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Two years have passed since we received the notification of the approval of WORK@BLE project from the Spanish National Agency of Erasmus + programm. The last month of the project we have organised several events to present our game, and there have been a question that many people has made to me: How did you do it? How have you manage to create a game like this?

Here is my answer: joining efforts, combining knowledge and summing up.

We were not experts on videogames, but we are very good team workers, and that was our ace under the sleeve. We worked on the creation of the game from scratch, starting by researching about the key skills trained by job coaches when they target people with disabilities like special learning needs, cognitive, developmental or mental health problems. At the same time we also defined the profile of the future users and the context in which the game was going to use.

Once we got this picture of the contexts, the players and the skills, we designed the puzzles of the game. That was the most challenging stage of the game creation. We distributed the skills identified among partners, and each invented puzzles to train a set of skills. In October 2021, we met by first time face to face in Tallin, and during 2 days of work we shared our puzzle ideas, discussed, selected some, discuss, agreed the game logic, discussed, ordered the puzzles, discuss….And when we went home the concept of game was READY to be code!

Some months later, we met again in Valladolid to learn about the mock version of game. We played, discussed, proposed changes, discussed, agreed on outlook, discussed, layout the guidelines content, discussed…and we went home with a clear picture of game, which was completed and amended in a couple of months and we started testing it.

Several versions followed after another, by fixing bugs and including improvements till the game was STEADY to pass the definitive proof with job coaches and final users.

The pilot testing took place in 5 countries, with different profiles of job coaches and users, some more adjustments had to be done, and finally the game GO!

That is the story on how we created the game. Impossible without sharing ideas and discussing. Now the project is over, but I have the feeling that this is not a game over…the last time we met in Athens, we discussed and figured out a WORK@BLE 2.0!!

Be attentive, it is coming soon…

by Victoria Ammann, dafür

Young people often have unclear ideas about professions and companies and are unsure about choosing a profession. The most common questions are:

• What can I expect during my apprenticeship?
• How will everyday working life be like?
• What opportunities does the profession offer?
• How will my working environment be like?

One approach to solving this problem is virtual reality. Virtual reality is an artificially created environment with images, videos, sound and animations. With the help of virtual reality (VR) glasses or a smartphone, interested young people can watch videos and interact in games and apps. In doing so, they experience it as if they were right there in the action. The basis for virtual reality (VR) are 360-degree videos. Corresponding cameras film in every angle all around. Therefore, it is possible to experience what is happening in front of the camera, but also to the side and behind you.

This technology is used in various areas:

• Virtual career orientation for young people (e.g. at trade fairs as well as in counselling interviews)
• Presentation of companies and jobs
• Virtual reality from the perspective of a person with a disability (e.g. everyday working life from the perspective of a wheelchair user)

Since the trial apprenticeship is one of the most important stages in career orientation, the virtual company tours offer a digital opportunity to get to know real apprentices, including job description and tasks.

VR can therefore offer the possibility to get a first direct insight into a future workplace by presenting apprenticeship professions and the environment accordingly.

At dafür, a social service provider for persons with a disability in Austria, the virtual reality glasses “Oculus Go” are used within the “Virtual Career Orientation” app. This app was programmed for apprenticeship fairs using this new innovative tool to get young people excited about apprenticeships. Currently, 80 job profiles are available with information, 21 of which feature state-of-the-art 3D VR surround technology and surround sound.

Employees are trained regularly in the use of the VR glasses and the «Virtual Career Orientation» app for apprenticeships. It is particularly important for the job coaches to implement this innovative tool in their everyday work.

In this way, the app also offers the opportunity to make lesser-known apprenticeships accessible to a wider audience in an innovative way. The goal would be for career guidance teachers to also use the app in the classroom.

By Astangu

Digital solutions can be very effective in teaching people with disabilities and engaging them, as long as we know the best ways to use it.

That is why Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Centre has decided to up their technology knowledge by participating in a new program called Digital Accelerator.

Digital accelerator (DigiKiirendi) is a program for the whole personnel of a school, meant to keep up with fast-paced technology and how to use it in our advantage. This program will also help to raise confidence of using digital means while teaching and working with students.

