Consultancy - Technology Advisor for the Accessible Digital Textbooks Initiative, LACRO, Panama City (8 Months)

Consultant Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Learning

How can you make a difference?

Background

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices. UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac)..)

All children can learn and should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential, but most children with disabilities are out of school and lack access to inclusive quality learning. SDG 4 guarantees universal access to inclusive and equitable quality education for all. To make SDG4 real for all children including children with disabilities, quality, inclusive education, accessible and affordable learning materials are required. An accessible digital textbook gives all learners, including those with disabilities, access to information in alternative accessible formats therefore ensuring better access to the learning process and enhanced educational outcomes in an inclusive school setting even in low resource contexts as demonstrated through pilots in Uganda, Kenya, and other countries. Through specific features in digital formats, printed books have been made accessible to learners who are blind or have low vision, those who are deaf or hard of hearing, those who have intellectual or developmental disabilities or learning disabilities, or those who prefer to access information without visual input. By bringing together global and local writers, publishers, teachers, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPD), technology developers, MOE representatives and other stakeholders, the initiative ensures the development of the standards and guidelines needed to produce textbooks and learning materials in accessible digital formats and languages.

Though the exact number remains unknown, an estimated 240 million children under 18 years of age worldwide have disabilities (UNICEF, 2021). Children with disabilities remain one of the most marginalized and excluded groups and face multiple barriers and challenges related to accessing education. In Kenya, for example, estimates stress that 80 per cent of children with disabilities are out of school. In Uganda, only 9 per cent of children with disabilities are enrolled in primary school as opposed to 93.2 per cent for those without disabilities. In addition, lack of access to quality education continues to be one of the largest challenges for children with disabilities. In accessible education facilities, inflexible curricula, the lack of assistive devices, stigma and discrimination, inaccessible learning materials and teachers who are not yet prepared to support diverse learning needs in the classroom can all serve as major barriers to the education of students with disabilities. The lack of these essential components can result in students not enrolling in schools, dropping out or remaining in school but not achieving their full developmental potential. Accessible digital textbooks can help address the issue of accessible learning materials, which is one of many elements needed to promote an inclusive learning environment for students with disabilities.

All students learn differently so giving access to digital textbooks using Universal Design for Learning principles can answer that need. The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to education fails to recognize the various learning styles that benefit different learners, including those with disabilities. As a result, teaching methods tend to address only one or two learning styles, often leaving the other students frustrated, less engaged and less motivated to learn. Providing differentiated learning, and/or providing instruction and materials that meet different learning styles, can help improve learning outcomes.

The initiative has been world-wide piloted in 9 countries, including 6 in LACR, and UNICEF technically and financially supported them at different levels. Since 2021, the Eleva funds have funded the implementation in 4 countries and have now expanded to 2 more countries for 2022-2024. LACRO together with the COs’ teams will continue to address the need to eliminate barriers and seek innovative tools for effectively include all types of learners in the education system. We have learned from the experiences undertaken by Paraguay, Uruguay and Nicaragua with this initiative, that ADTs could be powerful and positive tools to engages all learners through different experiences. The regional package of accessible activities will reach 350,000 children in grades 1-2 over the course of 3 years. While the early stages of the initiative will continue to focus on the learning materials specific to the foundational years of education, including pre-school and the early grades of primary school, the goal is for all learning materials to be made available in accessible digital formats. For more information about the ADT Initiative in LAC: https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/regional-initiative-accessible-digital-textbooks-all

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the supervision of the Inclusive Education Specialist, the selected consultant will provide quality and specific technical guidance and capacity building on the technology development of the accessible digital textbooks in all countries involved in the regional ADT initiative. The consultant will also ensure that the Learning Passport supports all ADTs produced and that the reader of Book fusion is integrated within the Learning Passport. The consultant is expected to create some knowledge management content like webinars for building ADTs on the technology side and proofread all technical documentation produced by technology partners, as well as technically supervise Book Fusion for the ADT development.

Specific Tasks

• Provide training to all 6 ADT countries in LACRO. • Provide supervision of the regional partner Book Fusion. • Proofread all technical documentation on the technology. • Learning passport ADT support and Book fusion integration • Record how-to webinar for building accessible ADTs from a technology perspective. • Create a technical checklist for reviewing ADT code base. • Management of code repositories (GitHub) for each country. • Create and public code templates for the following based on Uruguay book content. Expected Results [measurable] • Provide technical support and training to all 6 ADT countries in LACRO. • Provide supervision of the regional partner Book Fusion. • Proofread all technical documentation on the technology. • Learning passport ADT support and Book Fusion integration. • Record how-to webinar for building accessible ADTs from a technology perspective. • Create a technical checklist for reviewing ADT code bases. • Management of code repositories (GitHub) for each country. • Create and public code templates for the Uruguay book content.

Deliverables

Description

Duration [in days]

Expected deadline

• Public code templates for the Uruguay book content developed.

10

15 July 2023

• Technical checklist for reviewing ADT code bases created

5

15 July 2023

• Learning Passport ADT support and Book Fusion integration completed.

5

15 October 2023

• 2 Webinars for building accessible ADTs from a technology perspective recorded with Paraguay Country Office.

3

30 October 2023

• Code repositories (GitHub) for each country (Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Colombia, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Paraguay) managed and coordinated.

5

15 November 2023

• Compatibility of the Accessible Digital Textbooks tested with the publisher partner in the initiative (Book Fusion):

10

30 November 2023

• 1 Training to all ADT countries (Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Colombia, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Paraguay) in LACRO provided, including the quality and accessibility features of Accessible Digital Textbooks.

20

15 December 2023

• All technical documentation on the technology proofread and validated (including lesson learned documents, challenges and results in all 6 countries implementing the initiative)

4

15 December 2023

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum Requirements and Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor/Master’s degree in Computer Science, Design, Computer Engineering or related technical discipline;

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years of relevant software development or product management experience. Previous experience with digital accessible programming and Epub3. Experience in planning and project coordination required.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Spanish is an asset.

Technical knowledge

• Professional technical knowledge and expertise in accessibility programming, production of Accessible digital textbooks, UDL and local ecosystem to produce accessible digital learning materials.
• Extensive knowledge of UNICEF programme works in the LAC Region in the areas of accessible digital technology in education and training of technology developers in EPub3 and accessibility.
• Extensive knowledge in testing and validation of accessible digital textbooks and learning materials on various local platforms and software.
• Knowledge of international accessibility standards.
• Experience in developing and designing technology innovative and educationa Apps and software based on Universal Design principles.

Other skills and attributes

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent technical communication with peers and non-technical stakeholders.
• Desire to work in a highly collaborative environment;
• Innovative and creative work

Administrative details

Supervision

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Inclusive Education Specialist.

Workplace

This is a home-based consultancy

Duration

This contract has an estimated duration of 8 months

Insurance

The selected consultant must demonstrate a proof of medical insurance prior to the beginning of the consultancy and must be valid for the entire duration of the contract. In duty stations where UNICEF provides medical evacuation, the medical insurance that the contractor holds should include provisions for medical evacuation.

How to Apply

Application should be submitted online and should include Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily, monthly, and total fees in their financial proposal.

Is travel involved

This consultancy does not involve travel. Should travel is foreseen, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based onUNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering theirown travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on thebelow criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.
• UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2,numerals (d) and (e)
• For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International CivilService Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on themap).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

*****

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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Added 11 months ago - Updated 11 months ago - Source: unicef.org