Help desk on the use of technologies for the scholastic integration of diversely-enabled students at Roman schools
In 2006, the Foundation implemented a pilot action focused on improving access by schools to healthcare assistance technology. The action was known as “Punto Acca”(The “H” Point) and is distinguished by two complementary elements.
The first element consists in the creation of a reference point for schools that resembles a “call center” and offers a point of reference for the identification of the healthcare assistance technology most appropriate to promoting the scholastic integration of diversely-enabled students. Collaboration with the Leonardo Vaccari Institute in Rome has assumed fundamental importance because this organization possesses a “catalog” (Ausilioteca) of healthcare assistance technologies (with particular regard to learning impairment) and provides a point of reference all through the national health system for diversely-enabled people and their families. Punto Acca, instead, is the point of reference oriented to the school system.
The second “H” Point element is training. Teachers are informed of the healthcare assistance technologies available that can promote the scholastic integration of diversely-enabled students.
In 2005, in collaboration with Istituto dei Sordi (an institute for the deaf) that kindly supplied the trainers, FMD organized a seminar for teachers (special needs support teachers) and a sign language seminar during activities in its “Education Week” program. After that, FMD and Campus Biomedico created a course for teachers of healthcare assistance technology available for different types of impairment attended by 62 teachers and companies producing healthcare assistance technology. The course was piloted and evaluated in 2005.
Help desk for schools
The experimental help desk project in the use of technologies for the integration of diversely-enabled students at schools in Rome is part of the constant commitment to ensure global integration that first began as the Coordinator of the International Auxilia Project (A European Environment for the Integration of Diversely-enabled Youth in Education, auxilia.e-inclusionsite.org) co-funded by the European Commission during the European Year of People with Disabilities, and then after the signature of the letter of intent between the City of Rome, Consorzio Gioventù Digitale, Università Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, and Campus Biomedico for the promotion of the scholastic integration of students in this condition.
Punto Acca serves as an initial point of contact for schools that have problems in integrating diversely-enabled students that might be helped by the use of new technologies. The schools report their problems through the help-desk, which then contacts the network of experts and consultants – partners of Consorzio Gioventù Digitale – who find the best solution to the problem.
Punto Acca tools for schools:
- dedicated telephone number (06 42014109) to report problems
- dedicated e-mail address (helpdesk@mondodigitale.org)
- archives of school experiences
- network of experts and consultants in the field of disability and learning impairment