Projects and Good Practices | ENAT

RESTAT - Recognition Of Skills To Transform Accessible Tourism

Ivor Ambrose — Thu, 28 May 2020 12:31:47 GMT

The project, funded by EU ERASMUS+, aims to address the scarcity of available VET training courses by offering a holistic, package solution to render Tourism workers and professionals competent, ready to offer diverse tailor-made services to tourists with special needs, and notably, to subsequently act as the true promoters of Accessible Tourism.

RESTAT will gather a multidisciplinary partnership consisting of 6 partners from five countries under the lead of Municipality of Tusa and will develop four principal Outputs:

A Practical Skills and Employment Context Mapping research study (IO1) to identify a set of desirable AT skills most likely to be accumulated on-the-job, plus a set of Prospective Job Mobility Opportunities for professionals with skills in AT. It will establish the compass for successive outputs.
A Skills Endorsing Tool (IO2) to objectively evaluate, recognize and even classify the level of skills tourism workers have regarding AT through successful completion of a series of testing devices.
An Upskilling Course (IO3) with 04 Specific Training module of intermediate level, useful for both tourism workers and managers in rendering their services more professional, well-planned, entertaining and tailor-made to different special needs.
A Career Guidance Tool (IO4) to boost Employability and Job Mobility of Tourism Professionals point them to the most suitable career options basing on both of their validated skills and personal characteristics.

Applying a holistic approach, all four Intellectual Outputs (IO) will be linked to each other in an organic manner, i.e. the development of the next Output shall depend on and continue from the findings and result of the previous one.

IO1 will follow the Delphi method when conducting questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, using a panel of experts and peer-review to allow more converging final answers.

IO2 will use a rich, ample battery of modular tests of various formats using interactive graphics that ensure a front-end, user-friendly experience in order to produce an objective assessment integrable to other skills passports.

IO3 will employ a MOOC-like format, including multiple forms (texts, videos, webinars lectures, virtual groups, exercises, and tests) for each training module.

IO4 will provide an innovative profiling software that combines skills and personality in giving the right career guidance advice. In addition, each output development will strictly follow the EQAVET circle to allow test, revision, and improvement.

Regarding Target groups of participants, RESTAT shall strive to involve the following four groups in both implementation and dissemination activities:

A – Tourism managers and VET providers aspiring to increase services and quality;

B – Tourism workers and professionals (including seasonal ones);

C – Central and Local authorities seeking strategic development options;

D – Employers, job agencies and advocacy groups.

In the long run, RESTAT aims to make AT a vibrant economic sector in smaller towns’ context with the well-prepared workforce to enforce sustainable development, responsible tourism and the social value of equal opportunity.

It also aspires to contribute to Europe’s harmonization schemes for recognizing, validating and better-utilizing workers’ skills and qualifications.

Partners

The Municipality of Tusa, Italy
New Horizons, Italy
ECTE, Greece
Foundation Universitat Jaume I Empresa, Spain
Handy Club Ostrava, Czech Republic
Rogepa, Romania

Further information

RESTAT Website

Open Innovation Lab 2.0. Eyemmersive™ - A Digital Market Place for Immersive Tourism

Ivor Ambrose — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 13:16:00 GMT

Under the INVITE project funding scheme for SMEs, Eyemmersive (EYEM) proposes to create a Digital Market Place for Immersive Tourism based on VR technologies. The service concept provides a new source of income for professional tourist guides in destinations around the globe, delivering Eyemmersive™ local tourism content to extend the reach of tourism operators and provide a promotional opportunity towards independent travellers.

Under the INVITE project funding scheme for SMEs, Eyemmersive (EYEM) proposes to create a Digital Market Place for Immersive Tourism based on VR technologies.

The service concept will provide a new source of income for professional tourist guides in destinations around the globe, delivering Eyemmersive™ local tourism content to extend the reach of tourism operators and provide a promotional opportunity towards independent travellers.

The EYEM project, led by Kerckhoffs Ltd, UK, will bring ‘live travel experiences’ to non-tourists and aspiring tourists. Emerging technologies using virtual / augmented reality (VR/AR) and high definition 360-degree streaming will play an important role in the future of the tourism industry and empowering interactive live on-demand immersive travel experiences.

We see a potential opportunity for a digital, peer-to-peer style platform where immersive-tourism-experience seekers and travel-guides could meet to make a memorable immersive journey. The availability of economical 360-degree camera equipment and VR headsets offer an exciting opportunity for people to experience live immersive tourism.

This Innovation and Internationalisation Project aims to identify the parameters for engaging and working with European Tourist Guides who are experienced in the area of inclusive tourism for persons with disabilities and seniors, and who wish to collaborate in the delivery of Virtual Tourism experiences, using the EYEM platform.

Kerckhoffs is a Full Member of ENAT – The European Network for Accessible Tourism non-profit association, which is the internationally recognised specialist network on inclusive tourism. We will use the INVITE funding to finance our collaboration with ENAT experts, to fine-tune our business model and to identify the appropriate conditions for recruiting and training tourist guides to use the recording equipment and provide the narration for the VR service, taking into account such issues as contractual obligations, privacy and data protection.

The project will explore research and development questions, as well as carry out pilot testing of 360-degree video recording with professional tourist guides.

Contact

Dr. Selvakumar Ramachandran, Managing Director, Kerckhoffs Ltd. Email: sr@kerckhoffs.co.uk

Kerckhoffs Ltd. is a Full Member of ENAT

IN-TOUR - INclusive TOURism Professions. European Curricula For Accessible Tourism Manager And Frontline Staff

Ivor Ambrose — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 18:56:00 GMT

The IN-Tour project aims to cover a gap in the training system in Europe related to Accessible Tourism. With a wide range of partners who are experienced in accessible tourism, accessibility, training and education fields, the project will develop blended learning Vocational Training Courses for a postgraduate Inclusive Tourism Manager profile (ITM) and an undergraduate Inclusive Tourism Frontline Staff (ITFS) profile, involving 3 Universities providing VET.

Studies conducted by the European Commission have highlighted a significant gap in the supply of Accessible Tourism services, estimating that at least an additional 1.2 million tourism enterprises will be needed to provide accessible services in order to meet future demand.

