Vem CA - Accessible Platform
Escola de Gente - Comunicação em Inclusão
(
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction33388
Description
Vem CA is the first platform focused on cultural accessibility. It is national, free of charge and completely accessible. With the app Vem CA, persons with and without disabilities have the opportunity to get information about the agenda, location and accessibilities of 12 different cultural programs, with more, such as online events, to be added soon. Vem CA is an app for everyone, and was designed with the purpose of leaving no one behind in regards to cultural aspects. Some of the main target groups are: visually-impaired, including color-blind and persons and with low vision, oralized and non-oralized deaf, wheelchair users and intellectually disabled.
Despite having an extensive background in inclusion and accessibility, this was the organization’s first foray into app development. Due to that, the very first step of the process was research. We had the challenge of discovering what exactly had to be done to ensure an app was fully accessible. On top of that, the NGO also had to plan the app itself: its functions, logo, aesthetics, layout, amongst many others. Consultants, including multiple persons with disabilities and experts in the area, were hired to assist Escola de Gente in every step of the process. Other personnel had to be hired to make the project happen - a developer aligned with the concepts of inclusion and accessibility; a producer; designers; professionals specialized in copyright law, amongst many others. There are also the publicity costs, to divulge and publicize the project. Due to the nature of the project, the events revolving around it are mostly to publicize Vem CA. We held 6 launch events in 2019. In 2020, the app was presented in many livestreams. Artists all over Brazil have shown their support, such as Tiago Abravanel, actor and talk show host (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OYqIPvFNUla3ngKOkG3E-eRr46z_SK7m/view?…). We have monitoring mechanisms to count the number of events and people impacted by them. In the app, we can see the number of unique users, how many projects are registered, and details such as which categories users search for the most. In total, the entire process has cost Escola de Gente almost 120.000 dollars. Over the course of 2021, the organization will have to invest a similar amount of monetary resources into the app to cover the updates and additions brought on by the new scope it has taken during the pandemic.
Vem CA has 15.020 unique users, 200 registered cultural producers and 326 cultural projects available on the platform. Over five thousand people participated in its six launch events at the end of 2019. In regards to qualitative results: - A 30 seconds campaign aired on TV Globo, biggest TV network in latin america, for free. For the entire month it aired, it is estimated to have reached around 12 million households. - January 2020, it was considered one of the five best projects in the category “Innovation and technology for the arts and culture” of the State of São Paulo. - Selected as one of 5 innovative technologies worldwide to integrate Zero Project’s documentary on cutting edge technologies, currently not available online. One very important spill-over and long term result is that the National Culture Secretariat of the Federal Government considers Vem CA the ideal tool for cultural producers to publicize their activities, encouraging them to adopt more accessibility measures.
The enabling conditions were what ultimately allowed the app to release: investment from partners who believe in the cause, a dedicated team, and working closely with other experts in the field, as well as persons with disabilities. As for the main challenge: financing. All activities are and always will be free, and the costs of development and improvement are high. Plus, it was the first time the NGO forayed into app creation, so extensive research had to be done on how to ensure it was fully accessible. Since the app is so unique, there really weren’t many references that could be used to help think of the layout and features.
Vem CA is an app with the potential to be replicated in any country in the world. In any place in which there is an organization or company interested in offering a platform so that, on one hand, cultural producers may publicize their accessible activities, and on the other hand, persons with disabilities may participate in the cultural life of their cities, Vem CA can be implemented. In terms of adapting to other contexts and places, all that needs to be done is the translation of the app to their local language, as well as the adaptation of the geographical data to whichever country adopts the app - both of which, of course, cost money. Escola de Gente is currently looking for partners to finance the app in other countries, as we believe that it really fills an important void in the inclusion and accessibility scene. As explained above, the app also fully advances the SDGs listed, helping work towards them in a unique way that can be adapted to any country.
https://zeroproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Zero-Project-Almanac… -- The Zero Project Almanac mentions Escola de Gente by name 9 times, including a special thank you to the NGO for its support in creating the Zero Project Accessibility Guidelines (page 11). On page 137, Vem CA is explained in one short paragraph, as it was shortlisted in 2020 for the 2021 awards. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Li9C7OH6RUSB_2qBY2K60lfNBSPc6txG/view - English version of the campaign aired on TV Globo (biggest TV network in latin america) for 1 month for free.
In February, 2020, Vem CA was at its peak, having even been presented in the UN headquarters in Vienna. Then the pandemic hit. With the pandemic, persons with disabilities began to experience perhaps the greatest exclusion in their history due to the lack of accessibility online. The social responsibility of our app increased, and the plan is for it to become a tool to fight the effects of the pandemic, by becoming a hub of accessible content and knowledge. More alarmingly, according to the UN, over 80% of the persons with disabilities live in poverty in countries like Brazil (https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/resources/factsheet-on…). We are focusing on helping this group through the creation of the aforementioned Vem CA network.
SDGS & Targets
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Share
Timeline
Entity
Ongoing
Other beneficiaries
As with all of Escola de Gente’s activities, which are all free, persons with and without disabilities who are interested in inclusion, as well as cultural producers who create events with accessibility, are the main beneficiaries, and stakeholders, of the app. Vem CA has had the funding of 8 corporations the support of 8 more partners of the NGO that believe in inclusion and accessibility, and want to support the cause.
More information
Countries
Contact Information
Claudia, Founder
There are currently no comments. Please log in to comment.