"<< Background >>BASIC IDEA.People with intellectual disabilities are discriminated and marginalised. Covid 19 has worsened their condition and their digital exclusion is even more evident.The e-learning course about health and safety at work, developed thanks to this proposal, will help them to get basic skills at home or at the training centre with their tutors, with or without pandemic crisis. In this way, they will increase their employability also with a facilitated access as trainees or workers in the hospitality companies of the Valueable network, which is proposed as the already consolidated framework of the testing activities, with internships duly prepared and managed. The e-learning course will be included in the set of tools aimed at supporting a successful job inclusion.CONTEXT.A hard situation which risks to get worse because of the pandemic.THE TARGET GROUP: PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (ID)a) People with disabilities account for 10-12% of the world's population.b) 0,1% of European citizens (740.000) are now living with ID.c) Prevalence of people with Down Syndrome (Ds), commonest (15-20%) identifiable cause of ID, is 1/2000: 370.000, in Europe. Their average life expectancy has increased; it is now around 60.THE RIGHT TO VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND TO WORK.People with ID face a much higher unemployment rate than the rate applied to the general population.The right to work is getting crucial to ensure their independent living and self-determination.Furthermore, the vast majority has never experienced any form of vocational training and this is an extra limit to their access to the labour market.SAFETY AT WORK.The lack of adequate training on health and safety could be used as an excuse to justify discrimination against people with disabilities. There are no health and safety regulations specific to people with disabilities .DIGITAL EDUCATION.Training systems for people with ID are not equipped to face the challenges presented by the shift to online and distance learning, as it is happening very fast across Europe, also due to COVID-19.RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH ID IN THE COVID-19 CRISIS.The EU Parliament resolution (July 2020) highlights how the COVID-19 has shown that inclusive education is not yet a reality, in particular with regard to accessible digital and innovative technologies and distance-learning applications.Lock down greatly affected the mental health of persons with ID and their relatives, which requests measures adapted to their needs to ensure their well-being and independent living and not to become further isolated.NEEDS.When employed, workers with ID are among the most vulnerable. There are almost no examples of Health and safety training being provided to workers with ID in a manner they can understand.Vocational training for people with ID has been carried out exclusively through face to face or on the spot activities. The lock-down period has highlighted how the time ""suspended"" both in training and at work could be quickly turned into digital mode. However, people with ID have been struggling to cope with the poor or total lack of accessibility to digital education, particularly in vocational training.<< Objectives >>OVERALL OBJECTIVE:Promoting the social and professional inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities especially- but not only - in hard times of pandemic, when they risk to be further marginalised.PURPOSE:Enhancing the access of at least 84 European trainees/workers with ID to VET and employment in the hospitality sector, through a tailored and digitalised vocational training spread by the Valueablenetwork.<< Implementation >>ACTIVITIES.Design and development of e-learning course on “Health and safety at work” for (potential) workers with ID.Field testing of the e-learning course by trainees/workers with ID, who will have internships at Valueable hospitality companies on a local level and abroad.METHODS.1) Development of the PROJECT RESULTt: background analysis, design of the prototype and presentation at the meeting of the partnership, development of the prototype, field testing (limited within thepartnership) and its evaluation, extended testing.2) TESTING through internships and work experiences of people with ID at local level and abroad, in hospitality companies, with decreasing tutorship.3) VOCATIONAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES which: a) deploy digital tools and methods to deliver quality and inclusive education (e-learning course); b) incorporate digital online technology into subjectspecific(health and safety at work) training and work-based learning.4) Use of easy-to-understand (ETU) resources for people with ID. English ETU contents of the e-learning course will be analysed through the ""Flesch Index"", a specific software, tomeasure contents readability, usability and accessibility.<< Results >>PROJECT RESULT:The digital “Health and safety at work” course, in ETU format, in 8 languages (English-master, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Croatian, Turkish), tested by at least 84 people with ID (12 people with ID per VET provider) from 7 European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Turkey).OUTCOMES AND IMPACT:People with ID:a) increased empowermentb) increased digital skillsc) increased job inclusion opportunities.VET providers:a) increased competences in supporting job inclusion of ID workersb) increased digital educational skills.Hospitality companies:increased knowledge and awareness ID-related issues.POTENTIAL LONG-TERM BENEFITSa) Long-term more effective VET of people with ID.b) Long-term improvement of attitudes of different stakeholders (hospitality managers and entrepreneurs, employees and citizens in general) towardS people with ID.c) Long-term positive economic and social impacts."

