Scholarly record

PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR ADULTS WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY. A CASE STUDY

Georgeta Chirlesan, Dumitru Chirlesan

Abstract

The European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 notes that one in six of the European working age population, approximately 80 million people, are classified as disabled. The rate of poverty for this group is 70% higher than the average and this is partly due to limited access to employment. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities underlines the importance of inclusive education as a means of enabling disabled people "to participate effectively in a free society". The Education and Training 2020 Strategic Framework underlines that education systems need to respond to diversity and to provide for the successful inclusion of all learners, including adults with a learning disability. This is also embodied in the European Commission’s Disability Strategy 2010-2020 which notes the strong mandate on the EU and member states to improve the social and economic situation of people with disabilities and underlines the aspiration of creating a barrier-free Europe. This paper presents a case study on increasing access to quality education and training for adults with a learning disability. The research was implemented by a consortium from six EU countries (Ireland – coordinator, Cyprus, Romania, Austria, Belgium, Spain) in the LLP/KA4 multilateral project ALDO (Adults with a Learning Disability – Observatory of Best Practice, 543065-LLP-2013-IE-KA4-KA4MP) financed by European Commission. The research aimed at identifying best practices in education and training for adults with learning disabilities and valorising these practices by making them visible and accessible through an online portal. The best practices have been identified from European Commission’s compendia 2007-2013. Assessment and selection was achieved based on strictly quality criteria (clarity, credibility, contribution, communicative resonance) through questionnaire applied to projects’ coordinators and via Assessment Groups composed of experts in education. The educational resources of the final 36 selected best practices were standardized for ALDO online observatory. The paper describes the research methodology and emphasizes on the main findings: when training adults with a learning disability motivation and involvement are key issues and the use of newly developed technologies and specific training resources is a “must” for a successful integration of disabled persons. Having best practice examples evaluated, validated and recommended by experts encourage the wider cohort of educators at all levels to utilise the Observatory resources. It is estimated that ALDO Observatory will improve accessibility and use of validated training resources for organizations and centres working with adults with a learning disability.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/SGEMSOCIAL2015/B12/S3.098

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