluation of a training course for trainers in gardening in accordance with the Universal Design for Learning;- the provision of a platform for the training of trainers;- the creating of a game to explore the fundamental principles and practices of sustainable gardening and agriculture.<< Results >>1: Organic Gardening Book (easy-reading) and Training Guide. The objective of creating this manual was to facilitate access to professional training for people with disabilities. The trainers will train people with disabilities to follow the instructions in the book by themselves.A training guide for trainers has also been developed to facilitate the use of the manual.2: Capacity building course in Organic Gardening for professionals.A professional capacity building course has been designed for professionals who train students with disabilities, with the aim of improving their specific knowledge of organic gardening.3. Estrategic Game: The Easy Gardening GameThe materials have been developed in English, and have been translated into Greek, Danish, Croatian, Portuguese, Spanish and Galician. The materials have been published under open licenses and can be downloaded at: https://www.easygardening.eu and in and in the Erasmus+ results platform.