"TARGET( people with disabilities)•People with disabilities account for 10-12% of the world's population.•0,1% of European citizens (740.000) are now living with Inettllectual disdabilities (ID) •Prevalence of people with Down Syndrome, commonest (15-20%) identifiable cause of ID - is 1/2000: 370.000, in Europe. Their average life expectancy has increased; it is now around 60.•The right to work is getting crucial to ensure their independent living and self-determination. People with ID face a much higher unemployment rate than the rate applied to the general population. •Furthermore, the vast majority have never experienced any form of vocational training and this is a further limit to their access to the labour market.THE VALUEABLE NETWORKThis proposal follows two Erasmus projects which have set up and developed the Valueable network , which is now present in 6 countries and counts on more than 100 member hospitality companies, that host internships and/or hire people with intellectual disabilities. OBJECTIVESGeneral objective•Enhancing the access of European citizens with ID to VET and employment in the hospitality sector, through long- lasting collaborative partnership between VET agencies and employers Purpose•Enhanced access to training and employment opportunities through the European Valueable network in the hospitality sector.•Increased capacity of both VET providers and hospitality companies to operate together Outputs•One protocol for the involvement of large hotel/rest chains in the Valueable network as facilitators of job inclusion.•One protocol to strengthen partnerships between VET providers and hospitality organisations;•Two tools to enhance the access to training (HACCP and EUROPASS adapted) PARTICIPANTSIn addition to the 11 contact persons of the partner organisations, who will be the core of the network and will exchange ideas, methods and practice about job inclusion of people with ID in the hospitality sector, there will be at least 36 participants in training activities. 24 of them will be people with ID and the other 12 will be VET professionals. ACTIVITIES1)Design, development and testing of:a. a protocol for the involvement of large hotel/restaurant chains in the Valueable network.b. an accreditation protocol for would- be Valueable VET providers with learning resources attached.c. HACCP training scheme, adapted to the profile of trainees and workers with id, in agreement with hospitality companies and certification entities. Adoption by network members for any trainee/worker included by them.d.Revised Europass set of documents, in accordance with National Europass centres and adapted to the features of people with ID, in terms of language and ranking.2) E learning of hospitality staff3)Internships of people with ID in hospitality companies4)Blended learning of VET professionalsMETHODOLOGY•Developing the outputs, according to the same process: background analysis, design of the prototype and presentation at the meeting of the partnership, development of a prototype, field pilot testing (limited within the partnership), evaluation of the pilot, extended testing.•Field testing through internships and work experiences of people with ID at “home” and abroad in hospitality companies, with decreasing tutorship.•Evaluation of the impact since the beginning of the project.•Use of easy- to- read resources for people with IDRESULTS AND IMPACTHOSPITALITY COMPANIES Increased awareness of both large chains and individual hospitality companies about providing people with ID with training opportunities.VET PROVIDERS Enlarged scope, ""horizons"" of new accredited VET providers to set up an internship , in collaboration with hospitality companies. VALUEABLE NETWORK. Extended (10 countries, 200 subscribers) 1)Geographical enlargement of the Valueable network, aimed at including people with id in European hotels and restaurants.2)Increased number of Valueable companies. 3)Increased number of accredited VET providers.4)Increased number of people with id trained and hired.STAFF VET professionals : increased pedagogical and organisational skills . Hotel staff: raised awareness of training skills and needs of people with intellectual disabilities .PEOPLE WITH IDa)Enhanced independence and social skillsb)Improved employabilityc)Better professional skills.d)Enhanced curricula vitaeImpacts in the following areas:a)Increased knowledge and awareness about intellectual disability-related issuesb)Long-term positive economic and social impactsc)Long-term improvement of attitudes of different stakeholders (hospitality managers and entrepreneurs, employees and citizens in general) toward people with ID"