The In-Tour project aims to cover the need for quality education and training on Accessible Tourism for hospitality Managers and Frontline Staff, in particular by:

defining an occupational profile (according to ESCO definition) for Inclusive Tourism Manager and Inclusive Tourism Frontline Staff.
specifying the skill gaps by connecting directly the demand with representatives of tourism industries and entrepreneurs and by analysing the good practices already developed
defining the European Curricula in the accessible tourism sector, at EQF 6 level and EQF 4 level;
designing a flexible and modular training path for both professional profiles: Tourism Managers and Tourism Frontline Staff
delivering the curricula in pilot courses in different countries.

The Curricula will be defined in a flexible and modular way in order to provide a general reference European model which could be implemented in each EU Member State. The Curricula will be tested though the local pilots and will include periods of work-based learning.

Watch our video made for ERASMUSDAYS 2020, 15 to 17 October 2020

Approach

The IN-TOUR project takes place within the overall framework for cooperation in education and training ET 2020 and will focus on “graduates VET” for the Inclusive Tourism Manager profile (ITM) and “undergraduates VET” for the Inclusive Tourism Frontline Staff (ITFS), involving 3 Universities providing VET.

Starting from the definition of two Occupational Profiles, IN-TOUR will design two EU Curricula based on modules and learning-outcomes in order to support their “localization”, i.e. to be established in different EU countries by adapting the courses to the context. Moreover the curricula designed following the ECVET principle can be designed locally at different EQF levels.

The IN-TOUR project will evaluate the flexibility of the Curricula by designing 5 pilot courses in 3 different countries, as follows:

ITFS course at EQF level 5 will be implemented in Germany and Greece. The German pilot will address a minimum of 20 students for 300h and will provide a Lifelong Learning Certificate and will credit 20-30 ECTS. The Greek pilot will address a minimum of 20 students for 260h and will provide a Certificate of Postgraduate Training and will credit 20-30 ECTS. The credits will be fixed according with the design of the courses and the LO addressed.

ITM course at EQF levels 6 and 7 will be implemented in Germany, Greece and Italy. The German pilot at EQF 6 level will address a minimum of 20 students for 300 hours and will provide a Lifelong Learning Certificate equivalent to 1 semester in a Bachelor’s Degree program and will credit 20-30 ECTS. The Greek pilot (EQF6) will address a minimum of 20 students for 260 hours and will provide a Certificate of Postgraduate Training Lifelong Learning Certificate and will credit 20-30 ECTS. The Italian pilot will address a minimum of 20 students and will be realised to reach EQF7 level, the course envisages a 370 hour training for 60 ECTS credits. Students will receive a certification of Master Universitario di Primo Livello.

The training will include classroom lessons, distance learning and work-based learning (blended learning). The specific content, methods and resources will be arranged during the activities of Work Package 3 and 4, while the evaluation of curriculum, tools and participants’ learning will be carried out through the activities of Work Package 6.

Project Data

Erasmus+ Programme: KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices Sector Skills Alliances (SSA)
Lot 2: SSA for Design and Delivery of VET
Call for proposals: EAC/A03/2018
Project number: 612643-EPP-1-2019-1-IT-EPPKA2-SSA

Start: January 2020

Finish: December 2022

Coordinator

AISM – Associazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla Onlus Italy

Partners

SI4LIFE scrl Italy
Università degli Studi di Genova Italy
Fondazione per la Ricerca e l’Innovazione Italy
Hellenic Open University Greece
EPIMELITIRIO ILIAS (Chamber of Ilia), Greece
Akademie für berufliche Bildung gGmbH Germany
Fachhochschule Dresden (University of Applied Sciences), Germany
FUNKA NU AB Sweden
Camara Oficial de Comercio e Industria de Valladolid (Chamber of Valladolid), Spain
CRITERIA-05 S.L. Spain
EASPD - European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities Belgium
IAAPA - International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Belgium
ENAT - European Network for Accessible Tourism Belgium

Project Website: https://in-tour.eu

Contact

Project Manager: Mr. Marco Pizzio, Head of Accessible Tourism, AISM. Email: marco.pizzio@aism.it

ACCESS-IT. Innovation for Accessible Tourism in Natural and Rural Areas

Ivor Ambrose — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 18:19:00 GMT

An EU-funded ERASMUS plus project on vocational education and training. Key Action 2 Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices.

An EU-funded ERASMUS plus project on vocational education and training.

The Access-IT project seeks to address the competence gap on accessible tourism amomg SMEs in the toursm sector by offering a comprehensive training in the fields of accessible tourism, innovation and sustainable development of Natural and Rural Areas (NRAs).

The overall objective of the project is to build capacity of EU tourism SMEs operating in NRAs to bridge accessibility gaps through stakeholder co-design of innovative solutions for tourism products for customers with specific access requirements.

Specific objectives are:

Identify the determinants of tourism accessibility in NRAs
Develop case studies of accessible tourism in NRAs, utilising video and other methods for capturing and recording access improvements and first-hand user experiences
Provide hands-on business support and guidance, advancing the innovation capability of tourism SMEs for the development of accessible tourism products in cooperation with key stakeholders
Create a solid foundation for usability and transferability of the project outputs to a wider audience of stakeholders
Increase awareness of business opportunities in the accessible tourism market among EU tourism SMEs operating in NRAs.

Approach

The project utilises life-cycle methodology, which defines a sequence of activities for planning, executing and disseminating project results.

During the project lifetime, the following intellectual outputs will be developed:

O1 Mapping report on determinants of tourism accessibility in NRAs, based on a genuine research into accessibility barriers and accessibility improvement challenges experienced by tourism SMEs;
O2 Video case studies of accessible tourism, based on interviews with tourism SMEs that implemented innovative solutions for improving accessibility of their products/services, and managed to commercialize their new or improved offers;
O3 Interactive business support toolkit, including “How to” guidelines for undertaking strategic approach to innovation in the development of accessible tourism products, web-based accessibility performance appraisal tool, and scenarios for co-design sessions;
O4 Recommendations booklet summarizing good practices and success stories of stakeholder co- design of accessible tourism offers.

The project is targeted at: tourism SMEs operating in NRAs (owners, managers, staff), destination management bodies in NRAs, VET providers offering programmes and courses in the field of tourism, individual learners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Stakeholder co-design sessions, planned to be held within the project, will also involve people with specific access requirements.

