All In study session

The All In study session took place in November 2016, which brought together 30 members of IFM-SEI and the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) Youth Network, to explore how to make youth organisations more accessible to children and young people with disabilities. There were many outcomes from the study session, including:

1. Campaign on anti-capitalism and inclusion – a social media awareness-raising campaign, the development of an anti-capitalism and inclusion educational pack and a webpage to share educational tools on the topic

2. Handbook to making activities accessible – a checklist of what questions to think about when making activities with children and young people accessible, input about what inclusion means to us and some suggestions of adaptations to Compass, Compasito, Bookmarks and Rainbow Resources

3. Guide to making websites more accessible – in relation to the IFM-SEI website in particular, especially to those who are blind or who have visual impairments

4. Volunteer hub – an online tool to share accessible volunteering opportunities and to express interest in volunteering with like-minded organisations

5. Disability visibility campaign – a social media campaign sharing videos of young people with disabilities to share experiences and show that disabled people are visible, accompanied by a series of online webinars on visibility

6. IFM-SEI and ENIL Youth collaboration pilot project – the development of a local partnership between the two organisations, starting with a weekend mixed-ability training seminar in the UK between ENIL Youth and IFM-SEI members to make local groups inclusive of young people with disabilities with a localised approach

7. Guidelines for making fun places accessible – the creation of guidelines about how social places, such as restaurants and bars, can be more accessible and a sticker campaign to recognise the accessibility of places

IFM-SEI accessibility network

One of the key outcomes from the All In study session was the creation of a new accessibility network. The active group is currently working on developing an accessibility strategy for IFM-SEI and developing the guidelines to make non-formal education activities and group work sessions more inclusive to people of all abilities. If you are interested in getting involved with the Accessibility Network, you can contact Ceci in the IFM-SEI secretariat at ceci@ifm-sei.org.