The incorporation into the working world of People with Down Syndrome (PDS) is recent, with positive consequences: greater social integration, the promotion of personal autonomy and the fact that they can feel full citizenship Studies shown that PDS are able to improve their learning through Virtual Reality.VIRTUAL DS is launched with the main objective of increasing the competences (attitudes, skills, knowledge) of People with Down Syndrome and Other Intellectual Disabilities, Job Trainers and companies about how to exploit Virtual Reality for increasing the employability of PDS, according to the Supported Employment Model, through an innovative training program. The project has the next specific objectives: • To raise awareness and motivate the full collective about the capacities for employment of PDS and the potential of VR for enhancing them. • To developed VR contents and introduce them in a global training methodology based on the SE Model. • To transfer knowledge and guidelines about how to exploit Virtual Reality as training tool.• To enhance the access of PDS to labor market. • Sensitize companies and thus facilitate the incorporation of the PDS in them. • To develop a collaborative model with commercial companies based on the Supported Employment model for PDS in order to facilitate their active incorporation. In order to cover all the needed competences, the consortium includes: • 4 entities working in the field of supporting PDS (ASINDOWN, ALDO-CET, DDSS, APPT21), involving a big collective of people, families and professionals. These organizations have own staff and also established cooperation with experts in their countries • 1 entity specialized in Supported Employment (STATUS EMPLOYMENT). • 1 company specialized in the development of Virtual Reality contents (IMAGINA RV) Through the execution of this Project the next results obtained are; • Co-Created Methodological Guide with the direct participation of End Users, with the main objective of determining the key contents, methodologies and tools needed for creating and improving the critical competences of people with Down Syndrome, Job Trainers and companies for exploiting Virtual Reality for increasing the employability of PDS, according to the Supported Employment Model. • Training Materials addressed to PDS, Job Trainers and Companies for facilitating the implementation of Virtual Reality for increasing the employability of PDS, according to the Supported Employment Model Training Materials include Virtual Reality Contents developed including virtual scenarios for training PDS in operations and emotional intelligence. Specifications and previous preparation about selected jobs operations needed in order to facilitate the efficient development of VR Contents. Each job has written training contents and VR Contents, (videos, pictures and virtual tours). • Experiential Training Activities designed; They are the core of the Training Program and they are for enhance the practical and experiential training of PDS with Virtual Reality contents, including the optimal and oriented exploitation of aforementioned Training Materials within real environments. • Development of an e-Training Platform, including awareness, Virtual Reality Contents, Training Materials for supporting the implementation of the Training Methodology. • Creation of 5 VIRTUAL DS UNITS in all the Down Syndrome and Supported Employment Associations of the Consortium in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the project after the project lifetime. • Development of Dissemination Actions addressed to the European collective related to people with Down Syndrome. VALIDATION ACTIONS of Virtual Reality Contents Training Materials and e-Training Platform have involved a total of 64 people with Down Syndrome, 42 Job Trainers and 25 companies ‘representatives on each participant country. VIRTUAL DS benefits a number of people during the project lifetime: • 131 Persons with Down Syndrome (PDS), their Job Trainers and companies’ representatives have been trained 50 in Spain, 30 in Romania, 20 in Portugal and, 15 in Slovenia and 16 in UK), through their participation in the validation actions (See Validation Report) • More than 1590 people with Down Syndrome, Job Trainers and Companies Representatives (490 in Spain, 200 Romania, 200 Slovenia, 300 Portugal and 400 UK), have been aware, through the multiplier events and dissemination actions (See Dissemination Report).

"CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT IDENTIFIED NEEDS 0,1% of European citizens are now living with ID (prevalence of people with Down Syndrome is 1/2000). Average life expectancy of these individuals has increased; it is now around 60. The right to work is getting crucial to ensure their independent living and self-determination. People with ID face a much higher unemployment rate than the rate applied to the general population. Furthermore, the vast majority have never experienced any form of vocational training and this is a further limit to their access to the labour market. Hospitality companies and VET providers for people with ID are two ""worlds"" which are still strangers. DATA According to US disability statistics (2015), only 25,6 % of the labour force with ID is employed (76% of non-disabled ). In UK (2016) people with ID have the lowest employment rate among all disabilities (only 23,9%). (House of Commons briefing paper 7540, 14/12/2016). OVERALL OBJECTIVE Facilitate the access of European citizens with ID to VET and employment in the hospitality sector, through long- lasting collaborative partnership between VET agencies and employers. PURPOSE Increased capacity of both sides of the network-VET providers and hospitality companies- to operate together both atlocal and at transnational level aiming at job inclusion of trainees with ID. OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES Strenghtening the network Exchange of good practice mainly between VET providers and hospitality organisations . *Sharing ideas, practices, methods and tools (app for trainees ,videos for their colleagues, e learning for hotel/restaurant managers): +Focused project meetings and monthly Skype meetings. +Tutored internships abroad of trainees with ID *Awareness raising of the managers of partner organisations belonging to the hospitality sector about the opportunity and feasibility of job inclusion of people with ID +on line training resources +study visits abroad . NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS Main beneficiaries of the project have been: + 12 trainees with ID, who had their intership abroad; + 12 hospitality managers who took part in the study visit; + 30 hospitality managers who attended the learning course. ACTIVITIES Strengthening the network a. Structuring its governance and ensuring its sustainability b. Facilitating dialogue among the different partners, expecially those belonging to different ""worlds""also by promoting exchanges at many levels (managers, professionals and trainees) c. Drafting guidelines for internships of people with ID at ""home"" and abroad and study visits of managers to learn good practice. d. Providing e learning resources for managers and staff about job inclusion of people with ID e. Promoting internships of trainees with intellectual disabilities in a hospitality company abroad. f. Organising Study visits of hotel managers to hospitality companies as examples of good practiceg. Producing an e learning course for hospitality managers in 7 languages with evaluation questionnaires.h. Advertising the network through social media, interviews at the TV and radio, speeches at meetings (UN in NY as well) METHODOLOGY Strengthening the network: facilitating contacts among members, ensuring visibility to its members and testing the system through internships and study visits. Extending the network: diffusion of the Valueable-handing opportunities registered trade mark, to encourage the commitment of managers. Awareness raising of managers of potential members. Agreements with relevant stakeholders. Vocational training of people with ID: training on the job at “home” and internships abroad. Diffusion of the “On my own at work” app. Training of their colleagues with the videotutorials. RESULTS ACHIEVED 14 trainees abroad. Instead of 12. Half of them went to Axis Porto and the other half went to Hotel Melià Milano. During the project, the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hamburg made itself available for hosting an internship of two youngsters from Campobasso (Italy). 12 managers took part in two study visits abroad. 6 Italians went to Porto (Axis Hotel) and 4 Portuguese, one German and one Turkish managers went to Milano (Hotel Melià). Thus 2 visits of 6 people were organised instead of three of four people. 30 managers trained with e-learning and coming from 6 different countries IMPACT OBTAINED VET providers for people with ID and hospitality organisations got aquainted and established long-lasting partnerships. More than 100 hotels, restaurants in 6 countries have subscribed the network, got the label (trade mark) and included people with ID within their workforce."

