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The Web is an increasingly important resource in many aspects of life: education, employment, government, commerce, health care, recreation, access to information and more. It is essential that the Web is accessible in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to persons with disabilities. An accessible Web (and mobile web) can also help people with disabilities more actively participate in society. Persons with disabilities in Europe are a significant group. Around 80 million people in the EU are affected by a disability. As the EU population ages, the figure is expected to increase to 120 million by 2020. It means that more and more people will have access needs. For them, equal integration into society, including digital access can be a real challenge. According to the EU Parliament, only one-third of the 761,000 EU public sector websites meet basic web accessibility standards. In its estimation, more than 167 million EU citizens have difficulty accessing public websites to use online public services. They also represent a huge market potential for businesses that use digital approaches what it can mean economic gains, as they can reach a larger customer base. Digital accessibility is becoming a must. The directive (EU) 2016/2102 on making the websites and mobile apps of public sector bodies more accessible have recently published (on 2 December 2016) and entered into force on 22 December 2016 (the Member States have until 23 September 2018 to transpose the text into their national legislation). The consortium consists of 6 partners from 4 EU countries, covering Southern, Middle and Northern Europe. All of the partners are from countries with a very low share of accessible web pages and almost not existing national/industry regulation of digital accessibility, where the training on digital accessibility is the most needed. Therefore it is important that website developers, designers, marketing and public relations people as well as managers and policymakers, have knowledge and skills for improving accessibility to disabled visitors of their websites / mobile apps. The aim of this project is to develop VET training modules and an Accessible web platform totally focused on digital accessibility to improve the knowledge, skills and competencies of key stakeholders according to web accessibility standards and in order to enable them to respond to the needs of visual, auditory, physical or cognitive disabled as well as older persons or low literacy website visitors/apps users, so they, in turn, are able to fully access and benefit from the digital era. The project aims to meet the following objectives: - create an ACCESSIBLE WEB PLATFORM - develop DIVERSE TRAINING MODULES - develop and implement CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS for trainers - increase the participation rate of disabled people in digital society - promote inclusion of disadvantaged groups in the labour market The training modules are to be embedded into the existing VET educational programmes to improve competencies of VET learners, students as future experts on one hand, and to improve competencies of already existing professionals in the professional field of websites/marketing, all that to contribute to more inclusion and equity in education and lifelong learning. Indirectly, VET trainers from all over Europe will be involved through the publication of modules as freely accessible materials of the modules. The project will also: - contribute to better access to training and qualifications for all, through making all materials accessible to all and freely downloaded from the web portal, - have an impact on the social inclusion of people with disabilities by promoting and encouraging learning about accessible webs and apps - strengthen the professional development of trainers, teachers. The project will improve the quality of training (initial education and continuing development), the quality of teachers, trainers and other professionals in the sector and will make courses more relevant to the labour market. Furthermore, the EU Added Value of the project is, on the one hand, provided by the ACCESS WEB PLATFORM, the enhancement of the new, updated, holistically approached to those people who want to learn accessibility of website/apps and on the other hand improved, intensive multidisciplinary modules for teachers but also for professionals and students in the field of Digital Accessibility, which will result, in the long term, in equally accessible for an increasing number of disabled people in Europe and in promoting employability in economically prospering, and necessary, sector of the digital economy. High-quality, certified and on European level recognised training will contribute to increased employability of people with disabilities. In the final stage, this type of education will contribute to the EU objective to ensure web accessibility for all.
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