ICC 2010

16th International Camp on Communication and Computers for blind and partially
sighted young people

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in addition to education and research, includes a number of social actions in its core mission. One of these is the Accessibility Unit for Students with Disabilities (AUSD). The AUSD of NKUA hosted the 16th  International Camp on Communication and Computers for blind and partially sighted young people – ICC2010, with the aim to raise awareness of issues related to the integration and coequal access to education and job integration of People with Disabilities in Greece and abroad and, more specifically, those with vision loss. In addition, we intented to promote the mobility of visually impaired teenagers living in different parts of Greece and the world.

The idea of ICC (International Camp on Communication and Computers for Blind and Partially Sighted Teens) was born in Austria on the basis of discussions and collaborations between services serving young people with partial or total vision loss. Organizations offering support at different levels of the educational process started working on the objective to facilitate the transition of teenagers to different educational levels, taking into account the need for integration and universal design for learning.

ICC is managed by the International Association ICC, a non-profit
organisation with national co-ordinators in more than 30 countries. Each
year one partner acts as the Host of ICC.

The concept of ICC in international and intercultural exchange of teenagers and young people aged 15-20 with partial or total loss of vision. The organization focuses on the following areas:

• Contact with other teenagers with the same interests and needs at European level.
• Understanding the importance of acquiring social and (inter)personal communication skills.
• Acquiring skills and experiences for the empowerment, improvement of self-esteem, and conscious choice of both studies and profession.
• Familiariazation with Information and Communication Technologies and Assistive Technologies for People with Visually Impairments.
• Promoting research and development.

Dates

Two different events for students:

• 15 to 17 years: July 20rd to July 27th, 2010
• 17 to 20 years: July 29rd to August 5th, 2010

with a total of 122 participants (9 Greeks) from 17 countries (15 of which are in Europe, USA, and Japan), 58 escorts, 26 Greek volunteers and 31 specialized Greek staff.

Workshops

Depending on their needs and past knowledge, participants were asked to choose their workshops from a list of 50 workshops (3 or 6 hours each), in the following thematic areas:

• latest information, communication, and assistive technologies (eg Internet, music, speech recognition and synthesis, games) for people with vision loss
• social and communication skills,
• daily living skills
• mobility supported by information, communication, and assistive technologies 
• integration into higher education
• job application, assessment and labour market integration

The workshops took place from 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00 in small groups of 7-8 people, to maximize the participants’ interaction.

Open Day

August 3, 2010 was an Open Day for the Media and the public wishing to visit ICC2010 and get to know its activities.

Leisure Time Activities

ICC2010 was fun! Participants took part in group activities, visits and games, along with other young people from all over the world, including:

• Touch Museum of the Lighthouse for the Blind
• Acropolis Museum
• Acropolis
• Horse Riding
• Allou Fun Park
• Organized Walks of Athens
• Karaoke night
• Accessible Board Games
• Participation in a Music Orchestra
• Treasure Hunt
• Theatrical Game
• All-day Excursion