More than 700 representatives of the project target groups and stakeholders will be directly involved in the project activities and events, such as surveys, stakeholder roundtables, training workshops and conferences. In addition, the project consortium intends to reach at least 5000 rural enterprises through targeted dissemination of the project results.

We hope new VET training delivered by the project will help managers of tourism SMEs in NRAs to develop new and better tourist offerings, thus entering an untapped market of accessible tourism and stimulating growth of their businesses. This will eventually benefit tourists with access requirements, who will be able to participate in а much larger number of leisure activities. This will also lead to improved social inclusion and growth of the local and regional economies in turn, bringing heightened wellbeing for persons with disabilities.

Partners

SPOLECZNA AKADEMIA NAUK - University of Social Sciences, Poland (Coordinator)
UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA Spain
EUROPEAN CENTER FOR QUALITY OOD Bulgaria
EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR ACCESSIBLE TOURISM ASBL Belgium
EUROGITES - FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DE TOURISME RURAL France
MOLISE VERSO IL 2000 scrl Italy

Further information and contact

Project Manager: Aleksandra Konopka

Email: akonopka@spoleczna.pl

ERASMUS plus Key Action 2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices. KA202 - Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training.
PROJECT NUMBER 2019-1-PL01-KA202-065140

EU disclaimer:
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication and communications only reflect the view of the authors. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information contained therein.

IMPACTOUR

Ivor Ambrose — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 19:46:00 GMT

IMPACTOUR will create an innovative and easy-to-use methodology and tool to measure and assess the impact of Cultural Tourism (CT) on European economic and social development and to improve Europe’s policies and practices on CT, strengthening its role as a sustainable driving force in the growth and economic development of European regions.

The main ambition of the IMPACTOUR project is to create an innovative and easy-to-use methodology and tool to measure and assess the impact of Cultural Tourism (CT) on European economic and social development and to improve Europe’s policies and practices on CT, strengthening its role as a sustainable driving force in the growth and economic development of European regions.

CT has been recognized as one of the drivers of growth, jobs and economic development, as well intercultural understanding and social development in Europe regions and urban areas.
However, there is still a knowledge gap on methods to measure different types of CT impacts and to assess multilevel and cross-border strategies, policies and practices contribution to sustainable development.

IMPACTOUR proposes to bring together CT-related stakeholders and researchers to achieve new approaches taking advantage of the large amounts of information that confront policy-makers.By identifying and comparing quantitative/qualitative pan-European information on CT forms and promotion, and by providing quantifiable evidence of CT strategies and their effect on European regions’ development and Europeanisation, IMPACTOUR will deliver an innovative methodology and tool (combining data analytics algorithms with artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies) providing CT stakeholders with strategic guidance so that policies and practices on CT can be improved.

IMPACTOUR will encompass a sustainable ecosystem by engaging Cultural Tourism stakeholders and following a participatory approach. IMPACTOUR tools and methods will lead to reinforcing the commitment with Europe CT, increasing citizens sense of belonging, valorisation of minority cultures, strengthening of identities and Europeanisation. IMPACTOUR Methodology will be completed and tested with data coming from 15 Data Information Pilots and the IMPACTOUR tool will be validated in 5 Validation Pilots, with distinct characteristics spread around Europe.

IMPACTOUR Project Team at the Kick-Off Meeting, UNINOVA, Portugal.

Key Project Data

Project title: IMproving Sustainable Development Policies and PrActices to assess, diversify and foster Cultural TOURism in European regions and areas
The IMPACTOUR project started on 1st January 2020 and runs for 36 months until 31 December 2022.
The project has received € 2.971.250 funding from the European Commission to “create an innovative and easy-to-use methodology and tool to measure and assess the impact of Cultural Tourism”.
12 project partners, from nine EU Member States work on the project, funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (from January 2020 to December 2022).
IMPACTOUR Methodology will be completed and tested with data coming from 15 Data Information Pilots and the IMPACTOUR tool will be validated in 5 Validation Pilots, with distinct characteristics spread around Europe.
EC Grant Agreement number 870747 - IMPACTOUR - H2020 -SC6-TRANSFORMATIONS-2018-2019-2020/H2020-SC6-TRANSFORMATIONS 2019

Coordinator

UNINOVA-INSTITUTO DE DESENVOLVIMENTO DE NOVAS TECNOLOGIAS-ASSOCIACAO

Partners

FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION, Spain
TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROU, Cyprus
CULTUR VIAJES PATRIMONIO SL, Spain
INSTITUTE of BALTIC STUDIES, Estonia
CONSORZIO MATERAHUB INDUSTRIE CULTURALI E CREATIVE, Italy
EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR ACCESSIBLE TOURISM ASBL, Belgium
AGENCE DE COOPERATION INTER REGIONALE – RESEAU CHEMINS DE SAINT-JACQUES DE COMPOSTELLE, France
ASSOCIAÇÃO DE MUNICÍPIOS DA REGIÃO AUTÓNOMA DOS AÇORES, Portugal
ETTEVOTLUSE ARENDAMISE SIHTASUTUS, (Estonian Tourist Board), Estonia
TRANSROMANICA e.V., Germany
EUROPA NOSTRA, Netherlands

Contact: João Martins, Coordinator impactour_geral@uninova.pt

IMPACTOUR Project Website and IMPACTOUR Community: www.impactour.eu

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Games Without Barriers

Ivor Ambrose — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 18:00:00 GMT

A project funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ Programme, KA2 Vocational and Educational Training: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices.

Games Without Barriers is a project focused on vocational and educational training on accessible tourism related to the catering and hospitality sector, in particular.

The project is funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ Programme, KA2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices. It aims to develop new training content on accessible tourism and experiment with innovative game-based approaches and digital tools for training students in catering and hospitality schools in Bulgaria, Italy and Spain.

Project Coordinator

INCIPIT CONSULTING - Innovazione e Consulenza Integrata per il Turismo, Italy

Project Partners

CONSORZIO ITACA - Innovation tourism environment communication culture, Italy

ITACA is a consortium of companies, mainly cooperatives, working in cultural, environment, tourism and communication sectors, Italy

ENAT - European Network for Accessible Tourism non-profit Assocation, Belgium

ISTITUTO ALBERGHIERO DI ASSISI - Istituto Professionale di Stato Servizi per l’Enogastronomia e Ospitalità Alberghiera Servizi Commerciali, Italy

ESHOB - Escola Superior d’Hostaleria de Barcelona, Spain

GHEORGHE DRAGOS - Colegiul economic satu mare, Romania

WATTAJOB! - Privately held company, Italy

Associated Partner

REGIONE UMBRIA
The Regional Council of Umbria, Italy

Project Implementation Period

October 2019 to May 2022 (30 Months).

