Web portal for and about people with special needs - Macedonian case study

Although the Internet is the fastest way for acquiring information, people with special needs are faced with limited possibilities when it comes to using the Internet and IT technologies. Research in the Republic of Macedonia showed that only a small number of Internet resources exist which provide information about and for people with special needs. Therefore, a need exists for developing a web portal for people with special needs. In this paper the need for such a portal is researched and an outline of the services that it should offer is presented. The portal should represent an online meeting place for people with special needs, parents and relatives, special educators, scientists and experts in the field. It should incorporate several features, including a forum where people with special needs can exchange experiences and problems they've faced and are still facing. The web portal should also offer online consulting services by experts. The research showed that there is a significant number of highly educated special educators in Macedonia, but their unemployment rate is also high. In relation to this, the web portal should provide employment opportunities, i.e. recommend special educators to people who have a need for special educator services.