Accessibility involves taking measures to enable all individuals, regardless of race, disability, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, creed, worldview, or sexual orientation, to fully participate in all aspects of life on an equal and fair basis. This commitment to accessibility is reflected in our University's mission and strategy as a social responsibility, derived from the academic community's awareness of contemporary challenges in scientific and didactic development, as well as the needs of the community.
Consequently, our University is systematically improving its accessibility by implementing measures for students requiring additional assistance. These efforts primarily focus on enhancing architectural, digital, communication, and information accessibility.
Measures undertaken include the following:
- adaptation of the university’s architectural and communications infrastructure for people requiring additional assistance,
- equalization of educational opportunities,
- regulatory changes to address the needs of people with disabilities or requiring additional assistance,
- financial support (dedicated scholarships),
- purchase of specialized equipment and software to facilitate education for peoplewith various health problems,
- adaptation of information and communication infrastructure to WCAG standards.
Our University's approach to implementing accessibility is based on three principles: knowledge, sensitivity, and legal considerations.
Knowledge of accessibility solutions is built through raising the academic community's awareness, achieved through training, discussions, and experiential learning.
All units of our University, in carrying out their activities, are guided by the principle of accessibility based on the sensitivity of the individuals within them. The Center for Accessibility provides ongoing support to our entire University community, assisting students requiring additional assistance and anyone engaged in accessibility-related activities.
The Center's assistance primarily includes the support of:
- didactic process for both students and employees of the University by means of compensatory classes in foreign languages and physical education, adaptation of the forms of credits and examinations, provision of teaching materials and their adaptation, etc.;
- assistant, sign language interpreter, psychologist, etc..
At the University, the representative of people requiring additional assistance is the appointed Rector’s Representative for Accessibility and Disability whose main tasks include the following:
- representing the interests of people requiring additional assistance,
- support in providing appropriate conditions during studies, and immediate support in solving current problems of students requiring additional assistance,
- issuing reports on organizational and technical difficulties related to the functioning of students requiring additional assistance,
- undertaking activities promoting proper treatment of people requiring additional assistance
- all activities increasing accessibility.
The university's decisions regarding the promotion of accessibility are determined through established legal frameworks, serving as the basis for actions in this domain.
"UEKat Accessible" - a program supporting educational inclusivity
A tangible manifestation of our commitment to accessibility is the "UEKat Accessible" program, aimed at supporting the educational process for individuals with special needs. This program was implemented between November 1, 2021, and September 30, 2023, with funding totaling PLN 1,698,576.00. Its primary goal was to eliminate barriers to access to education and to introduce activities in the curricula to ensure accessibility for students with disabilities by achieving the model of an accessible university.
Within the project, 6 key areas were addressed, including employee awareness, the implementation of accessibility procedures, the development of didactic and recruitment standards that consider the needs of students with disabilities, the enhancement of technological facilities to ensure a minimum level of accessibility, the removal of architectural barriers, and organizational structure adjustments.
Project activities included increasing the knowledge and sensitivity of university employees through substantive training in accessibility. This encompassed areas such as communication and service for people requiring additional assistance, working with individuals with mental health problems and autism spectrum disorders, adapting electronic teaching materials for visually impaired students, and training selected university employees in sign language use for interactions with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The project also made the accessibility process more specific by introducing regulations to ensure accessibility for people requiring additional assistance and incorporating provisions into other University normative acts that safeguard their interests. The project also resulted in the improvement of the didactic process support through such means as the introduction of electronic forms and the provision of a guide for students requiring additional support during admission and learning, as well as for academic teachers containing guidelines for working with students requiring additional assistance. In the area of didactics, an attempt was made to write a textbook according to the values of accessibility, which, thanks to the project activities, achieved 100% digital accessibility. As part of the project, work was intensified on adapting the information and communication infrastructure for people requiring additional assistance, which resulted in the implementation of a new graphic template of our University website, installation of Totupoint markers, room labels in Braille along with NFC tags, installation of handrail overlays with Braille inscriptions, typhlographic plans or installation of infokiosks.
To further intensify accessibility-related activities, an Accessibility Coordinator has been appointed to continuously monitor initiatives in this field.
Project activities are not the only actions taken by our University to enhance accessibility. The institution is also committed to increasing accessibility in academia.
The adopted Institutional Open Access Policy has made it possible, under Open Access, to use scientific literature without fees, logins or other technical requirements. This significantly enhances access for all faculty, students, and doctoral candidates. Thanks to the policy thus adopted, the possibility of sharing the results of ongoing research and didactic content has been expanded, improving the information circulation in science and increasing the impact of publications. Promoting information about the open access policy and its benefits is one of the tasks of the appointed Representative for Open Access.
Architectural accessibility is another focus. Construction work began in August 2022 to adapt the campus for people with disabilities. This included the installation of an access ramp in front of the A building, external elevators in buildings B and C, and the landscaping and cleanup of the area between buildings B and C. The project also funded portable access ramps for retrofitting university buildings.
Accessibility is a fundamental element of a socially engaged and ethically responsible society, contributing to sustainable development. As such, these initiatives will continue through the development of an Accessibility Strategy, which includes expanding the responsibilities of the Support Center for People with Special Needs, changing its name to the Accessibility Center.
For more information on the University's accessibility efforts, please visit our website: https://www.ue.katowice.pl/en/declaration-of-accessibility.html
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