Marco La Rosa, ESN. Why? ExchangeAbility, UNICA Grant | Marco La Rosa | CND Siena 20112.

Marco La Rosa, ESN

Why?

ExchangeAbility, UNICA Grant | Marco La Rosa | CND Siena 2011

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About the Project• Erasmus Accompanying Measures

finaced by the European Commission

• ExchangeAbility: Fostering Mobility of Students with Disabilities

• Duration: 1 Nov. 2010 – 31 Oct. 2011

3ExchangeAbility, UNICA Grant | Marco La Rosa | CND Siena 2011

Who?• A Consortium of 7– UNICA (BE) - Coordinator– Erasmus Student Network (BE)– Erasmushogeschool Brussel (BE)– University of Cyprus (CY)– Tallinn University of Technology (EE) – Eötvös Lorand University Budapest (HU)– Comenius University Bratislava (SK)


What?• Increase the participation of students with special

needs in mobility - ‘ExchangeAbility Ambassadors’• Awarness raising on the need of promoting inclusive

policies and practices at universities involving all stakeholders, especially students

• Improve the information provision schemes about mobility programmes for disabled students

• Networking and promotion of active citizenship and community participation among young people

• Common dialogue, exchange of best practices, awareness raising & multiplying effect


How?• Site visit from 1 partner university to another• Collection of good practices• Networking among ExchangeAbility

Ambassadors • Website and Blog connected to social media• Accessible promotional material• Accessible Movies• Final Café Event


The AmbassadorsExperiencing mobility

Promoting exchanges among other students with disabilities

‘Done by students for students’‘Nothing about disabled people without

disabled people’


Quality matters!• The consortium is a perfect collaboration among students,

universities and stakeholders.• The project had a good background

– ExchangeAbility was started by ESN and the European Disability Forum (EDF)

– Basic knowledge in the ESN Network: Guidebook on how to make local ESN sections accessible

– UNICA Working Group on disabilities• The workload was divided among all the partners and the students

brought not only their experiences but took active part in the organization of the site visits

• Feedback rounds and surveys for the participants• External evaluation and support of other organizations, such as EDF


Dissemination• An accessible website: exchangeability.eu– All the material from the site visits available– Story competition– Much much more... Go and check it out!

• Active use of social media• 5 wonderful videos!• 4 different postcards• Others: Posters, Leaflets, T-shirts• Internal and external events!


http://www.exchangeability.eu/

Dissemination: events• UNICA Events• 13 ESN Events• EAIE 2010, Nantes DIW Session, September 2010• ExchangeAbility Conference Athens (EYF), December 2010• Conference «Universal Learning Design», Brno, February 2011• UNICA Working Group on Disabilities, February 2011• IFISO Meeting 2011 Krakow, March 2011• AEGEE Agora Spring 2011, Alicante, April 2011• UNICA IRO Meeting, May 2011• ERACON 2011, Athens, May 2011• "Education for All“ Conference, June 2011• European Access Network, Anniversary Conference, June 2011• Link International Conference, July 2011...and any other opportunity we found


The videos• The five videos of the project definitely deserve a

separate slide • 1 per each site visit• A great team: Lena Dewaegenare and Mathias Ruelle– Volunteers!– Students at EhB

• Award winning videos!– 1st place in the EQUNET COMPETITION 2011– 3rd place in the Baltic Sea Region – a good place for

living


Future• ESN and accessibility

– More cooperation between ESN, UNICA and EDF • Working group in ESN• UNICA working group on disabilities• Cooperation on the national level between ESN, EDF, National Agencies

and Higher Education Institutions

– A new edition of the Guidebook «make ESN an accessible organization» for the ESN sections and HEIs including the material from the project

• Trainings– Integrate ExchangeAbility in Eduk8– Trainings during international, national, local events– Multiplying effect across Europe


Curiosities• The definition of disability may vary per country

– traditional disability categories, chronical illness, psychological/psychiatric disorders

• Services to students with disabilities can vary in quantity and quality, some examples:– Disability coordinator(s)- most have coordinator at each faculty– Support centre – Technical devices – some rentable– Psychological councelling– Sign language interpretation: on campus or outside service– Note taking– Personal assistants– Adapted learning material– Extra time during exams– Reasonable accomodation and adaptation of the curriculum– Extra tutorials– Student Associations and ESN sections with mentor programmes


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HEIs Problems

When it comes to exchange students...•time consuming preparation •need of intensive assistance •problematic communication with the host university •incompatibility of support services •definition differencies•lack of/insufficient financial support


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Student Problems• lack of information concerning disability policies • absence of relevant information in foreign languages of the universities • lack of information on extra funds available for EU exchange programmes • fear of the unknown (people, environment,)• language dis-ability • lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem• accessibility of the city and public transport• physical barriers at the university• limited number of adapted learning material• teachers mindset, and attitude• limited freedom of choice• accessibility to the student life • students with disabilities need extra effort to be integrated as foreign

students • employability after studies


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SuggestionsSuggestions given to stakeholders as result of the project•Accessibility of the physical environment – at least make some steps to the environmental modification of the university buildings•Cooperation of the university with the city administration and consumer organizations•Accessibility of the learning material in foreign languages in adapted formats•Training of sign language interpreters on an academic level in foreign languages•Information on disability policy and accomodation possibilities for students with different disabilities in foreign languages on the web site of the university•Raising awareness about disabilities among the university staff to remove human barriers


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And more • Choosing representatives with disabilities in the local student associations

and in ESN• Special language courses for students with disabilities (especially in the

post communist countries)• More intensive councelling for students with disability• Providing trained personal assistants• Giving the opportunity to short-term visits for students with disability

before decision making on the study program


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Video!

Let’s take a look at one video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBYyxWwvWrU


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBYyxWwvWrU

Marco La Rosa, ESN. Why? ExchangeAbility, UNICA Grant | Marco La Rosa | CND Siena 20112.

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