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Call for Proposals

For Scientific Editorial Services

 

The United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and in particular the Knowledge Societies Division in the Communication and Information Sector, calls for proposals for scientific editorial services needed for the preparation of the report entitled “Global Report on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Education for Persons with Disabilities”.

The organizations, institutions and individual experts should take into consideration specific requirements indicated in the Terms of Reference below when developing their financial proposals. The organizations and institutions should also provide a short summary of experience and activities carried in the subject area. The individual experts should attach their CVs.

UNESCO will evaluate the proposals by mid-August 2011 and after the selection process, an author’s contract will be established with organization, institution or individual expert for further development and implementation of the work. UNESCO is planning to establish the contract from 15 August to 20 October 2011.

If you require further clarification, please contact Ms I. Kasinskaite-Buddeberg (i.kasinskaite@unesco.org) or Mr D. Storti (d.storti@unesco.org).

The proposals (financial and preliminary timetable) should reach UNESCO not later than 31 July 2011 by emails:  i.kasinskaite@unesco.org or d.storti@unesco.org.

Specific requirements for the preparation of the proposals (to be included in the Terms of Reference):

1. On or before 20 October 2011, the Contractor should prepare and deliver to UNESCO a work, which, for reference purposes, is entitled “Global Report on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Education for Persons with Disabilities”, in the form specified below.

2. The work shall consist of not less than 50 standard pages (320 words each) and shall be written in native-level English, in a style corresponding to the target audience specified in para 3. The work shall present an overview and a critical assessment of existing information policies using ICTs in Education for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in five regions (Africa,ArabStates, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia,Latin Americaand the Caribbeans). The report and cases collected from the regions should ensure a regional-geographical representation, present an overview of the state-of-art in those regions, provide information on successful applications/initiatives at both institutional and individual levels, as well as propose recommendations on the integration of ICTs in education by PWDs.

 3. Five regional reports (to be provided by UNESCO) will serve as background documents for the preparation of the global report and development of a set of recommendations, especially targeting decision-makers, national and regional educational institutions, as well as associations working with PWDs communities, with the aim to enhance their existing information policies and strategies in using ICTs in Education and integrating issues related to the PWDs.

 4. The work will contribute to the implementation of the UNESCO’s Programme V “Communication and Information”, Main Line of Action 3 “Fostering Universal Access to Information and Knowledge and the Development of Infostructures” and the project entitled “Development of Inclusive Information Policies using ICTs in Education for Persons with Disabilities”.

 5. The work must be carried out in close contact with UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector, as well as with authors of five regional reports and peer reviewers.

 6. In order to prepare the work, the Contractor should do the following:

6.1. Analyse five regional reports to be submitted by UNESCO and based on these reports to prepare one global report which shall:

  • · Identify existing challenges, critical success and failure factors of the integration, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the specific practices which are in common or specific across regions and countries
  • · Identify differencies in implementation of policies and use of ICTs in education for PWDs;
  • · Identify existing gaps (facts, cases, policies, etc.) in the five regional reports, verify data, identify and integrate new elements, as necessary, in the global report;
  • · Outline how this report will help in policy enhancement, capacity building and awareness raising within UNESCO’s Member States;
  • · Propose recommendations for policymakers and educators;
  • · Analyze affordable, accessible and adaptive IT solutions used by PWDs in five regions countries, emphasizing those which applied Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), Open Document Format and Web Accessibility Standards (W3C);
  • · Based on available data, assess impact made at national, regional or local levels; and
  • · Add any other related elements.

6.2. Carry out consultations with relevant institutions and individuals, which were identified as contacts in respect to policies and successful applications using ICTs in Education for PWDs, with a request to confirm data provided (if applicable);

6.3. Establish/assess conceptual linkages between the use of ICTs in education and their usefulness for the PWDs.

6.4. Prepare a Table of Content for the global report, in consultation with UNESCO’s Secretariat.

6.5. Based on the information gathered from the above exercise (6.1 to 6.4), prepare a global report, which should include at least the following elements:

  • · Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN Convention) by the countries in five regions.
  • · Comprehensive information and knowledge societies policies using ICTs in education, and application of those policies in practice.
  • · Individual/institutional cases of successful applications of ICTs in Education for PWDs (primary, secondary, higher, vocational and technical, and life-long learning levels) as well as infostructures (community multimedia centres, libraries, museums, etc.) in the region, including relevant UNESCO’s work in the subject area.
  • · Inclusion of PWDs related issues in existing inclusive information policies and strategies for ICTs in Education, such:

- Innovative use of ICTs (affordable, accessible, and adaptable) in education for PWDs.Use of the Open Educational Resources (OER) for teaching PWDs.

- Use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and other IT solutions for teaching PWDs.

- Use of the Open Document Format (ODF).

- Use of the Web Accessibility Standards (W3C).

  • · Synthesis, and an analysis of the applications examined, including:

- Main issues, challenges and solutions identified.

- Areas of use of ICTs for PWDs in education.

- Trends, models used and critical success or failure factors.

- Budgetary implications and funding sources.

- Needs/expectations met.

- Partners.

- Impact made and sustainability.

- Linkages with national/regional ICTs in Education policies and strategies identified.

- Any information at country/regional level that could enhance existing information policies.

6.6. Propose recommendations with a view to enhance UNESCO’s andMemberStatesprogrammes, strategies and policies on the use of ICTs in Education for PWDs.

7. The work should meet the recommendations and comments provided by UNESCO and other peer reviewers for the final report.

8. The work shall be submitted to UNESCO for its approval according to the following instalments:

(i)       By 31 August 2011: invoice for the provisional timetable and the draft table of content.

(ii)             By 25 September 2011: invoice for a draft version of the work which takes into consideration the recommendations and comments provided by UNESCO and other peer reviewers on the table of content.

(iii)            By 20 October 2011: invoice for a final-edited version of the work which takes into consideration the recommendations and comments provided by UNESCO and other peer reviewers on the first draft.

 9.       UNESCO will pay USD ……. for the work described in the Article 1. as per the following instalments:

(i)            USD …….., upon deliverable of 8 (i).

(ii)           USD ……., upon deliverable of 8 (ii).

(iii)          USD ………., upon deliverable of 8 (iii).