Managers tend to recruit individuals of highest educational standards who deserve quality jobs and attractive remuneration. Equally, disabled persons should enjoy the same benefits. In our era of unprecedented technological development, education should be flexible in order to meet the contemporary demands and the needs of all persons. This chapter analyzes the use of aids, including educational games that can be helpful in supporting people with disabilities. Types of games and games for disabled persons are considered. A more active involvement of international managers in the use of games in educational/training courses for disabled persons is also proposed. Their duties must be amended to include participation in curricula design for any level of vocational/technical education.
TopIntroduction
Curricula are key to an effective education and especially for effective course design. For decades, quite a few countries concluded to curricula drafted not on the basis of real market needs, but according to personal views of sociologists, educators, psychologists. Their target was to establish norms in order to maintain a traditional form of school, with minor adjustments, and not a tool of preparing individuals for scientific and/or business careers or their integration onto society As a result, syllabuses have not attained the anticipated output. Though the syllabus is considered identical to curriculum both in meaning and value, the true is that it describes the content of a module, which means, it is part of a curriculum and outlines the main points of a course of study.
Certain educationalists support the course delivery mode with teaching aids taking into consideration the classification of the memory capacity supported by Dale (2009) according to which we remember 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we hear and see and 80% of what we hear, see and do.
The use of games in the teaching process refers and takes into account also on this principle.
Historically, the first documented use of games for educational purposes dates back to mid-1800s. The Prussian army used simulated battles to train their officers. In the 1950s, the need to improve and professionalize business management led to the first non-military application of games. In 1956, the American Management Association published the first business game. In this simulation game, learners took a manager’s role in the various functions of a company including events and challenges that confronted him.
Surprisingly enough, Plato had praised Egyptians for using games to develop learning experiences. The opinion of researches is that these games might become part of the school curriculum since they have significant value in education.
Managers may be useful in participating in educational issues such as design of curricula for vocational education/training, on the basis of their main role to plan, organize and control businesses at domestic level. These curricula should include a number of different tools, including those ICT based and in particular digital games.
Concerning the deployment of games and simulations of educational purposes, the general opinion is that they are important teaching tools in multiple environments. The prevailing belief is that educational games develop higher thinking skills and provide a learning environment appropriate to develop individuals ability to solve a wide range of problems and to support learning in a wide variety of subjects.
The chain sequence of instruction using games is a four- step-procedure which results to increased possibilities for employment (Figure 1). Educational games can be regarded as a medium suitable to sustain the instruction of persons with disabilities and thus their employment and inclusion in the workforce
Figure 1. The impact of use of games in instruction
In designating the year 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons, the UNO (1976) focused world attention, among others, to the growing commitment to protect the right of the disabled persons to enjoy equal opportunities in the workforce. According to the type of disability, 60 jobs are registered as possible positions and International Management has to play a decisive role in hiring disabled persons.
Today the duties of international Managers are multifarious not restricted to the coordination of the employees business activities.
They face difficult situations in their companies and make their best to satisfy clients and staff. A manager is considered international not only because he/she manages international subsidiaries but also because he/she has to hire “international staff” including disabled persons which will give them the opportunity to feel useful both to society and the work environment. International managers’ role is not restricted to the evaluation of the employees qualifications, but is expected to identify specific impairments, which can be met through training via educational games. International managers should provide to people with disabilities: