The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), the academic Greek partner of the "Accessible Digital EDUcation (ADEDU)" European project, announces the publication of the deliverable entitled “Guidelines for Inclusive Digital Education Platforms”, that regards a comprehensive framework of guidelines for creating and upgrading digital educational platforms that meet the needs of all learners, including individuals with learning difficulties.
This is a milestone deliverable of the ADEDU project, which is based on an extensive literature review, an analysis of commercial educational platforms, and findings from primary field research conducted with adult trainers and individuals with learning difficulties across three (3) European countries, namely Belgium, Serbia, and Greece.
Specifically, the Guidelines for Inclusive Digital Education Platforms provide:
- Design principles for accessible digital platforms based on WCAG 2.1 and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) standards.
- Specific technical and pedagogical recommendations to support learners with dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, and other learning difficulties.
- Practical evaluation tools for organizations and platform designers wishing to assess the degree of inclusiveness of their digital environments.
- Examples of good practices from existing platforms and educational tools at a European level.
- Policy recommendations for policymakers and educational institutions regarding the institutionalization of inclusive digital education standards.
All above Guidelines are addressed to:
- Designers and developers of educational platforms and applications
- Educational organizations and institutions wishing to upgrade their digital tools
- Adult trainers and professionals in the field of special education
- Educational policymakers at national and European levels
- Service providers for persons with disabilities (PwDs)
It is noteworthy, that the set of the Guidelines for Inclusive Digital Education Platforms is available free of charge through the open-access repository of the ADEDU project and its official website https://ad-edu.eu/results/. Its availability aligns with the principles of Open Science and the Erasmus+ open access policy.
ADEDU is a thirty-month project (01.01.2024-30.06.2026), co-funded by the ERASMUS+ program of the European Union, aiming at creating more inclusive and accessible digital education experiences for all. It is implemented by a consortium of five (5) organizations from three (3) European countries, coordinated by "ALL DIGITAL" (Belgium) and having the following partners "European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD)" (Belgium), "Media Education Centre (MEC)" (Serbia), "IASIS" NGO and "Hellenic Open University-DAISSy Research Group" (Greece).
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
