"On the basis of the latest available data on disability in the Latin American and Caribbean region, an average of 12% of the population in this region lives with some form of disability (UN-ECLAC, 2012). 3 PC present in the Consortium (Costa Rica, Cuba and DR) despite having relatively strong legal frameworks in place to include PWD in all dimensions of society, require urgent policy action on disability in HE. In line with recent advancements at National, Regional & International level, ACCESS will operationalise these initatives in order to ""Leave No One Behind"" (Agenda 2030). Therefore, the overall objective of the ACCESS project is to improve accessibility, ensure learning conditions and foster policy change towards the inclusion of students with disabilities within the context of Higher Education in Costa Rica, Cuba and Dominican Republic via modern inclusion practices, training and networking. ACCESS will achieve that through concrete tangible outputs: 1. Increased inter-institutional cooperation and sharing of good practices via the needs analysis and transfer of know-how. 2. Enhancement of managerial, academic, teaching and administrative staff capacities in dealing with and implementing inclusive education practices.3. Creation of institutional support structures and assistive technology to enable access to HE and foster the consolidation of a social integration culture within universities. 4. Set up of 3 National Networks at each Partner Country, engaging with relevant stakeholders and enlarge with other PC HEIs and internaitonal experts.5. Development of a Regional network for the Inclusion of students with disabilities in HE.6. Increase public awareness and understanding on inclusive education within higher education institutions."

HICA, which was driven by university associations, universities and ministries in 6 Central American (CA) countries, aimed to support the reform, innovation and harmonisation of HE curricula. The project further developed/implemented a regional qualifications framework for Central American HE (‘MCESCA’) – proposed by the prior project Alfa PUENTES (2011-14) – that defines what a student should know, understand and be able to do after each HE cycle, in a Central American social and political context. HICA further completed the MCESCA by defining learning outcomes for pre-bachelor, short-cycle programmes. This was done through national focus groups and consultations with academics, students and other social partners in the different CA countries, guided by a Technical Team that was appointed by national university associations. The project also examined time/credits required for the different HE cycles, with the objective of defining credit ranges to achieve the learning outcomes of the MCESCA. The MCESCA was simultaneously 'piloted' in partner universities. CA partner universities selected at least one study programme to revise and reform, defining work-load based learning outcomes that correlate to the MCESCA. European partners shared practice on curricula innovation in support of this, via a training programme that entailed three workshops, webinars and visits of European experts to CA countries. The pilot outcomes and the MCESCA itself were promoted widely to regional and national political bodies, employers, accreditation agencies, etc. via national promotion workshops in April through June 2018, organised by the associations and the ministries. These were used to enrich and validate the MCESCA as a tool in the region. HICA has had diverse impacts: The revised academic programmes have created a catalytic effect, bringing leadership, students and teaching staff together to implement curricula reform. In addition, CA universities have networked and reinforced regional cooperation. National associations and the ministries benefit from a regionally agreed tool that they can use for quality assurance and teaching reforms taking place in their own systems as well as recognition of studies between countries. The European partners benefit from discussions on frameworks for HE reform in CA, which will provide an important mirror for similar reforms that take place in the context of the Bologna Process.