Every worker in Astangu has to complete a 30 hour training program that has been put together with the consideration of work specifics and needs of Astangu. Program will help to develop new ways of teaching and learn teaching methodologies that will help teachers and specialists in their daily work, while providing an engaging method of learning for students with disabilities.

Digital accelerator (DigiKiirendi) will work with most schools in Estonia. They will not only teach the teachers, but everyone included in that school on how to work better with digital world and use it in their advantage. During the second half of 2022, six schools, including Astangu will partake in the program. The program itself consists of 32 academical hours, with the possibility to choose basic knowledge in the digital world or more specific topics for those, who know the basics. For example, learning how to work with different programs, websites, how to make and cut videos, how to do online crosswords and puzzles for students and many more engaging topics. School management will also participate in those to learn how to better support their staff and students in making steps towards better technological means.

Schools and institutions are constantly moving on a path of digitalization. It is very clear that projects like Work@ble are very necessary, as it will help people with special needs keep up with the digital world and make the means of technology more accessible to them. The game Work@ble project  has created will not only be a great tool for job coaches, but will also be a valuable part in digitalization progress that the world is going through.

«Little Miss Geek Wearable Tech Event» by LadyGeekTV is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

By María Carracedo

There is a broadly extended opinion regarding video games as harmful for mental health. It is true that excessive gaming can certainly be harmful, (like any other activity done in excess) but using videogames in a moderated way can carry on benefits on people’s mental health and wellbeing.

In 2020, a research conducted by the University of Oxford found that playing video games may improve mental health and make people feel happier. For instance:

• Cognitive stimulation: Playing video games forces gamers to deeply stimulate multiple different areas of the brain, this leads to the development of new dimensions of thinking.
• Coping with stress: Playing constitutes a relief for the stress, immersing in a game is a great way of escaping for a while from the stresses of daily life.
• Overcoming difficulties: Games make us find solutions to overcome in-game challenges, which can make gamers better equipped to deal with real-life obstacles and difficulties.
• Feeling accomplished: In the game, there are goals and objectives to reach. Once the player achieves them, they bring him/her a lot of satisfaction, which improves the overall well-being.
• Emotional resilience. When you fail in a game or in other situations, it can be frustrating. Video games help people learn how to cope with failure and keep trying. This is an important tool for children to learn and use as they get older.

Some mental health centers, like Mental Health Unit of the Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba (Spain), have started using videogames as a tool for improving psychological well-being, self-esteem, attention, concentration, fostering manual and creative skills, while helping to enhance interpersonal and social relationships of the patients.

According to the declaration that its Coordinator, Leonor Padilla, has made to the press, «the aim is to offer them a more attractive dynamic to prevent them from refusing to participate in leisure activities. We also use games that invite them to participate in sports and cognitive activities, which also helps them to improve their self-concept and, little by little, we manage to create guidelines for behavior modification, enhance socialization, always as a complement to the main intervention, which is the face-to-face one.”

Why toys?

The roots of the games are as deep in time as the history of mankind. In ancient Greece the game was an integral part of both childhood and everyday life of the adults. The ancient philosophers were well aware of the importance of the game in shaping character, morals and physical skills of the individual. Plato said that the game a toddler plays is the profession is destined to follow. Thus, it not only contributes to learning, but highlights a child’s inclinations, talents and desires.

The role of the games in learning

We can say that the contribution of the game in learning is perhaps more important, even than the contribution of books.

As the great Einstein has said, «Play is a superior form of learning.»

From the youngest to the oldest, educational  games are implemented and of course transmit knowledge to children, teach and create feelings of joy and happiness. Through them, children express ideas, acquire skills, set new goals, are motivated and cultivate their creativity.

The relationship between games and development of social skills

Studies show that through games children acquire communication skills, learn how to control themselves, recognize emotions, learn to work in a team and deal with problems that may arise during the game, learn to cooperate and finally discuss and communicate their needs to others.

The power of digital games

Digital game-supported learning is a modern trend in the educational process.