Further information

Download the Games Without Barriers brochure in PDF format from the right-hand panel.

Games Without Barrriers Website

ERASMUS+ Project Grant Agreement Identifier: 2019-IT-KA202-007450 CUP CODE G95G19000500006

Contact:

INCIPIT Consulting,  Ferriera,
Via dei Mastri, 1
06089 Torgiano  Perugia
 Tel./Fax +39 075 393 621
Email: m.minuti@incipitconsulting.it

Granting Accessible Tourism for Everyone

Ivor Ambrose — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 11:16:00 GMT

In the cross-border project GATE the collaborating Austrian and Italian partners promote barrier-free tourism for all in Alpine regions, aiming to expand the accessibility of natural heritage sites and contribute to sustainable regional development.

The project will develop and disseminate the following instruments:

Guidelines for inclusive tourism in Alpine regions,
Communication standards based on „design for all“,
Inclusive technical applications for tourism platforms and sites,
Handbook and training for practitioners,
Information material on inclusive tourism for broad dissemination.

Project Partners

At pilot sites innovative technical applications are being implemented which support site access and experiences of visitors. These include sensors for barrier-free parking spaces, multimodal mobile apps, virtual and augmented reality solutions.

In GATE Salzburg Research carries out studies on barrier-free tourism (e.g. international best practice examples, success factors and indicators), supports the monitoring and evaluation of the pilot sites, and the transfer of knowledge to allow more regional innovations for inclusive tourism.

The GATE project is co-funded by the Interreg V-A Italia-Österreich programme.

Rare & Roll: Access China and Culture

Ivor Ambrose — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:15:00 GMT

The project, wholly financed by a grant from the Booking Cares Fund awarded to Ms. Xun Ji, a young disabled Chinese woman, will provide accessible tourism information services and cultural experience opportunities for both Chinese and foreign travellers with particular access needs, while at the same time engaging professionals in the travel industry, preparing them for the new caring economy.

Background

In China, there are an estimated 83 million people with disabilities and 220 million people aged 60 or above who desire to travel as much as anyone else. Catering for people with access needs is becoming increasingly important for mainstream tourism service providers, entrepreneurs and NGOs alike.

Objectives

The project consists of:

1. An online information portal/database, available in both English and Chinese, listing providers in selected destinations that are certified to receive travelers with access needs;

2. Free and paid webinars/online courses, sharing practical accessible travel information, answering questions, and training professionals to serve clients with access needs;

3. On-site cultural experience/training workshops.

Activities

First, by providing information services and relevant content, this project will bridge the information and knowledge gap for potential travellers. We understand the habits of Chinese and overseas users and will therefore adopt appropriate strategies. For example, we will make more use of WeChat-based programmes, knowledge-sharing platforms and online payment functions in Chinese context, and blogs/online portals in an English-language context. We will work extensively with the mainstream media and local organizations, so as to reach larger audiences and communicate the ideas to more people. The result will be more people accessing the information they need to travel with confidence.

Second, we will actively engage our clients – both travellers and professionals – in our carefully-devised online and offline workshops. The workshops will be both cultural and educational. This means we will invite travellers to experience cultural and accessible activities in Chinese and overseas destinations, accompanied by invited travel professionals so each can learn from the other. We will also have specific training workshops targeting only professionals.

The project also aims to generate work opportunities for people with disabilities in the travel industry in the future.

Not all the service is free: taking advantage of current trends in China regarding paid-for courses and content, we will make the project more sustainable.

Know-how, training content and global networking in the field of accessible tourism will be provided in collaboration with the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), the world’s leading authority in accessible tourism.

Marketing, travel information and outreach will be enhanced through close collaboration with Lonely Planet, the world’s leading guidebook publisher and travel information provider.

It should be noted that 2018 is designated as the EU-China Tourism Year. The project will receive the attention of both countries through ENAT’s contacts with the European Commission and contacts in China.

Project Deliverables

A bi-lingual (English-Mandarin) online platform with Access China suppliers’ database, knowledge-sharing platforms, and user community/social media presence;
WeChat-based e-learning programmes for Chinese clients and user community;
European Accessible Tourism Study Tour to Madrid, Spain, for Chinese Overseas Tour Operators;
On-site workshops with local communities in China, targeting public opinion leaders, decision makers, business actors and NGO stakeholders.

Download this Project Description in PDF format from the right-hand panel.

Ms. Xun Ji – Profile and Partnerships

Xun Ji in the Moroccan desert. Photo: Rare & Roll

As a Chinese woman with a disability, Xun Ji is always keen to explore the world. However, due to her physical limitations and the stigma of disability, her journey turned out to be full of challenges and setbacks. Despite all the difficulties, she spared no effort to apply for scholarships to study abroad and gained the very first opportunities to travel abroad on educational programmes. Academic success not only renders her great creative and critical thinking skills, but also resilience and perseverance, which she considers as the most important qualities in achieving success.

Xun shares her experience in social media and she always proactively pitches posts to more influential media. Xun was not only covered by some famous domestic media like FT and Vice - she has also made herself part of their creative team as a special reporter. Her work with the media expands her network and raises her visibility, so she is often invited to blog trips and to speak at conferences held across the world. This is how Xun made herself a world traveller. Her strong skills in PR and communications will be a great asset to the project.

Xun has been invited to speak at several EU events and meetings, sharing her experience as a disabled Chinese traveller in Europe, and has built an extensive network across private and public sectors in both China and Europe.

Xun Ji works with Lonely Planet as a translator of their guides into Chinese, as well as a contributor to their Accessible Travel Phrasebook. She has also worked as a copywriter and translator with Global Blue, providing information services to Chinese travelers coming to Europe. Xun has mainly worked with the media industry and she advocates to make stories of people with special needs available in the mainstream Chinese media. Xun writes for some famous media in China, such as FT China, Vice China, Caixin, NetEase and Tencent, and she now serves as the columnist in accessible tourism for Vice China. Xun also blogs about accessible tourism and has over 4000 followers in social media.

