Visio International

SMILE Too

SMILE too developed a training programme for parents and professionals to improve the social skills and autonomy of visually impaired and blind primary and secondary schoolchildren.

Focus: Social skills

Funding programme: European Union: Erasmus+

Project coördinator: Center IRIS (Slovenia)

Partners:

  • Czech Republic: GOA, Gymnazium pro zrakove postizene a Stredni odborna skola pro zrakove postizene

  • Italy: Lega del Filo d'Oro Onlus

  • Netherlands: Royal Dutch Visio

  • Slovenia: Centre IRIS

  • UK: Jordanstown School (Northern Ireland), The Royal Blind Asylum and School (Scotland)

Total funding: €226,390

Duration: September 2019 – July 2022

Website Smile Too results

Info about the project

SMILE stands for Social skills Make Inclusive Life Easier. Social skills are key competences that have a major influence on behaviour, self-confidence, and acceptance in society.

The SMILE too project was a follow-up to the previous SMILE project in the Erasmus+ School Education Personnel Mobility programme (KA1). The new project aimed to increase the understanding of the importance of social skills among all stakeholders, and to help visually impaired and blind young people to participate in society autonomously and self-consciously, even though they often lack non-verbal signals.

The project developed an innovative training programme for parents and teachers to improve the social skills and autonomy of visually impaired and blind primary and secondary schoolchildren.

Visio was responsible for developing a toolkit for teachers. We collaborated with various education professionals to create an appealing approach to growth and autonomy.