In order to create awareness about the importance of inclusive education in the university, the Information and Communications Technologies for disabilities Research Group (TICAD) and the Inclusion Support Center in the university's branch campus in Guayaquil held a talk on inclusive education titled "The role of ICTs in inclusion."

 

During the talk, the university presented several products they have created to improve teaching and learning for students with disabilities as well as projects they have worked on:

 

- Awareness campaigns for educational, social and work inclusion

 

- Training sessions for students and professors on inclusion

 

- A center (CAI) that monitors the academic performance of students with disabilities, it also provides education institutions with equipment, tutoring and technological support for teachers and students

 

- Audio accessible for people with visual impairment

 

- 3D prototypes

 

- Projects created by the TICAD research group

 

- Logistics and technical support for people with disabilities

 

- Production of Braille material 

 

These products have been used by UPS students and the external public for social development of with visual impairment. "The equipment in the university enables us to be a recognized inclusive university", said Wladimir Velasco, worker of CAI.

 

In the event, they discussed the project of training and employment of people with visual disabilities UPS carries out with the support of the ONCE Foundation for Latin America (FOAL), Classrooms of Occupational Management in Latin America (AGORA) and the National Federation of the Blind in Ecuador (FENCE), developed on the basis of the inter-institutional agreement that the organizations have maintained for 4 years. The agreement seeks to strengthen educational institutions that contribute to the good performance of People with Visual Disability. "We seek to give them tools so that they can perform independently and autonomously," said María Jesús Varela, general director of the Once Foundation for Latin America.

 

On the other hand, they presented the results obtained in the training sessions on topics related to visual disability and collective events such as: Introduction to computing with NVDA, Introduction to NVDA Level I, JAWS, Quickbraille, Accessible Apps, Workshop of lecto were socialized. -Brille writing, Inclusive photographic exhibition, BRATICS (Braille exhibition and inclusive ICTs), among others.   

 

The event was attended by Maria del Carmen Peral Morales, from FAOL, from Spain; Diana Banchón, president of FENCE and Evelyn Alvarez coordinator of AGORA Ecuador. At the end of the event international institution representatives said they wish to continue working together and get positive results.