Xun Ji with Fotis Vatikiotis (EWORX), Ivor Ambrose (ENAT) and Stefanos Patelis (EWORX) at the first team meeting in Athens, Greece, May 2018.

Xun Ji is the ENAT Contact Point for China and works with ENAT as the partnership specialist for this new project. ENAT manages the Pantou Directory (https://pantou.org/), which identifies accessible tourism suppliers around the world and provides customers with a user-friendly platform to access these resources. The technical team at EWORX S.A. which maintains Pantou, provides the project with technical support for digital platforms and design.

Related item: ENAT News, 6th May 2018

Follow Rare and Roll on Facebook

In Chinese: RarenRoll.com

Contact Rare & Roll project via the ENAT Contact Page

COME-IN! Inclusive Museums in Europe Project

Ivor Ambrose — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 09:55:00 GMT

The COME-IN! Project aims at valorizing the Central European cultural heritage, making smaller museums, accessible to a wider public of people with disabilities.

The project is funded by the Interreg Central Europe Programme of the European Union with a budget of 2.7 Million EURO.

Main objectives

COME-IN! will coordinate a multi-faceted network of museums, disability associations, academic representatives, training institutions and policy makers, that will jointly define an innovative strategic approach on how to promote the accessibility to museums - in order to make them more attractive for the public.
Transnational high-level standards will be discussed and established and know-how transfer structured.
The COME-IN! guidelines for organising an accessible collection/exhibition and the training handbook for museum operators will be elaborated and tested along its network.
Pilot actions and training to operators will be performed and their results in terms of increased visibility studied.
Based on the gained experience, an innovative promotional tool, the COME-IN! label for awarding museums complying with its accessibility standards, will be developed and initially conferred to the museums of the network.
The COME-IN! label will be promoted at transnational, national and local level, in central Europe and beyond, thus guaranteeing its sustainability and transferability.

Partners

Central European Initiative, Trieste - Italy
Civic Museum and Galleries of History and Art, Udine - Italy
The Regional Council of Associations of the People with Disabilities and their Families of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region - Italy
ACLI Vocational Training Body of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region - Italy
Maritime museum "Sergej Mašera" Piran - Slovenia
Archeological Museum of Istra - Croatia
BBRZ - Vocational Training- and Rehabilitation Centre - Austria
Archeological Museum Weimar - Germany
NETZ - Media and Society - Germany
Archaeological Museum in Krakow - Poland
Municipality of Piran - Slovenia

Further information

Visit the COME-IN! Project Website

Download the COME-IN Report on Accessibility of Museums in Central Europe

Contact

Central European Initiative
Via Genova 9
34121 Trieste, Italy
Tel: +39 0407786748
e-mail: euprojects@cei.int

SAntiago, St. BEnedict, Routes Universal - Accessible Tourism Project

Ivor Ambrose — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 20:26:20 GMT

The SABER project (“SAntiago, St. BEnedict, Routes Universal”) intends to create an accessible tourism offer by improving facilities and services along two existing itineraries of EU relevance: the “Way of St. James” in Spain, the most popular pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, and the “St. Benedict Way” in Italy, a route linking the most important places related to the life of Saint Benedict from Norcia, the patron saint of Europe. The tourism product proposed will be based both on cultural heritage and on sports/outdoor activities since the two itineraries are routes of spiritual, cultural and historical relevance and they represent an attraction for lovers of hiking and cycling experiences. The tourism product will be designed in order to make the pilgrimage experience “universal” along routes that are part of the common European cultural and natural heritage.

Main objectives

The overall objective of the project is to develop a qualified tourism offer based on the “Tourism for all” principle, along the two pilgrimage routes. It will be reached by the following sub-objectives:

to improve awareness, skills and training of both public and private tourism service providers in order to remove physical and environmental barriers and to have people with permanent/temporary impairment enjoy their travelling experience;
to develop a diversified transnational tourism offer, based on the “Tourism for All” principle and on a “slow tourism” model, valorizing the tangible and intangible heritage existing along pilgrimage routes of EU relevance;
to establish and enhance the cooperation among public/private tourism service providers at local, regional and transnational level, in order to improve the overall quality of the tourism offer, in all segments of the tourism supply chain, and transform each destination in an “accessible environment”;
to increase the competitiveness of local service providers and stimulate the creation of new services for different segments of the tourism market;
to develop a transnational communication and brand strategy in order to increase the visibility and attractiveness of the tourism product as a travel experience addressed to all people, not only to people with disabilities.

Expected results

A complete mapping of all (un)accessible resources (trails, services, facilities, etc.) and barriers existing along the routes in Italy and Spain;
Training of public/private tourism service providers;
A Chart of Accessible Tourism signed by local private and public stakeholders;
Design of an accessible tourism offer and development of adapted destination packages.

Activities dedicated to local stakeholders

Training courses on accessible tourism opportunities and accessibility requirements addressed to tourism service providers;
Organization of Round Tables with local stakeholders (chambers of commerce, municipalities, local associations, professional associations, SMEs, etc) in order to define a Chart of the Accessible Tourism Offer and an Action Plan for overcoming existing barriers;

Regional Conferences to discuss project activities, exchange best practices and experiences.

Contact: info@openuproutes.eu

The “SA.Ber Universal” project was funded under the Call for proposals “Supporting Competitive and Sustainable Growth in the Tourism Sector” of the COSME EU Programme.

“OpenUpRoutes!” is our brand and invitation to make trails and routes more inclusive and universal, thus everyone, with permanent or temporary impairment, can enjoy tourism experiences along cultural and natural routes.

TAD - The Ability Advisor

Ivor Ambrose — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 15:58:00 GMT

TAD is a project funded by the European Union Erasmus+ programme under Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, (KA202 Strategic Partnerships for Vocational Education and Training), addressing accessible tourism.

The project aims to contribute to making Europe a truly accessible destination for all visitors by training professionals in the tourism and hospitality sector through a work-based learning approach, looking at the issue from a new point of view.

TAD will prepare, test and introduce the professional profile of an "Ability Advisor" whose mission and acquired knowledge and skills will help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism field to develop their business and improve their services to the accessible tourism market. To enhance access to training and qualifications for all, the project output will be released as an Open Educational Resource and will be widely disseminated among VET providers and other stakeholders, both at local, national and European levels.

