Events in Belgium
The Multiplier Event took place on 5 December in Brussels. It concerned our key project „VIP and new technologies: easy access to job market”, which aims to support people with visual impairments in the labour market. Therefore, products related to the project allow to improve the soft skills of users and their links with employers in a more direct way so that job search is easier.
The event took place at the European Parliament, thanks to MEP Dragos Pislaru, who supported our project, for which we are very grateful. The opportunity to present the results of work on the project in a place such as the European Parliament has certainly allowed us to reach a greater number of people. This is a very important aspect because we want to involve as many VIPs as possible.
What did we hear at that meeting? This was the last ME related to the Vip-tech-job project, so we received a lot of information about it. The whole meeting was started by MEP Dragos Pislaru, who initially presented the problem of VIP on the labor market. Then Anca David (from VIEWS) gave a general overview of the project, with a focus on the main aims which are: increasing VIP skills and helping them to enter the labour market. Then Frasco Hurtado, from FDO, presented how the website looks like, how it works and what tools it has to help VIPs find a job. We could also hear the opinion of young user, who tested the platform and Web App during the project.
We also had the opportunity to hear some testimonials from persons who were struggling to find a job as visually impaired people.
This made it possible to understand much better why this project is needed, because people with visual impairments, despite their willingness to work, face major challenges. Rok Vukcevic (from Aforisma) and Elena Weber (from Istittuto Ritmeyer) shared their thoughts about the project. We also heard an extensive statement from EPSO representatives in which they declared their willingness to cooperate and described their experiences related with problems of VIP on the European job market. Then there was the general debate, which brought many useful conclusions.
After about two hours the event was over. It was not the end of the activity for the participants, however, because the guests had time to visit Brussels, buy souvenirs and visit the places for which the capital of Belgium is famous. After all, it was time to return to Liege and everyone gathered at the railway station to come back together. The day ended with a nice meal in one of the restaurants in the centre of Liege.
After eating we had to go to hotels to be prepared for the next day’s Transnational Meeting (TNM) which started next morning, where we could discuss the effects of two years cooperation among the members of the project.
Here you can find project products:
–Web App
–Training platfrom
Event in Florence, Italy
Our Multiplier Event in Florence was held at Circolo Baragli, which is a recreation and cultural center property of the Italian Blind Union, on 11th October.
During the conference, project partners AFORISMA and Istituto Rittmeyer presented the VIP TECH JOB project and other Erasmus+ and national projects they’re involved in.
Project participants Gianluca Apollaro and Alessia Mereu presented the intellectual outputs and explained their LTTA experiences in Belgium and Spain.
Istituto Rittmeyer’s President Hubert Perfler talked to the conference participants about recent development in Italian and international law regarding supported employment for blind and visually impaired people, as well as his own personal and professional experience.
Event in Trieste, Italy
VIP-TECH-JOB aims to empower young visually impaired persons in their request to find a job through social media and prepare them for a job interview via online and offline trainings.
Currently more than 70% of young visually impaired population in Europe is unemployed and we observed that in spite of having studied, the majority of them do not find a proper qualification.
During the last two years, the partners of the Erasmus+ Project VipTechJob have organized various events to share the results reached in each phase of the project, as well as to increase the general awareness about the possibility to make our society more inclusive and supportive with young persons with visual impairment by using new adapted technologies.
The Italian partners, Regional Institute Rittmeyer for the Blind of Trieste and Soc. Coop. Aforisma of Pisa, on the 11th of October 2019, organized two different Multipliers Events to promote and publicize the project and its aims. In the morning took place a conference in Florence, while in the evening we organized in Trieste a Dinner in the Dark. This particular event took place in a completely darkened room, set up specifically for the occasion and it was made possible exclusively thanks to visually impaired waiters, who assisted guests in rediscovering the value of the four vicarious senses: touch, taste, smell and hearing.
That was an evening with a high sensorial and emotional impact where a daily gesture like being at the table became a convivial, fun and stimulating opportunity to get to know each other and share the normality of tasting the dishes with all the senses except the sight.
It was a very important way to increase citizens’ awareness of the condition of visually impaired people.