CONTEXT1% of European citizens are now living with intellectual disabilities (ID) (prevalence of people with Down Syndrome is 1/2000). Average life expectancy of this group of individuals has increased.People with ID face a much higher unemployment rate than the rate applied to the general population. The vast majority have never experienced any form of vocational training .Their working experiences or internships are much more difficult to organise at least because of three factors:1) VET providers are supposed to place one tutor to look after the trainee all the time.2) Hotel tutors are not necessarily prepared to relate to people with ID3) Employers and managers usually fear to deal with them .These difficulties are faced both by disability associations and mainstream VET providers which act in the hospitality sector , often selected by people with ID and their families as a viable and feasible training sector.OBJECTIVESOverall objectiveFacilitate the access of European people with ID to VET in the hospitality sector, through long- lasting, collaborative partnership between VET agencies (mainstream agencies and disability associations) and employers (hospitality sector: hotels, restaurants, bars...).PurposeTo improve VET offer in the hospitality sector for people with ID, through:• increased number of available (and certified) on- the- job training partners (through a European network), • innovative educational tools (videos concerning tutor - trainee with ID relationship);• innovative learning materials (customisable app ) aimed at trainee's with ID greater autonomy.NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS9 partners from 4 countries:ASSOCIATIONS * European Down syndrome Association (EDSA). It has got 35 member associations , from 27 countries. * Associazione Italiana Persone Down (AIPD), promoter of the project. Since 2001 has been promoting and managing approximately 30 European transnational projects. It has been providing vocational training since 1992 and job placement, in agreement with Public authorities .* Associação Portuguesa de Portadores de Trissomia 21, manager of the first job inclusions of people with ID in Portugal.* Down Espana, national federation of local associations, very much enaged in job inclusion.HOTEL CHAIN* Hoteis Axis: national Portuguese chain of 6 hotels. They have already hosted internships of people with ID. HR foundation* Fondazione Adecco per le pari opportunità (I): since 2001 it has included almost 2000 people with disabilities in the labour market.UNIVERSITIES (2)* Roma TRE: Department of Management Studies. It provides, among others, courses on: Strategic Management, Marketing and Communication, CSR, HR Management. * University of Bologna: Department of Education Studies . Over 30 years of teacher training, research and counseling experience.DESCRIPTION OF MAIN UNDERTAKEN ACTIVITIES * Design, test and dissemination of two educational materials, one for VET trainees with ID (app) and one for hotel tutors (videos):- On my own at work app, to be used by people with ID, with customised information, check lists, images and reminders always available in their pocket on a smartphone/ minitablet.- 14 video tutorials addressed to hotel tutors aiming at establishing a proper relationship with ID workers* Design , test and dissemination of one so called quality kit (code of conduct, handbook and the VALUEABLE label) supporting the launch of the European Valueable network of friendly hotels/restaurants which engage themselves in including people with ID within their workforce.Such a network ensures follow up and sustainability to the outcomes of the project.Registration of the Valueable trademark to the European Union Office for Intellectual property is in progress.* Organisation of three multinational (in the three countries at the same time) events for the dissemination of the outputs.METHODOLOGYThe three outputs have been developed according to the same process: background analysis, design, development, pilot testing, production with the agreement of the partnership, extended testing and final validation by the scientific committee, composed by Univerisities, EDSA and Fondazione Adecco per le pari opportunità..RESULTS ATTAINED2 educational resources produced and made available on the web.Quality kit produced, tested and made available.Valueable - handing opportunities trademark registered at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).IMPACT53 hospitality companies have been included in the network.3 countries (Spain, Portugal and Italy) have taken part in the extended testing , as the first movers. Turkey, Germany and Hungary are going to join the network in the recently approved follow up project.LONG TERM BENEFITSIncreased and enhanced training and employment opportunities for people with ID.WEB SITES.www.on-my.own.eu; www.valueablenetwork.eu