Accessibility of Higher Education – Advancements, Challenges and Good Practices

Experts / speakers / chairs / moderators that will be involved: 
Chairs: Alek Waszkielewicz, Fronia - Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, Fundacja na Rzecz Osób z Niepełnosprawnościami Anna Rozborska , FIRR - Institute for Regional Development Foundation, Fundacja Instytut Rozwoju Regionalnego Speakers: Ireneusz Białek, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland TBC, National Centre for Research and Development, Poland Tanja Stevns, Sensus, Denmark Alek Waszkielewicz, Fronia - Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, Fundacja na Rzecz Osób z Niepełnosprawnościami, Poland
Proposed format: 
Presentations (lectures), discussion, panel discussion
Abstract / Short Description of the Proposed Session – will be published in the conference programme and the Book of Abstracts: 
Accessibility is a human right as stated, inter alia, in article 9 of the UN Convention of rights of persons with disabilities or in the Stockholm Declaration. Additionally, foreign students and lecturers, learning difficulties, aging professors, persons with disabilities (among students and university staff), (increasing) awareness of special needs, inclusion, equality and diversity of all of us – make accessibility and universal design a must for universities and their workers. This challenge is not new. Certain universities have been building up accessibility for few decades. However the process of advancing accessibility and universal design is not general as we would wish. And still a lot of old and emerging dilemmas and questions have to be resolved, researched or answered, including the following: * How to consider accessibility and universal design in university’s internal legislation (and policies)? * How to decide on a support model (e.g. what internal structures?; own or shared resources?)? * How to finance accessibility investments and changes? * How to govern, coordinate and monitor accessibility? * How to promote accessibility, how to convince accessibility sceptics? * How to share experience, exchange good practices and network? * How to assure: ** Accessibility of didactics? ** Accessibility of materials (educational, scientific, etc.)? ** Accessibility of validation of learning outcomes? ** Other We encourage all from academia (and also from governments and NGOs) to share their achievements, good practices, views and opinions. It concerns: policy makers, academic teachers, scientists, support staff, managing staff, etc. We accept contributions in a form of: * Forum (non-scientific) papers for presentation and publication * Presentation only (no publication) See you in Lecco :)