34 educational institutions from 22 cities across Croatia are equipped with assistive technology, i.e. hardware and software aids for working with children with developmental disabilities. It is about computers, mobile phones, electronic devices and non-technological solutions and aids for encouraging, maintaining and improving functional abilities and increasing the quality of life of children with developmental disabilities.
All this was achieved as part of CARNET’s ATTEND project, the results of which were presented at the final conference on Thursday, April 24. The implementation of the ATTEND project started on July 1, 2021, and the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation of the University of Zagreb (ERF), the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Zagreb (FER) and the City Reykjavik as project partners.
Assistive technology has a wide application and is not only related to education butć and in addition to the activities of everyday life, so in addition to the equipment, the directors and employees of the aforementioned institutions were provided with numerous trainings in order to implement the new equipment as efficiently as possible in working with children.
Find out more about the ATTEND project at: https://www.carnet.hr/projekt/attend/
As part of the project, 5,686 pieces of assistive technology equipment were delivered to the institutions. used by more than 1750 students. 75 workshops were organized for more than 1450 participants, five webinars and an e-course completed by 1152 participants.
ERF and FER implemented education, training and capacity building of employees of educational institutions that participated in the project, and with educational support, a new Laboratory for Assistive Technology (AT Lab) was established at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, and the existing Laboratory for assisted communication. Faculties also participated in the creation of the catalog of assistive equipment that was purchased as part of the project, and FER also created a serious game including ATTENDLY.
The Department of Education and Youth of the City of Reykjavik organized trainings and examples of good practice for Croatian directors and employees of educational institutions and introduced them to institutional frameworks, financing models, methods of professional assistance for parents in Iceland and other forms of support. education of children with developmental disabilities.
The project was implemented as part of the Local Development and Poverty Reduction program and was 85% co-financed from the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area, while the remaining part was financed from the state budget.