Digital games offer the opportunity to engage in authentic activities and in a specific context, presenting realistic situations to deal with, which cover a wide range of subject areas, and promote research and exploratory learning processes.

Games, in all their forms, have always been used as tools of educating and socializing children. Digital Games today are considered one of the most exciting future prospects for use in education. The user benefits from digital games as they offer the ability to repeat, and practice. Games  adapt to the needs of the user. Digital games are proving to be more attractive and effective for young users.

The job coach – the key person

The role of the job coach is to guide, train and support the candidate to find the job of his or her dreams.

It should be a source of inspiration and mobilize the candidate while keeping his interest alive. Mainly he has to adapt the tools and interventions to the needs of the candidate employee and the needs of the labor market.

In this endeavor he could not ignore the transition to the digital era.

He therefore needs the appropriate modern tools to continue to do his job effectively and to prepare the prospective employee properly to meet the modern demands of the labor market.

Work@ble, a modern escape room, aspires to give a new dimension to the relationship between a job coach and a candidate.

Through the game the candidate will discover his dreams, desires, strengths and weaknesses and will work to acquire the skills needed to achieve his goals.

At the same time, by playing, everyone will improve their digital skills through the use of digital games.

We look forward to playing with the candidates.

And do not forget:

People do not stop playing because they get older. They grow old because they stop playing.

Oliver W. Holmes, 1809-1894, American author.

Nowadays, technology is part of our lives. Nothing is as simple as googling an important date we can’t remember or liking something on any social network. But not everyone finds technology easy. For some, it can become an insurmountable obstacle that doesn’t help, and even makes their lives worse. People with disabilities often find themselves alone using applications or services that do not take their needs into account. Apps that do not support assistive technology or screen readers. This complicates their lives and they often see themselves marginalised in relation to others. However, technology could, and should, be the vehicle to promote social inclusion and make life easier for all of us.

Below, you’ll find three major concepts to take into account while designing for all.

What is User Experience design (UX design)?

User experience design (UX design) is a user-oriented design approach that adopts a participatory methodology that allows the motivations and interests of stakeholders to be considered, with a focus on users and their experience with the product. Therefore, during the design activity and in the research phase, it is useful to involve a sample of end-users and/or domain experts.

The main objectives of UX design are:

1. To highlight and represent motivations (needs, aims, values, interests);
2. To highlight and represent knowledge (conceptualisation, activities, attributes, etc.);
3. To translate knowledge into a product capable of satisfying needs using the knowledge resources that have emerged.

User experience analysis aims to identify usability problems in a digital interface (website or app). By evaluating the user experience and making recommendations, effective improvements can be made to the digital product. For maximum results, it is important to consider the purpose of the product, the needs of the end-users and the context of use.

What is usability?

“Usability is the degree to which a product can be used by particular users to achieve certain goals effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily in a specific context of use”. [ISO 9241]

The major terms to consider are:

• Effectiveness is the degree to which an objective is achieved, so it is referred to as the completeness of the results achieved.
• Efficiency is based on the relationship between the level of effectiveness and the use of resources. For the same level of effectiveness, a tool is more efficient if it requires fewer resources. It can also be defined as the amount of effort required to complete a task.
• Satisfaction is a subjective evaluation, which is based on a cognitive component (the relationship between expectations and results, and between effectiveness and efficiency) and an affective component (the relationship between positive, neutral and negative emotions).

What is accessibility?

Accessibility refers to the degree to which an interactive product is accessible to as many people as possible. Therefore, websites, tools and technologies must be designed and developed so that people with disabilities (visual, cognitive, neurological, physical, etc.) can also use them. More specifically, they must be able to: perceive, understand, navigate, interact with and contribute to them. The goal is to design systems that are adaptable to most human capabilities.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) advocates that the Web should be accessible to provide equal access and opportunities for people with different disabilities. Access to information and communication technologies is recognised as a fundamental human right.

Accessibility supports social inclusion for both persons with disabilities and normal users. For the former it is considered essential; while it benefits the latter in various ways, such as in cases of temporary disabilities (e.g. broken arm) or situational limitations (e.g. poor visibility, in environments where audio information cannot be heard). Furthermore, it has numerous advantages in both the economic and user experience spheres, including: promoting usability, reducing maintenance costs, addressing a larger audience (etc.).

