Escola da Gente. Comunicaçao em Inclusao
Summary
Description
VEM CA is a nationally and internationally awarded free and fully accessible platform
available on iOS and Android that enables persons with and without disabilities to find
accessible events, content, employment opportunities, accessibility services and inclusion tools through a single digital environment designed according to Design for All principles.
Launched in 2019 by Escola de Gente - Comunicagao em Inclusao, the platform was
created to address a common barrier faced by persons with disabilities: the difficulty of identifying where accessibility is available and how to access opportunities on an equal basis with others.
The app was built from the outset to be usable by the widest possible range of people, which is why it includes the following accessibility measures:
- Full screen reader compatibility
- Contrasting colours ideal for persons with colour blindness or low vision
- Content translated into Brazilian Sign Language
- Compatibility with a large number of phone models, including older ones
- Icons for easier comprehension by persons with intellectual disabilities or difficulty processing information
- Image descriptions
- Enlarged buttons to more easily use the app with a single hand
The platform being free of charge is also an important accessibility measure, as according to the UN, over 80% of persons with disabilities live in poverty in countries like Brazil.
VEM CA has many functionalities related to accessible content and the provision of an inclusive work environment. Users can search for accessible cultural and educational activities, books, articles and other content; find accessibility professionals and organizations; access employment opportunities with accessible recruitment processes; and use a self-assessment tool that helps organizations evaluate their inclusion, accessibility and diversity practices. Any individual or organization can register accessible events, content, accessibility services or employment opportunities, helping continuously expand the ecosystem of accessible opportunities available through the platform.
Since its launch, VEM CA has grown into a nationally and internationally recognized accessibility ecosystem, with more than 18,500 downloads and over 2,200 registered activities and awards by the Brazilian Government, the United Nations, Google, and more. Beyond its current impact, the platform has strong potential for replication and expansion, as its model can be applied to different sectors and territories to increase access to culture, information, employment and participation for diverse audiences.
The methodology adopted for VEM CA was based on Design for All principles and on
the understanding that access to information is a prerequisite for participation in
cultural, educational, professional and social life. With these in mind, Escola de Gente
aimed to create a single digital environment that could be used by the widest possible
range of people, regardless of disability, literacy level, communication preference or
familiarity with technology, which is why the platform is free to use and fully accessible.
In order to do so, Escola de Gente looked for a developer that had the knowledge
about digital and technological accessibility resources, helping them fill the gaps in
their knowledge in order to deliver the most accessible app they could with the
technology available to them. But having a developer that understands accessibility
is not enough: the app was also built with constant communication with persons with
different disabilities, and it now has an Ideation Committee made up of Escola de
Gente representatives and consultants with disabilities - at least one deaf, one blind,
and one with intellectual disabilities - which is responsible for evaluating the app,
testing all of its accessibility measures to ensure everything is working properly. They
also provide valuable feedback from the perspective of users with disabilities, allowing
development to focus on addressing user concerns and needs that need to or should
be addressed.
Escola de Gente also maintains an open line of communication with VEM CA users,
asking for their opinions and trying to incorporate their feedback into the app. This
continuous dialogue with users and organizations also influenced the platform's
evolution over time. What began as a tool for finding accessible cultural activities in
its launch back in 2019 gradually expanded to include accessible content,
employment opportunities, accessibility services and organizational inclusion tools,
allowing VEM CA to respond to a broader range of accessibility barriers identified by
its user community.
The main output of the project is VEM CA itself: a free and fully accessible digital
platform available on iOS and Android that connects users to accessible opportunities,
content, services and inclusion tools. Since its launch in 2019, the platform has
reached more than 18,500 downloads and accumulated over 2,200 registered activities.
The platform currently offers four main functionalities. First, it allows users to find
accessible cultural activities, educational events, books, articles and other content
through a searchable database that includes 37 categories of events and content and
up to 16 accessibility measures. Second, it provides a directory of accessibility
professionals and organizations, allowing users and organizations to identify
providers of services such as sign language interpretation, audiodescription and
simple language. Third, it includes a module dedicated to accessible employment
opportunities, where organizations can publish vacancies and users can search and
apply for positions with accessible recruitment processes. Finally, it offers a self
assessment tool that enables organizations to evaluate their accessibility, inclusion
and diversity practices. Soon, the app will also have a chatbot to help cultural
producers know what accessibility measures they need to add to their events.
The combination of full accessibility (including no cost to use the app) and inclusive
content/features make VEM CA a unique app within the Brazilian online landscape,
especially when one considers its development is guided by the requirements, wants
and needs of users and the platform’s target audience.
All outputs were developed according to Design for All principles, providing a single
accessible platform that can be used by persons with different disabilities, abilities and
communication preferences. In accordance with the evaluation criteria, the project
follows the “solution for all” strategy by offering one integrated environment through
which diverse users can independently access information, opportunities and services
according to their needs and preferences.
VEM CA improves the current situation by addressing a challenge that many persons
with disabilities continue to face: accessible opportunities, content and services
sometimes exist, but information about them is scattered across multiple channels,
making them difficult to identify and access. As a result, many people are excluded
not because opportunities do not exist (though that is often a problem too) but
because they cannot find them - usually because producers do not publicize their
events and content with accessibility.
The project addresses this challenge by creating a sort of hub for accessible content,
knowledge and culture. Rather than requiring users to search multiple websites,
organizations and communication channels, VEM CA provides a centralized
environment where accessibility and inclusion information can be found quickly and
independently.
Another important innovation is that VEM CA does not focus on a single type of
opportunity or a single disability group. Instead, the platform is for everyone,
regardless of disability, and free of barriers.
The project also improves the current situation in regards to inclusive employment by
tackling both sides of the equation: the potential workers and the organizations
offering employment. While users can search for accessible opportunities and
services, organizations can publish opportunities, connect with accessibility
professionals and evaluate their own accessibility practices through the self
assessment tool. This creates an accessibility ecosystem in which information,
opportunities and services reinforce one another.
Finally, VEM CA demonstrates how accessibility can be integrated into digital
products from the get-go rather than added later as a corrective measure. Through
continuous participation by persons with disabilities in testing, validation and
improvement processes, the platform produces solutions that are more inclusive,
functional and beneficial for society as a whole.
