Academy without barriers
Before the implementation of the project, a serious problem at our university was very low level of awareness about the issue of disability among the staff of the Military University of Technology. So far, no trainings aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of disability have been conducted
Project title
Academy without barriers
Name of Beneficiary/Beneficiaries
Military University of Technology in Warsaw (WAT -Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna)
Name of programme
Knowledge Education Development Operational Programme
Competition
Accessible University
Project value
PLN 792 962.50
Funding value
PLN 769 166.12
Project delivery period
from 1 October 2020 till 31 December 2021
Meet our team and check the effects
Additionally, the effects of our work were:
- adaptation of the Military University of Technology website (main website and eight departmental websites) to WCAG 2.0 standards.
- development and preparation of an individual website with the contact details of the Coordinator for People with Disabilities,
- development and implementation of procedures for supporting people with disabilities (procedure on appointing employees of the Military University of Technology to provide first aid and on conducting activities in the area of fire-fighting and evacuating employees, including people with disabilities, procedure on support provided to people with disabilities in the Military University of Technology and PRS/1-1 - The process of granting support to people with disabilities from the Disabled Persons Support Fund at the Military University of Technology.
What problem is addressed by the project?
Before the implementation of the project, a serious problem at our university was very low level of awareness about the issue of disability among the staff of the Military University of Technology. So far, no trainings aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of disability have been conducted.
A study on adaptation to the needs of people with disabilities in the area of interior design, carried out in 2018, showed huge omissions in the standards concerning architectural and communication accessibility, the lack of provisions in the official university documents guaranteeing the effectuation of the university's policy on accessibility, equal opportunities, non-discrimination and implementation of rational adaptations.
A huge problem was the lack of a separate room for the Coordinator for People with Disabilities, which would ensure discretion and privacy for people with disabilities, and also the fact that the website of the Military University of Technology was not meeting the requirements of WCAG 2.0.
After preliminary talks with students and postgraduates of the Military University of Technology, it was found that there is a high demand for psychological support at the Military University of Technology. Students feel lonely and isolated due to remote education during a pandemic.
The first psychological classes with students confirmed that young people are becoming more and more frustrated, and that they also have attacks of anxiety, panic, or show the symptoms of depression. Uncertainty about tomorrow and overwhelming negative thoughts negatively affect the overall state of mind.
Through the effectuation of the planned activities, our project helped us solve the above problems through:
- adaptation of the Military University of Technology websites and the individual website of the Coordinator for People with Disabilities to WCAG 2.0 standards,
- preparation and implementation of procedures,
- organization of free trainings for decision-makers and other groups of employees participating in the education process and scientific activities,
- development and implementation of the NaviWAT mobile application,
- renovation of the room of the Coordinator for People with Disabled and adapting the bathroom to the needs of people with disabilities,
- free of charge consultations with a psychologist.
Who uses the project results?
The target group covered by the support under the Project is the Military University of Technology in Warsaw.
As part of the task no. 5 Educational Support, support was provided to students and postgraduates of the Military University of Technology, in the form of free consultations with a psychologist, in the period from January 1, 2021 till December 31, 2021, altogether 420 hours.
In addition, support was provided to decision-makers on the accessibility of the Military University of Technology as well as to other groups of employees participating in the education process (managerial, administrative and teaching staff of our university).
Our Project is in line with the horizontal objectives of the ESF, supports the policy of equal opportunities, F and M equality (training is open and available for both F and M and people with disabilities) and non-discrimination, accessibility for people with disabilities, the principle of sustainable development, shaping social awareness in environmental responsibility by limiting paper versions of design documents.
What was the greatest challenge during project implementation?
The biggest challenge, both before and during the implementation of the project, was to convince the people working in our institution of the necessity to introduce changes so as to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. This problem was solved thanks to an in-depth analysis of the needs and expectations of people with disabilities, the results of which were presented during a briefing with the university management. Thanks to the hard work of the entire project team the sensitivity of the academic community to the needs of people with disabilities has been increased, which resulted in effective and timely implementation of individual project tasks.
Our advice for other applicants
Awareness of the needs of people with disabilities is still at a relatively low level in Poland, especially in comparison with Western European countries. There are still many architectural and social barriers that hinder the functioning of people with disabilities. However, effective counteracting to these phenomena is possible only with social support and understanding of the needs of people with disabilities. We therefore recommend that each task included in the grant application be well planned and known throughout the organization. We should keep in mind that these tasks be effectively carried out only with the full awareness of the organization's authorities and social support from able-bodied employees.