Objectives

Accessibility skills such as proper etiquette or understanding assistive methods and technology will be taught, as well as the strategic understanding of accessibility and Design for All, by working on accessibility assessments, inspections, consultations and audits, where external consultants help to analyse and inform managers how accessibility can be integrated in their existing businesses. Accessibility assessments and analysis are considered powerful training tools which induce businesses to become more aware of the strengths and weaknesses in their tourism offerings.

The TAD project will develop two major "Intellectual Outputs":

IO1 - the implementation of a SMEs' tourism services database at local and regional levels; a mapping of 30 SMEs operating in the sector aimed to evaluate how accessibility can be integrated in their existing businesses and how the Ability Advisor can effectively operate within this category of companies; a detailed report on VET offer at local and regional level;
IO2 - development of a training course providing skills to VET learners or graduates aged 20 to 35 to start a self-employed activity as external consultants or be employed as internal service provider or consultant able to carry out accessibility assessments, inspections, consultations and audits to analyse and inform SMEs managers and owners how accessibility can be integrated in their businesses.

To ensure the high quality and relevance of the course contents, the training will actively involve people representing associations of and for people with disabilities and trainers with expertise in this field and will include a "Work Based Learning" (WBL) phase involving the above mentioned SMEs.

Results

Expected results include

a database of SMEs tourism services at local and regional level;
a mapping of 30 SMEs operating in the tourism sector at local and regional level
a report on VET offers at local and regional level in the field of accessible tourism
a course on accessibility tourism services for a new profile - the Ability Advisor
a detailed accessibility map of the above mentioned SMEs as result of the course WBL phase
a guide for trainers to the delivery of the course
a platform on which the course will be available, after its testing phase, both for VET providers and people as an OER
a Memorandum of Understanding between VET and business: a network of private and public actors to support the project continuation
a short guide for the Multiplier Events management.

Through this approach, the project is going to: generate new job opportunities for trained people; tackle the topic through a cross-sectoral approach matching the needs of VET providers and SMEs with special attention being given to people with disabilities; develop a cross-sectoral partnership to look at the topic from a European perspective reinforcing the partners’ existing networks. The needs the project intends to fulfill are strictly related to the target group identified and to the key stakeholders' needs: VET providers, SMEs in the tourism field, public bodies in the fields of education, labour market, social policy.

The outputs of the TAD project are published as "Open Educational Resources" (OER) which are free to use, according to the ERASMUS+ OER requirement for exploitation of Community VET results.

Download the TAD Newsletters from the right-hand panel in PDF format

Visit the TAD Website

Visit the TAD E-Learning Platform

Follow TAD on FaceBook

Project coordinator:

Public institution Panevezys Labour Market Training Centre - Lithuania
Public institution Panevezys Labour Market Training Centre was founded in 1952. It offers modern vocational training and high quality services both to people and to companies. The Training Centre collaborates with Labour Exchange and business organisations and trains unemployed people, sent by territorial Labour Exchanges, as well as employees sent by employers and persons who come to learn on their own initiative. The organisation is certified by Quality Management Certificate ISO 9001:2008 (LST EN ISO9001:2008).
Website: www.paneveziodrmc.lt

Project partners:

European Network for Accessible Tourism non-profit association - Belgium
ENAT is an association which promotes accessibility to tourism for all citizens, in Europe and around the world. ENAT began as an EU-funded pilot project for “mainstreaming disability policies” in 2006-2007 and became a non-profit association based in Belgium in 2008. It is led by an international Board of Directors and has a multi-stakeholder membership of about 100 organisations, comprising both tourism suppliers, public authorities in the tourism sector, researchers, profesisonals and consumer organisations. ENAT's activities include research studies, destination managment and development, delivery of training programmes, information and dissemination, organisation of conferences and events, policy development, support to its Members and consulting services to public and private sector organisations.
Website: www.accessibletourism.org

Bluebook s.r.l. - Italy
Bluebook s.r.l. is a SME communication agency, with a special expertise in social communication and education. At the core of our culture are the values of quality, integrity, respect, entrepreneurial spirit, mutual benefits and citizenship. We imagine a world in which work and knowledge are an opportunity for personal growth and economic development, and we have been working for about 16 years to realize this idea, through projects and initiatives that help enterprises, organisations and people to improve their abilities and skills, to relate to each other, to solve their problems and to communicate to the world in an effective and respectful way.
Website: www.bluebook.it

ENGIM, Piemonte Vocational Training Organisation - Italy
ENGIM Piemonte is a vocational training organisation located in Turin, in the north west of Italy. Its main actions have always been devoted to young people and their initial vocational training as it started its activities in the late nineteenth century but, since 2005 a lot of actions have been developed also in the field of vocational training in a broader sense. There are different kinds of courses for several target groups, including: migrants, unemployed people, companies and local authorities.
Website: www.engim.it
Tecminho private non-profit organisation - Portugal
TecMinho is a certified training organisation accredited by DGERT (Portuguese Directorate-General for Employment and Work Relations), founded in 1990 as an interface of the University of Minho. We are a private non-profit organisation located in Guimarães, Portugal (northern region), aiming to promote the region’s development by stimulating new technologies and by promoting the transfer of knowledge between the University, enterprises and society. Our main purpose is to support services in the fields of innovation and new technologies and deliver continuous, advanced and specialised training and strategic information.
Website: www.tecminho.uminho.pt

Contact: Mrs. Vaida Sinkevičienė, Project Specialist, Email: projektai@paneveziodrmc.lt

Project Identifier: Project no. 2017-1-LT01-KA202-035218
Project Title: The Ability Advisor: Improving the tourism for all market by VET (abbreviated “TAD”)
Funding scheme: ERASMUS+ Programme “Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices”.
Project implementation period: From 01/9/2017 to 31/12/2019 (28 months).

This webpage reflects the views only of the authors, and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
ENAT is not responsible for external Websites linked from this page.

Panevezys Labour Market Training Centre was awarded for TAD as the highest quality project in VET sector in Lithuania at a public ceremony in September 2020.

Page last updated: 30.09.2020

Visits4u. Capacity Building Project Aiming to Improve Inclusive Tourism Provision

Ivor Ambrose — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 07:00:00 GMT

An 18-month, EU-funded COSME project that aims to develop and deliver inclusive tourism training and capacity building to improve user experience and sustain inclusive design in tourism.

