Radom Academy of Social and Technical Sciences accessible to persons with disabilities

Project title

Name of Beneficiary/Beneficiaries

Radom Academy of Social and Technical Sciences

Name of programme

Knowledge Education Development Operational Programme

Competition

Accessible University II

Project value

PLN 4 067 359,55

Funding value

PLN 3 945 338,76

Project delivery period

from 1 January 2021 to 30 September 2023

See the results of our work

Accessibility barriers for students with disabilities were reduced by hiring an Assistant Plenipotentiary for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and expanding the responsibilities of an already employed psychologist.

As part of efforts to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities and increase the Academy's overall accessibility, EUST hired an Assistant Plenipotentiary for PwD (a member of the PwD Office). The MIDI pathway enabled the Academy to achieve a significant increase in accessibility for persons with disabilities compared to the baseline level. This was accomplished by enhancing internal processes, particularly in recruitment, education, and research activities, as well as promoting solutions that ensure accommodations within the organisational units.

The elimination of architectural barriers will extend beyond the unit responsible for Academy accessibility. Resources such as stair lifts and handrails have been introduced in key areas of academy life, creating new opportunities that were previously inaccessible to persons with disabilities.

Accessible Academy spaces are essential for the independent functioning of persons with disabilities. According to the results of an accessibility analysis conducted to address the needs of persons with disabilities among EUST students, it was necessary to reduce architectural barriers by adapting Academy spaces. The planned actions contributed to enabling the full participation of persons with disabilities in higher education and to overcoming existing barriers.

as part of the project, the accessibility of the Academy (EUST) for persons with various types of disabilities (including architectural, communication, and technological accessibility) was ensured
a diverse project team was formed, including teaching staff, and a person with disabilities was employed as part of the project, promoting the employment of this group,
educational materials were adapted, including materials and information about the project, which were prepared in a clear and accessible manner, using legible communication methods
the project's website was adapted to ensure equal access to recruitment for studies, the project also involved verifying the existing procedures at the Academy for accessibility and making modifications to them,
access licences were purchased for IT systems: EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, CAREER OFFICE SERVICE ADAPTED FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, DEAN'S OFFICE SYSTEM SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
trainings were conducted for the management, administrative, and teaching staff to raise awareness of disabilities

Accessibility barriers for students with disabilities were removed through actions such as adapting the Academy's websites, IT tools, and forms of education

The Academy's website was made accessible to persons with disabilities – a new website was created under the existing domain, and information was transferred to the new site.
IT systems were implemented: EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, CAREER OFFICE SERVICE ADAPTED FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, DEAN'S OFFICE SYSTEM SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (access licences were purchased for each system, including the implementation service, which involved installation, configuration, adaptation, documentation preparation, and maintenance)
IT system training was provided to improve the administrative and teaching staff's competencies (on-site training):

for teaching staff (24 hours) on the EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (12 people)
for administrative staff (administrators) (16 hours) on the EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM SUPPORTING

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (2 people)

for administrative staff (administrators) (16 hours) on the CAREER OFFICE SERVICE ADAPTED FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (2 people)
for administrative staff (administrators) (16 hours) on the DEAN'S OFFICE SYSTEM SUPPORTING

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (2 people)

The development of technological infrastructure ensured a minimum level of accessibility for educational support services and increased the availability of internal IT systems and administrative procedures.

An accessibility analysis of the Academy revealed the necessity of adapting the website. As part of the MIDI path, access licences and implementation services for IT systems tailored to persons with disabilities were purchased, along with training for administrative and teaching staff on these systems.

The following actions were taken:

an analysis of internal procedures described in the Regulations and Guidelines was carried out, focusing on the Academy's accessibility for persons with disabilities, including

- vertical procedures regarding persons with disabilities, tasks of the Plenipotentiary, and services, and horizontal procedures regarding the functioning of the entire university and its units updating/creating vertical procedures from scratch, including rules, modes, and regulations for granting and utilising support, incorporating the specifics of persons with disabilities and their rights into horizontal procedures, as well as current legislation, including but not limited to: Regulations and Rules and Modes of Providing Support for Persons with Disabilities

development of a procedure for the safe evacuation of persons with disabilities in the event of an emergency.

As part of the task, particular emphasis was placed on:

reviewing procedures in terms of the ability to adapt participation in classes and exams to the individual needs of persons with disabilities, including remote participation, increasing the allowable number of absences with the option to catch up with the material
adopting regulations ensuring that no investment at the University can be implemented without the approval of the Plenipotentiary for PwD at every stage, including the development of architectural project designs
adopting regulations stipulating that all teaching materials, examination materials, and official documents must be provided to students and other individuals in an accessible format (e.g., print in enlarged font, Braille, or electronic format).

The task concluded with the adoption of the Rector's directive on the Academy's accessibility, covering all six areas of accessibility as specified in Appendix 12 to the Regulations.

A regulation was adopted guaranteeing that no investment at the university may be carried out without the approval of the unit responsible for accessibility at every stage, including the preparation of architectural project designs and renovation plans.