For the technology to be accessible and inclusive, the research process must involve users with disabilities, who will be able to test the system during development. It is also advisable to follow accessibility guidelines in order to meet and satisfy the requirements. Examples are the guidelines outlined by Google Developers (Accessibility)^[1], Material Design – Accessibility^[2] and the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)^[3].

Conclusions

In Work@ble, we believe in a user-oriented design approach to support social inclusion for vulnerable groups. This is the approach Social IT used as the technology partner to create the Work@ble Escape Room. Only if all people are heard, we can build something that really matters.

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^[1] https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/accessibility

^[2] https://material.io/design/usability/accessibility.html#understanding-accessibility

^[3] https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/

lyk-z & daughters are one company that believes in the individual’s ability to create their own future with dignity and success.

lyk- z & daughters’ mission is to help young people who have fallen outside of school and work to find their inherent qualities and unique abilities, and with this quickly get back to school and work. Through the lyk-z method, FROG Leadership and Life Mastery, up to 12 young people participate in a physical workshop spanning 25 days spread over 7 weeks. Here the young people will go through 5 modules with the themes Vision, Identity, Communication, Impact and The Big Leap. The method is based on theories of neurophysiology, cognitive fundamentals, communication theory from the field of film, leadership and co-active coaching. During the 7 weeks of training, there are major positive changes in the participants. They gain insight into their own values and unique characteristics. The participants draw up their own progress plans and create their own motivation and drive to see for themselves the value of schooling or working life. The participants also have access to their own web-based platform where they can work both in permanent professional gatherings, and for themselves with tasks and training programs under the safe management of a coach.

Certification program to become a FROG coach

The first part of the certification program to become a FROG trainer consists of 13 intense days of group work, exercises and a journey in personal development. The program is led by incredibly talented, innovative and knowledgeable coaches who act as catalysts for insight and personal growth. Common to all participants in the certification programme is that they work with young and young adults who have fallen outside of school or working life and the FROG offer shall lead to new competence and lasting, meaningful work or school for the individual. The second part of the certification program consists of leading one separate FROG course together with another who will also become a coach. During the 7 weeks the course lasts, trainers from lyk-z are present and observe and supervise the upcoming coaches.

Participant perspective

My name is Kari and I am a trained nurse with further education in mental health work. For me, it is very important to be able to work with mental health and life mastery. I have a great commitment and heart to preventive work and health promotion, and especially with regard to children, adolescents and young adults. For that very reason, I was very happy when I got the opportunity to be certified as a FROG coach!

The certification consists of two parts, the first part lasts for 13 days and is carried out in a group led by experienced trainers from lyk-z and the second part consists of leading my own FROG course with a co-leader over 7 weeks.

Throughout the 13 days we went through several different modules and exercises, and got to experience the effect of the various exercises on a personal level. This is useful for gaining an understanding of how it might feel for our participants when we are going to lead our own courses.

Every day consists of various creative exercises, dialogue, interaction and practical practice and ends with a unified debrief with the whole group. The way the training is organized gave me many aha-experiences along the way, and during the process I became very conscious of my own characteristics, values and goals. I was challenged to put into words what is important to me, what I dream of and what I want to achieve in my life. Large and small exercises are carefully composed and got me out of my comfort zone several times, which has given me great personal growth, a sense of mastery and increased self-esteem. I have acquired increased knowledge and understanding in communication, impact and the effect of assumptions and thought traps.

Through the first part of my certification as a FROG trainer, I have learned an incredible amount about myself and I have received many amazing tools that I want to take with me further. I am very much looking forward to using my new knowledge and understanding when I will be leading courses for adolescents at lyk – z & daughters. FROG is a preventive and health-promoting method with a focus on the healthy in every individual, which promotes good self-esteem, coping and agency in the participants. From a socio-economic perspective, the FROG-method may make a significant contribution to reducing the socio-economic consequences of apostasy and creating dignity for the individual.