Barriers to Inclusive Mobility
Viktor Piorecký
Building Bridges, May 13-15 2014
Masaryk University (MU)
● Founded: 1919
● Staff: 5200
● Faculties: 9
● Students: 38700
Teiresias
● Founded: 2000
● Staff: 48 int., 180 ext.
● Current SEN students: 540
● Students since 2000: 1956
Teaching and
Counseling Serv.
Services for daily
studies
Information Accessibility Services
Publishing House
Assistance
Library
Translation and
interpreting
Psychological
counselling
Pedagogical
counselling
Electronic
documents
Electronic
documents
Courses and tests
interpreting
Information services
Special curricula
Tactile documents
Tactile documents
Interpreting special
courses
Technical services
Translating written
documents into SL
Orienteering
Special courses
Texts
Texts
Test adaptation
Graphics,
maps
Graphics,
maps
Services for lifelong
learning
ICT Services
Public study rooms
Special teaching
rooms
Developping spec.
applications
Spec. ICT courses
Speech visualisation
Personal Assistance
Accommodation and
boarding
Talking documents
Talking documents
Speech-to-text
reporting
Video documents
Video documents
Note-keeping
Hybrid documents
Hybrid documents
MU and mobility of SEN students
● app. 200 MU SEN students travelled abroad for short study visits and
semester/year visits (18 students with special Erasmus grant)
● destinations: Brasil, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Spain,
Norway
● app. 15 SEN students came to MU
● Role of Teiresias
○ knowing the students and their needs before the nomination
process
○ organization and coordination before and during the visit
○ communication with all stakeholders
○ organization of special Erasmus grant
○ providing assistance /service abroad (if needed)
● Three key areas:
○ organization of the stay
○ social contact on the spot
Mobility of students with special needs
General Challenges
● protective family
● fear of unknown
● service expectations
o different standards and practice of services (different offices in
charge, external organizations in charge vs. services offered by
the university itself, publicly delivered service vs. individually
payed service...)
o incorrect information (or lack of information) about the services
available, sometimes these questions are clear after the visit...
● financial requirements of services (additional grant needed - subject
to negotiation with national agency). Who pays for services? If there
are no services, who is in charge to organize them, host or sending
university?
● limited or none accessibility measures during social events on the
spot
Challenges for students with visual impairment
● problematic or no adaptation of study material
o access to local (regional, national) electronic library for visually impaired
o the right to use specific publication in electronic format in respective country
o the right to request document conversion from respective
university/regional/national digitalization office
o the right to use conversed materials during exams
● problematic or no adaptation of other documents such as applications,
accommodation rules, registration documents etc.
● spatial orientation
o access to local voice navigation
o orientation instruction within the university and between univ. and
accommodation
o haptic plans
● guiding and assistance
● difficulties when traveling with guide dog (culture, accommodation)
Challenges for students with hearing impairment
● Interpretation from English or local language to ISS or to local sign
language?
● Access to local online interpretation services
● Speech-to-text reporting
● Who pays for these services?
● Communication in English as requirement
● Social isolation as barrier (no interpretation in private life)
Challenges for students with mobility impairment
● barrier-free
o university, its services and events
o public services
o transportation (public, taxi…)
o accommodation
o hygienic services
● the right to park personal car (campus and accommodation)
● personal assistance during education
● personal assistance during private life
How to overcome these challenges?
● communication
● knowing who delivers specific services in what extend, what is the price and
who pays for it (all of it in advance of the visit)
● extensive budget in advance (often unrealistic)
● adaptation of all important information in advance
● regular contact during the visit
Thank you
Support Centre for Students with Special Needs
Masaryk University
Šumavská 15, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Tel.: 549491105
Fax: 549491120
E-mail: teiresias@muni.cz
www.teiresias.muni.cz