Integral Accessibility Plan

Action: Integral Accessibility Plan

Area: Transformation of the campus to develop a social integration model

Action: Integral Accessibility Plan

Objetives: The final objective of the plan is to make the University an universally accessible environment, free from all type of barriers, ensuring that all persons, regardless of age, type of disability or other personal condition, are guaranteed the same access to any part of the physical University environment with the greatest amount of autonomy possible, thereby achieving integral accessibility to the rooms, buildings and installations where their activity is carried out, or where University services are offered, focusing special attention on access, permanence and progress in the University education for disabled persons.

This action aims to contribute to the fifth objective of Campus Carlos III which is Fomenting a sustainable interurban Campus to serve as a driving force in the surrounding community in the Madrid Region.
 

In collaboration with IMSERSO (Institute of Older Persons and Social Services) and the Fundación Once (Foundation for Social Cooperation and the Integration of People with Disabilities), the University has developed an Integral Accessibility Plan for Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (May, 2010).

The starting point for the Plan is the definition of the concept “Universal Accessibility”, which is: “the conditions that physical environment, processes and services, as well as instruments and devices must comply with so as to be usable and practical in safe, comfortable and equal conditions in the most autonomous and natural way possible for all persons, particularly those with a disability”.
From this perspective the Plan is structured into two large parts, each with general contents.

1. Accessibility of the physical environment, specifically:

• The urbanistic aspects of the immediate outside environment and, of course, within Campus grounds.
• Aspects related to transportation to the Campuses.
• Aspects related to construction (including lighting, furniture and fixtures).
• Information about Campus spaces (basically referring to appropriate and adequate sign posting).
• Specific revision of the UCIII Emergency Plan for persons with disabilities.

2. Accessibility to processes and services, specifically:

• Detection and diagnosis of accessibility improvement in the development of processes and services, especially taking into account the “teaching-learning” process.
• Fomenting sensitivity to the difficulties and inaccessibility that may arise for users of the corresponding services.
• Registry of demands which arise (from the responsible agents as well as the users of the service) in order to solve said demands with the most opportune actions.
• Information and orientation regarding possible procedural, organizational and technical solutions which may be applicable in general or in specific cases.

The “Uc3m Integral Accessibility Plan” is a document which offers a two-fold utility to the University: on one hand, to know of the actual situation with respect to the accessibility conditions of its spaces, installations and services, providing bases for solving problems detected, and to define specific strategies to promote accessibility, according to the legislation and criteria established in Norm UNE 170001:2001 part 1 Integral Accessibility “Criteria to facilitate accessibility to the surrounding environment”. In this sense, it is a diagnosis of areas of public use whose management depends on the University administration and within the stipulated area of study.

The diagnosis carried out and the subsequent plan of actions should establish the bases for a future system of accessibility management according to the legislation and the criteria found in Norm UNE 170001-part 2 Management system for integral accessibility.