ICT for Inclusion (Ecuador)

The use of technology in schools is increasing worldwide, and one of the areas where ICT can bring the most benefits is in special education. According to UNICEF, “Children with disabilities are among the most stigmatized and excluded of all the world’s children.” In Ecuador, the Ministry of Education in a 2003 survey found that only 23.8% of children with disabilities were in school. Those who do attend often get a sub-par education or are not able to study to their full potential. This in turn means that a large number of adults with disabilities are left outside of the labor market, because of exclusion and because they simply lack the necessary training to get a job.

IT solutions can help students with physical and developmental disabilities achieve their potential alongside other students and allowing them the educational possibilities they are entitled to. IT solutions can improve the wage earning potential of children with disabilities, by increasing the number of children with disabilities attending school, and to improve the education they are receiving, which in turn can result in greater inclusion in the labor market. The objective of this initiative, that will be financed by the Italian Trust Fund for Information and Communication Technology for Development, is to create replicable experiences. Specifically, this initiative will suport the implementation of a pilot project whose objective is to expand the number of children with disabilities attending Fe y Alegria–Ecuador centers and to allow them access to ICT in their education. Many countries in the region are showing great interest in providing better educational services to children with disabilities and this could provide an excellent model, especially because of the wide reach and experience of Fe y Alegria in the entire region.

Fe y Alegria is an NGO that focuses on education, especially of poor children, in 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization has been working in Ecuador since 1964 and has been recognized for offering high quality education to children all over the country, especially in poor areas.

In Ecuador, around 60,000 people are direct beneficiaries of Fe y Alegria, including students in their special education centers. One of these is located in the city of Santo Domingo de Los Tsáchilas (the city situated in the province of the same name in the northeastern part of the country), where 150 children receive their education. The center serves deaf children as well as children with physical and developmental disabilities.

Information and Communication Technologies – ICT – are a powerful tool for children with disabilities, but the students at the school in Santo Domingo have not yet been able to take advantage of the benefits ICT bring. This project will implement ICT tools to help improve the educational experience of the children, which again will help their inclusion in the greater Fe y Alegria educational system and their communities. The project also includes awareness raising for students, parents, teachers and communities.