ECDL bf: Equal Opportunities Through Equal Access to an ECDL E-Learning Solution

Abstract

People with Specific Needs – even if they are, in principle, willing and capable of taking part in ‘our’ information – or better ICT – society – run the risk of unemployment and (social) exclusion significantly more often than people without disability. While recognized certification schemes, like the internationally recognised and promoted IT certificate ECDL help to clearly prove ones knowledge in handling mainstream IT and open up the labour market, those certificates build up new and insuperable barriers for people with specific needs when not designed and implemented accessible. Following the outcomes of the previously presented EU funded project ECDL PD, primarily accessible inclusive training settings are lacking. To overcome this obstacle, the Austrian project ECDL bf (ECDL without barriers) worked on an extensively accessible ECDL e-learning solution applicable for the mainstream market that will be presented in this paper.