The Active Media Education for Disabled Youth (AMEDY) project was coordinated and carried out by Stiftung Digitale Chancen, a German foundation that aims to foster media literacy and digital skills for all but in particular marginalised groups. The foundation wants to ensure that everyone has access to the digital world and the opportunities offered by digital technologies. Further, they investigate the societal consequences of digital technologies.
First and foremost, AMEDY aimed to empower young people aged 13 to 29 with intellectual disabilities to actively participate in digital society and to support educational professionals working with this target group. Children and young people with intellectual disabilities are disproportionately affected by cyberbullying, victimisation and other online harms. At the same time, this target group benefits greatly from the use of digital technologies and social media.
The project followed a strengths-based approach and developed three freely available resources: an online training for educators and professionals working with young people with intellectual disabilities, a paper on support strategy as well as an awareness-raising toolbox. The latter two are supposed to help to raise awareness of the vulnerabilities young people with intellectual disabilities face online. Ultimately, AMEDY contributed to raise awareness and sensitise society to the difficulties and challenges faced by children and young people with intellectual disabilities.
While the project concluded in March 2021, the training materials are still available online. Stiftung Digitale Chancen, the coordinator of the project, are keen on building on the project, forming synergies and partnering with others looking to run a similar project.
Online training "Active Media Education for Disabled Youth" with three modules: 1 media usage and privacy, 2 trends and risks, 3 creation and participation. Available in four languages on the moodle platform (still available albeit not updated anymore)
Toolbox on awareness raising activities
Paper on support strategies
Stiftung Digitale Chancen, Project Coordinator: redaktion@digitale-chancen.de