Despite progress in recent years, young people with disabilities still have great difficulties in participating in social activities and accessing work. Faced with an educational system that, over the years, has been influenced by an ideology that favors rankings and competition among students – more than cooperation and solidarity – equal opportunities in higher education (HE) is still far from being achieved. In the specific case of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (DID), and albeit their inclusion in regular schools is already implemented, the opportunity for these students to access ES is inexpressive or non-existent. It is, therefore, time to encourage the transition of young people with DID to Higher Educadion and employment, ensuring the opportunity to continue their socialization and development process, actively participating in communities, and developing socio-professional skills together with their peers.
In this context, the expected impact of this project is the creation of a new scenario to open up opportunities for people with DID, both considering Higher Education and employability in the job market. This population has many difficulties in obtaining and keeping a job, which leads to their social isolation. However, it is also evident that these young people, with the support of their families, want to invest in training to enter the job market more easily, independently and increasing their social participation. The HiLives project therefore aims to create opportunities to share knowledge and practices in this area, to create a partnership in the area of (i) inclusion of students with DID in Higher Education Institutions, and (ii) transition to an active and independently, exploring the role that digital media can play in this process. Training and participation are an asset to society, and can lead to meaningful professional careers, new friendships and interests, and should be an opportunity for all students. Current digital tools are instruments that have potential in this field and can be seen as a resource to bring young people together.
The HiLives project – Including and Connecting in Higher Education: networking opportunities for independent lives – aims to develop the following intellectual products:
- a transnational/European framework for the development of an inclusive, flexible and student-centred Higher Education curriculum for young adults with IDD;
- a prototype of a digital tool to connect and create networks of opportunities, to address the gaps and mismatches between expectations, combining the skills and needs of young adults with DID with the offer of Higher Education and employment opportunities;
- a transnational/European Good Practice Guide for higher education institutions, secondary schools and Employers, with the aim of helping young adults with DID to access Higher Education and start an independent life.
This project will allow eight partners from four countries to cooperate, innovate and share experiences, knowledge and good practices with the aim of creating networks of opportunities for independent living for young students with DID in Higher Education.
Four of these partners are higher education institutions (University of Aveiro, Portugal; University of Ghent, Belgium; University of Salamanca, Spain; and University of Iceland, Iceland). The other four partners are Organizations and Associations that work directly with young adults with people with DID and their families (ASSOL, Pais-em-Rede, FORMEM and AvisPT21).
The results of the project will not only be Intellectual Products, but also the skills and experiences that all project partners and participants in the activities will acquire. This important domain of knowledge and experience gained by participants, students and staff certainly remains beyond the project schedule. There will also be an increase in skills in addressing the inclusion of people with IDD, and also in developing a common vision of the European landscape with regard to the inclusive nature of Higher Education Institutions.
HiLives activities and results can have a great potential impact both on the people involved, as well as on organizations and systems (Higher Education Institutions, Secondary Schools, Associations and Institutions, Ministries of Education and European policy makers). Sharing practices and innovating in the field of inclusion of citizens with DID (in ES and in the labor market) can unquestionably have a high impact on society, which benefits not only the main target group of this project (students with DID) but also the Partners involved and other participants and stakeholders (families, caregivers, schools, teachers, university staff, employers).
