As part of its activities aimed at driving the use of technology across all facets of society, the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) is working on a project to bridge the gap between individuals and technology by facilitating the integration of ICT in everyday life and mitigating the dependency that people with disabilities are burdened with.
By means of access to Assistive Technologies (AT), this project will particularly increase the level of independence of people with disabilities, including those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, enhancing their quality of life and bringing them closer to the labour market.
The project will involve the establishment of 4 AT Centres in Malta Gozo. The Centres will be used to deliver training, assessments, and to disseminate information on AT amongst persons with disabilities, educators and employers. They will be adequately equipped with a variety of special needs hardware and technologies and will be open for public use. Consequently, the AT centres will assist people with disabilities in their daily activities to lead a more independent and comfortable life.
In addition, through the project and in close collaboration with MCAST and our transnational expert partners Enable Ireland, a “Foundations in Assistive Technology” course shall be developed and delivered to a wide group of professionals. The course shall hold an MQF Level 5. This course plays a very important role in the project as it will equip professionals and carers with skills to be able to train, assess and assist potential AT users as well as guarantee the effective utilisation of the AT Centres in Malta and Gozo.
This project is implemented by the Malta Communications Authority in collaboration with a number of stakeholders within the area. The project and supporting human resources are funded through European and Structural Funds 2014-2020, PA 8 – Investing towards a more socially-inclusive society.