Visits4u is an 18 month project that aims to develop and deliver inclusive tourism training and capacity building to improve user experience and sustain inclusive design in tourism.

The rationale behind the project derives from relevant research and developments across Europe showing that staff attitude is ranked as a key factor for an enjoyable experience. The quality and availability of the right information to visitors are both considered equally important.

Visits4u has, therefore, aimed to address better customer satisfaction under the inclusive tourism narrative, focusing on enhancing staff skills and improving information accessibility (such as through provision of information in Sign Language and Easy Read). This has been implemented through training, seminars for local tourism companies and development of toolkits (case studies and an online modules) to help embed inclusive practices in the field.

Work packages

The action is structured in four Work Packages:

1. Capacity Building

This is the pillar of visits4u; it will include tailored training for partners and local tourism industry staff, entrepreneurs and SMEs and mentoring support to partners by the Coordinator. This package includes the development of a training module on inclusive tourism that will be tested by the respective partners in Italy and Bulgaria.

2. Research and Itinerary Design

Partners will map the current state of provision for the proposed itineraries in detail and present an updated profile of accessibility and tourism in their region. The proposed itineraries will be assessed by an Access professional from the UK.

3. Product Development and Implementation

This will include development of tourism packages in three partner countries (Greece, Latvia, Spain) based on two themes: modern art and history. Eventually information on these products will also be made available in Sign Language and Easy Read formats.

4. Dissemination and Evaluation

The last work package will entail actual promotion of the tourist products and sharing of the project results at the final conference in Latvia.

Partners intend to create links with current cross-European initiatives – such as ENAT, the European Network for Accessible Tourism and PANTOU, the cross-European accessible tourism services directory – to reinforce the legacy of visits4u and lead to more potential synergies in the future.

Project Information

visits4u is co-funded by the COSME Programme of the European Union.

Call: COS – TOUR – 2015 – 3 – 04 – 1
Project number: 699484
Start/End dates: July 2016 – December 2017

For more details go to the project website: www.visits4u.eu

Consortium

Centre for Accessible Environments, UK (Coordinator)
The Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) has been a leading UK authority on inclusive design for over 40 years. CAE pioneered the provision of access guidance for building designers based on collaborative research with disabled people and has developed the case for designing for disabled people in the context of mainstream inclusive design. Today, CAE offers specialist advice, training and guidance to help others make environments and services more accessible. CAE adopts a pan-disability, inclusive approach, which considers physical, sensory and intellectual access.
www.cae.org.uk

Asklipiades South Aegean Regional Social Protection and Solidarity Network, Greece
A newly established social enterprise based on the island of Rhodes (South Greece) actively involved in accessible tourism through accessible transport and equipment hire services to disabled tourists. Their remit is to contribute to making Rhodes an ideal and safe destination for anyone, particularly for disabled people and their companions. They are part of a new stream of social cooperative businesses in the country. Aklipiades are aware that many tourist sites on the island present access barriers (eg. archaeological sites, medieval city) and are therefore committed to improving communication channels and people’s skills to offer an enjoyable experience to visitors on the island
www.pwdservices.gr

DomSpain Consulting Ltd., Spain
DomSpain is an adult training and development organization working on a national and a European level, working primarily with disabled and elderly people. They have experience in developing tourism related activities at 6 adult education centres of the Tarragona province, with more than 1200 students each academic year. Through their networks and partnerships they have increased understanding of accessibility issues and the need for offering a safe and enjoyable tourist experience for all.
www.domspain.eu

Istituto dei Sordi di Torino, Italy
The Turin Institution for the Deaf is a two centuries old institution, based in north west of Italy, specializing on training and educational services for deaf people from childhood to adulthood. They have been running projects on deaf awareness and inclusion, particularly in museums and cultural organizations in Italy, whilst they have wide experience in cross-European projects that promote access for deaf people.
www.istitutosorditorino.org

Municipality of Rhodes (Dimos Rodou), Greece
Rhodes is a tourist destination on the South East Aegean Sea. The Municipality has recently adopted a new policy and strategies to modernize the approach to tourism marketing. A principal aim of this policy is to create a new ‘inclusive’ tourism profile for the island that will include single full-service and public - private partnerships. It therefore actively encourages SMEs in the tourism sector to collaborate and partner with the local authority to improve and expand the scope of Rhodes tourism market.
www.rhodes.gr

Nikanor LTD, Bulgaria
Nikanor is a vocational training center, specializing on training personnel for the tourism sector. Accession to the European Union has made short-term tourism courses more popular comparing to long-term ones in Bulgaria. Nikanor stands right at this point in the industry offering a variety of short courses in tourism. Over the past five years, they have run courses for unemployed young people and disabled people. One of their primary goals for the future is to strategically develop and expand their expertise in tourism education.
www.nikanor.bg

Nodibinajums Invalidu un Vinu Draugu Apvieniba Apeirons, Latvia
‘Apeirons’ is a disabled-led organisation of people with disabilities and their friends. Their primary aim is to raise awareness on universal design in the built environment and services. They are actively supporting arts and cultural organisations and business on what they can do to improve their inclusive practices.
www.apeirons.lv

Study: Transport and Tourism for Persons with Disabilities and Persons with Reduced Mobility

Ivor Ambrose — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:51:00 GMT

A Study commissioned by the European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies DG Internal Policies, Directorate B, carried out by CERTH (Greece) with sub-contractors: European Disability Forum (EDF) and European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT).

The European Parliament's Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies DG Internal Policies, Directorate B has commissioned a research study on “Transport and tourism for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility”.

The scope of the study includes the state of play of accessibility in EU Member States of both transport services (local and long-distance) and tourist destinations for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (PRMs).

The resulting report should also analyse the accessibility of interconnecting platforms (multimodal stations) for the above group of passengers, as well as tourist events, venues and accommodations.

Partners

Contractor: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas / Hellenic Institute of Transport - CERTH, (Greece)

Sub-contractors: European Disability Forum (EDF) and European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT).

Start: July 2017
Finish: April 2018

Contact: certh@certh.gr

Results

Go to the ENAT Publications page to download the Main Report of the study, May 2018, and a link to the Annexes.

