Young people get tools to influence the accessibility issue
Together with the Swedish Confederation of Young People with Disabilities and similar user organizations in Denmark and England, the Media House Copenhagen and East Anglia University, Funka will support increased knowledge of use of digital tools.
Young people are expected to know a lot about internet and computers. But being a consumer of the digital supply is not always the same as being able to use the digital tools to gain influence. Of course, not all young people are technically interested or especially experienced. For young people who have a disability, it can be extra difficult to manage the rapid technological development because the tools are not always updated at the same rate as web browsers and apps.
We look forward to, together with active young people with disabilities, exploring, learning and using the digital tools for increased accessibility, says Claus Sørensen, Mediehuset Copenhagen.
Through education and exchange of experience, the project will ensure that young people of different abilities get better opportunities to participate in the public debate. In this way, the participants will be able to contribute to the development of a more inclusive society, based on the UN Convention on Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities. The Web Accessibility Directive also emphasizes the importance of the target groups participating in implementation and monitoring, so the project is very well timed.
Both the society at large and we as experts try to ensure that information is accessible to this target group, but what we are going to do now is to give the young people tools to run the accessibility issue themselves, says Susanna Laurin, CEO of Funka. It feels like an important step in a democratic and inclusive direction.
The media house Copenhagen as project manager will contribute with the transfer of competence regarding media production, while Funka will focus on legislation and standards. The idea is that the young people who participate learn more about what opportunities exist to make their voice heard with the help of digital tools that work for each target group. In the longer term, the project also aims at increased employment for the participants.
Funding: ERASMUS+
Consortium: The Media House Copenhagen (project manager), the University of East Anglia, Funka, the Association of Young People with Disabilities, the Young Disabled Federation, the Indigo Dyslexic Center Norwich, the Norfolk Deaf Association, Norfolk & Norwich Association for the Blind and the European Disability Forum
Period: February 2019 - January 2021
Budget: 215 000 EURO
Project update
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Funka educates young people with disabilities
In order for more people to understand what the new legislation on digital accessibility means from a user perspective, Funka offers free education for young people with disabilities. The European Commission is funding the project.