Two events. Two venues. Two different audiences. One clear message: there is a real and unmet need for accessible digital education tools for adults with Down syndrome in Lithuania — and the FEAT-DS project has built something that can help fill it.

On 23 and 26 June 2026, Efektas Group hosted the Lithuanian FEAT-DS Dissemination Conferences in Kaunas, marking the formal conclusion of our role in this international Erasmus+ KA2 project. A total of 50 participants joined us across both events — and what they said during and after confirmed that the work done over the past two and a half years has landed.

Two Events, Two Contexts — One Project

We chose to run two separate conferences rather than a single large event. The reasoning was intentional.

The first event, held at on 23 June, was designed as practitioner-focused gathering — a space where social workers, special educators, and professionals working directly with adults with Down syndrome could engage with the platform hands-on, ask detailed questions, and explore how the tools might integrate into their daily work.

The second event, hosted on 26 June, opened the conversation to a wider institutional audience: NGO representatives, community stakeholders, disability advocacy professionals, and education administrators. Together, the two events created something neither could have achieved alone: a layered and genuinely representative picture of how the FEAT-DS results land across different professional and community contexts.

What We Presented

Both conferences followed the same core programme, adapted to each audience. We opened with an introduction to the FEAT-DS international partnership — five countries, five organisations, two and a half years of collaboration — and a walk through the project’s journey from its initial research phase through to the completion of piloting in June 2026. From there, we moved into the substance: a presentation of everything the project has produced.

The FEAT-DS Web Platform — a free, high-accessibility e-learning environment with interactive coding modules and electronics content designed specifically for adults with Down syndrome — was demonstrated live. Participants could see the interface, explore the modules, and interact directly with the coding games.

The Training Format for Adult Educators — grounded in the tinkering and Scratch programming methodologies piloted across all five partner countries — was presented as a ready-to-use resource that any educator or organisation can adopt without requiring prior technical knowledge.

The Lithuanian piloting results were shared openly: the data from our June 2026 sessions in Utena and Telšiai, including what worked well, what challenged learners, and what educators observed on the ground. Sharing the real numbers — including the harder findings — made the conversation more credible and more useful.

We also dedicated a session to Erasmus+ programme opportunities: how organisations working with adults with disabilities can access European funding for mobility, training, and cooperation projects, and what the European Solidarity Corps offers in terms of volunteering pathways.

What Participants Said

The response across both events was substantive and, in many cases, direct. Social workers and educators consistently identified the gap the project addresses as real and significant. Several participants noted that they work daily with adults with Down syndrome who have limited access to structured, age-appropriate digital learning tools — and that the FEAT-DS platform is the most practically applicable resource they have encountered.

The tinkering methodology generated particular interest. Educators who had not previously worked with hands-on electronics activities expressed genuine curiosity about how to incorporate them into their programmes, and several asked for guidance on sourcing the materials needed.

Family members of adults with Down syndrome who attended the first event engaged with a different set of questions: how to access the platform at home, how to use it alongside other learning activities, and whether the project’s resources would remain freely available. The answer to that last question — yes, permanently — was met with visible relief.

At the institutional level, the conversation shifted toward sustainability and collaboration. NGO representatives and social service administrators asked about how to formally integrate the FEAT-DS materials into their provision, and several expressed interest in exploring future Erasmus+ project partnerships.

The Networking That Happened Between Sessions

Some of the most valuable exchanges during both events happened outside the formal programme — in the breaks, over coffee, in the conversations that continued after the official sessions ended.

Organisations that had not previously worked together found common ground. Educators from different institutional contexts discovered they were facing the same challenges. Several participants exchanged contacts and discussed concrete possibilities for future cooperation in inclusive adult education.

This kind of network-building is difficult to plan deliberately and even more difficult to measure. But it is arguably the most durable outcome of any dissemination event — and both conferences produced it.

Why This Matters Beyond the Project

FEAT-DS officially concludes on 30 June 2026. But the resources it has produced — the platform, the training materials, the educational games, the piloting reports — are designed to outlast the funding period.

Efektas Group will continue to promote and support the use of FEAT-DS materials within our networks in Lithuania. The connections made during the June conferences have already generated conversations about follow-up activities, and we expect those conversations to continue.

For any organisation or professional working with adults with Down syndrome in Lithuania or elsewhere in Europe: the tools are free, the platform is live, and the knowledge gained from piloting across five countries is documented and available.

Explore the FEAT-DS Resources

Project website: feat-ds.eu  Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557493504565 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/feat_ds

If your organisation is interested in using the FEAT-DS training materials, integrating the platform into your programmes, or exploring future Erasmus+ collaboration, contact us at info@efektasgroup.com.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or State Education Development Agency (SEDA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority (SEDA) can be held responsible for them. Project nr. 2023-1-LV01-KA220-ADU-000160601.