Project ITACA. Accessible and Open Tourism Itineraries

Ivor Ambrose — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:12:43 GMT

Project ITACA intends to enhance an idea of innovative and sustainable tourism by promoting accessibility for all citizens as a qualifying value of competitiveness and inclusivity for companies and territories, through the implementation of development initiatives for eco-tourism products, as an identification tool assigned to operators in the tourism hotel, crafts and food sector involved in a pathway of quality and sustainability.

Funding Programme: 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Italy - France (Maritime)

Web: http://interreg-maritime.eu/

Thematics: SME and Entrepreneurship, Tourism
Specific Objective: Increased international competitiveness of micro and small businesses in the cross border priority sectors linked to green and blue growth.
Thematic Objective: (3) enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs by:
Investment Priority: (3d) supporting the capacity of SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets, and to engage in innovation processes

Project Summary

Project name (EN): Accessible and Open Tourism Itineraries
Project name: Itinerari Turistici ACcessibili e Aperti
Project acronym: ITACA

Project start date: 2017-01-01
Project end date: 2019-01-01
Project status: Ongoing

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1.378.700,00
European Union funding: EUR 1.171.895,00

Partners

Lead Partner: Società della Salute di Pisa
Address: Pisa, Italy
Legal status: public

Confcommercio La Spezia
Address: La Spezia, Italy
Legal status: private

Office Municipal du Tourisme de la Ville d’Ajaccio
Address: Ajaccio, France
Legal status: public

Radio Monte Serra s.r.l. - radio Toscana
Address: Grosseto, Italy
Legal status: private

RCF Méditerraneé
Address: Toulon, France
Legal status: private

Regione Sardegna
Address: Cagliari, Italy
Legal status: public

Cooperativa Sociale Cellarius
Address: Cagliari, Italy
Legal status: private

Further information: KEEP projects database
Project Website: (Pending)

Zero Project - Practice and Policy on the Theme of Accessibility, 2018

Ivor Ambrose — Fri, 26 May 2017 17:45:00 GMT

The Zero Project, an initiative of the Essl Foundation, focuses on the rights of persons with disabilities globally. It provides a platform where the most innovative and effective solutions to problems that persons with disabilities face, are shared. Its sole objective is to assist in creating a world without barriers. We take a solutions-based approach to our work.

Vision and Mission Statement

Its sole objective is to assist in creating a world without barriers. We take a solutions-based approach to our work.

Together with our continuously growing network of over 3,000 disability experts in over 150 countries, we seek to identify the most innovative and effective Policies & Practices that improve the lives of persons with disabilities. And we tell the world about those Policies & Practices.

Each year we focus our research on a particular theme from the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UN CRPD). We publish a report based on this theme and organize a conference around its results. Held at the UN in Vienna this event typically brings together over 400 delegates from more than 50 countries.

The annual Zero Project Report presents the Policies & Practices that have been selected as the most innovative in their approach to that year’s theme. It also evaluates just how the UN CRPD is being implemented around the world. For this we created Social Indicators.

At our conference, those behind the innovative Policies & Practices present their solutions to their peers involved in the world of disabilities, including stakeholders, government ministers and other key influencers. They also receive an award for the incredible work they have done, helping them to raise their profile, network and to inspire others.

Keynote speakers and other experts discuss, in both plenary sessions and workshops, issues surrounding that year’s theme and how those Practices & Policies could be best transferred elsewhere.

2018 Theme: Accessibility

There are 4 subgroups on the subject of accessibility defined by the UNCRPD. Nominations may work towards creating universal accessibility but may also work only to support one group of persons with disabilities. Nominations that support accessibility measures for people with multiple and severe disabilities are welcome, as well as for those constraints that are often neglected, like color-blindness, severe allergies, leprosies and others.

1. Built Environment

Planning and construction of all sorts. Basic elements include entrances, orientation systems, information system (technology), restrooms, bathrooms, etc.
Building and designing accessible public spaces: government buildings, halls, monuments, shopping and entertainment facilities, hospitals, general practitioners, pharmacies, conference venues, parks, playgrounds, public restrooms etc.
Building and designing equipment, orientation and information systems, devices, apps and software that can be used to make the built environment more accessible

ATTENTION: Designing and building private homes and apartments will be considered next year under the topic of Independent Living!

2. Infrastructure

Public transport systems (busses, trains, trams, shared taxis, taxis, underground systems), pathways, sidewalks,
Public utilities like energy, water, sanitation (e.g. accessible usability, service providing, information and billing policies)
Building and designing equipment, orientation and information systems, devices, apps and software that contribute to the accessibility of public infrastructure

3. ICT – Information and Communication Technology

All forms of telecommunication: speech, text messaging, social media, internet and data
Access to data and files, like word and data processing, cloud technologies, pdf, the World Wide Web etc.,
Automated, semi-automated or affordable text to speech, speech to text, speech to sign language, text to easy-to-read language etc.
Devices, like smartphones, notebooks, tablets, wearables

4. Products and Services

All products and services that improve the mobility of persons with disabilities, improves their ability to get access to all products and services, including purchasing and delivery, product information, billing processes etc.
All assistive technologies and services will be considered.

Furthermore, we have defined 5 additional important themes from which Innovative Practices are especially welcome.

5. Urban Development

Urban planning making cities and public spaces more accessible,
Where urban planners work jointly with other stakeholders to create new accessible urban environments or improve the existing built environment, infrastructure and public services,
Based on joint initiatives of public and private sector, professional and all stakeholders, including those with disabilities.

6. Tourism

This includes the entire travel-chain from leaving home to reaching the desired destination and back, or elements of it, like accessible hotels or information systems.
Especially collaborations between different stakeholders (hotels, public infrastructure providers, urban planners, technology partners, travel agencies etc.) are highly welcome.

7. Museum and Arts

This includes all activities to make theatres, concert venues, museums and all forms of art (the visual arts but also music, literature, theatre productions etc.) more accessible to all.

8. Emergency and disaster recovery

Creating evacuation and other inclusive emergency systems that are accessible for all.
Evacuation and Disaster relief include emergencies after earthquakes, electricity blackouts, major accidents and explosions, floods, hurricanes/cyclones, and all man-made situations like war, civil war, refugee situations etc.

9. Workplace adaption

This includes all measures that make workplaces more accessible.

Nominations for 2018 opened on 24 May 2017.

Nominations are open for policies and practices on the theme of accessibility

Go to the Zero Project nominations page for full details of how to register and enter your nomination.