The project included the implementation of supportive technologies, such as providing services and purchasing equipment:

Online sign language interpreter service for deaf and hard-of-hearing students + Multifunctional printers with the ability to print enlarged A3 format educational materials for visually impaired persons.
Interactive set (projector and screen) for classrooms/laboratories enabling the display of enlarged presentations for students with disabilities, including ceiling-mounted brackets
Videoconferencing system for one room to facilitate online transmission of on-site classes for students with disabilities unable to attend in person (including installation), e.g., CISCO WEBEX BOARD 55 inches.
Networking equipment: switches for university networking
Networking equipment: routers for university networking
Computer with full software suite for visually impaired individuals in classrooms
Portable projectors for displaying enlarged presentations for students with disabilities
Keyboard with high-contrast, large keys and adjustable speech speed for visually impaired users
Enlarged computer mouse for users with disabilities,allowing easier cursor navigation on the monitor screen
Information web kiosk adapted for individuals with disabilities, including installation
Notebooks for students with disabilities, enabling participation in alternative examination formats and note-taking.

Support was extended to individuals with all types of disabilities. Some of the barriers to accessing education included lack of access to specialised equipment, lack of access to tailored educational materials. To address this, assistive technology equipment was purchased. The funding of the above measures addresses the barriers to accessing education identified by EUST students with disabilities.

All outcomes specified in the grant application were achieved. With the approval of the Intermediary Institution, additional educational equipment tailored to practical learning needs was purchased for individuals with various disabilities.

Advanced training on various disability-related topics—such as technologies, procedures, psychological support, educational support standards, etc. (tasks 3 and 6)—was conducted. The training was comprehensive and covered all six areas of accessibility.

The low level of awareness among Academy staff regarding the potential of individuals with various types of disabilities, as well as the lack of full preparedness for educating persons with disabilities, significantly hindered access to education at this level. It was essential to provide training for managerial, administrative, and teaching staff to raise awareness of disability. The training aimed to enhance the competence of Academy staff in providing comprehensive support and professional collaboration with students with disabilities.

The sustainability of the results developed and implemented within the project will be maintained for at least two years after its conclusion.

If this period falls within an academic year, the sustainability period must be extended to the end of that academic year.

The beneficiary noted the following:

a measurable increase in the Academy's accessibility compared to the initial level through the implementation of tailored solutions and the inclusion of new stakeholders in the support system
expansion of existing services related to the Academy's accessibility for persons with disabilities,
introduction of changes to the organisational structure of the Academy,
architectural adaptations of the Academy to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities,
implementation of solutions involving assistive technologies for persons with disabilities,
introduction of changes to the procedures in force at the Academy increased knowledge and awareness of disability among administrative, management and teaching staff
employment of a person with a disability and maintaining their employment for a sustainability period of five years from the project's completion, thereby promoting actions related to the employment of persons with disabilities

What problem does our project solve?

The primary goal of the project is to enhance access to education at the Radom Academy of Social and Technical Sciences [EUST] by removing barriers to education in the following areas: organisational structure, architecture, assistive technologies, procedures, types of educational support, and training to raise awareness about disabilities. To ensure the maximum effectiveness of the initial analysis and project results, the applicant has collaborated with disability advocacy groups dedicated to eliminating barriers and facilitating access to education for individuals with disabilities The project, at all stages critical to the proper implementation of actions aimed at ensuring accessibility at the university, will be carried out in formal cooperation with these groups. The project includes support for organisational changes and raising awareness and competencies of university staff regarding disabilities by implementing actions to ensure communication accessibility, accessible university-managed websites, IT tools, and educational procedures in higher education. It also involves introducing modifications to educational programs to make them accessible to students with disabilities and implementing measures for architectural accessibility.

According to the provisions of the Accessibility Plus Programme under Action 12, "Barrier-Free Studies," plans are in place to adapt the academy to the needs of persons with disabilities in terms of architectural, communication, administrative website, IT tools, and educational procedure accessibility. The project is not limited solely to infrastructure adaptations for persons with disabilities; it also encompasses other actions to improve access to education for this group.

The models require that by the end of the project, all areas outlined in the model description (with the implementation of the MIDI pathway) must be fulfilled, meaning all questions for the given model must have affirmative answers. The activities carried out within the project must lead to achieving a model of an accessible university appropriate to the specific needs of the university and persons with disabilities. The scope and support mechanisms will form part of the competition regulations. An attachment to the regulations will be the models of an accessible university, defining the scope of support for universities to increase their accessibility for persons with disabilities, taking into account the varying levels of university adaptation at the stage of application in the "Accessible University II" competition. These models will be published on the IOK website, under the section.

Who will benefit from the project's results?

The project benefits both academic staff and students.

What was the biggest challenge for us in implementing the project?

The most significant challenge was assembling a capable team to implement the project to the highest standards. Through intensive efforts, the team acquired valuable skills in project implementation, task planning, and coordination.