That the individuals with disabilities are the ones who can express the particularities of their daily lives and the barriers they face day by day to make use, on equal terms with others, of the spaces on the campus of the University of Antioquia, is the objective of the “Survey for the characterization of the population with disabilities at UdeA,” which can be responded to starting this July 23, 2024, through the University Portal.
The “Project for physical and technological accessibility at the university” designed this information collection tool, which will be available for two months and that, under the principle of “nothing about us without us,” seeks to get closer to the realities of people with disabilities through relevant questions conceived and formulated with the support of people with disabilities who are part of the project.
“After conducting an exploratory analysis of all the information systems at the University, we found inconsistencies in the data, which is why we felt compelled to design the survey,” stated Ana Lucía Pérez Patiño, Vice President for Extension and leader of the Project for physical and technological accessibility at the university.
“In addition to knowing how many of us there are, with the survey results we will have clear and organized information that will allow us to make decisions and carry out effective actions”, said Mauricio Ceballos Montoya, a person with visual disabilities and support professional in the project.
According to Pérez Patiño, the importance of all members of the UdeA community with disabilities participating lies in the result of the analysis of the responses, because the tool will provide the characteristics of each disability and, above all, will allow understanding the barriers that limit these people’s possibilities. “There we will know whether they are attitudinal, technological, regulatory, or physical barriers; to propose solutions,” clarified the Vice President.
You may be interested in reading: Physical and technological accessibility, a collective bet that advances at UdeA
The development of this tool took place over 10 months, a process that allowed for the design of an easily accessible platform with all the conditions for anyone to fill out the survey without any issues.
Those interested in answering the questions must go to the website www.udea.edu.co/accesibilidad and once there, as is commonly done to access the services and information of the University Portal, the respondent must enter their institutional username and password. “Then each person, according to their disability, will be able to answer the questions,” said Ceballos Montoya, who emphasized that it is essential for those who intend to respond to the survey to do so based on the premise that there are no correct or incorrect answers.
The results of the survey will serve as input for the formulation of university policies for inclusion in the coming years. Photo: UdeA Communications Directorate / Alejandra Uribe F.
Inclusion, a matter for everyone
To successfully carry out this institutional initiative, the most important thing is to have the commitment of the university community. “The call is also for those who do not have disabilities to help us spread the word about the survey to all interested parties, as a complement to the dissemination strategies we will implement with the UdeA Communications Directorate,” requested Pérez Patiño.
And although the efforts for inclusion at the University of Antioquia have already surpassed 30 years of work, for Ceballos Montoya there has been a lack of coordination, which, as he said, can be achieved with a clear database about the people and the needs that must be addressed.
According to the survey promoters, with the information collected, strategies like the Accessibility Laboratory, located on the first floor of block 22 of the University City, will have greater impact, serving as the privileged site to provide advice to all individuals who have questions regarding the survey.
With the data, furthermore, the technological developments achieved by researchers from the Alma Máter will gain greater significance, such as those already existing: a cane with sensors for blind people and computer writing prosthetics for amputees.
Furthermore, alliances and collaborative work can be channeled and have a greater impact for this population, such as the one the University achieved by linking to the Program for Talent Colombia. “We connected with the business sector so that our graduates with disabilities can join the labor market,” noted Pérez Patiño.
“Tell us from your feelings, what are those barriers that prevent you from fully enjoying university life?, that we will work for policies and conscious adaptations to overcome them,” emphasized Ceballos Montoya, who warned that although UdeA is a model for inclusion, there is still much to do on this path of learnings.
Disabilities classified by UdeA
Among its advances, the Project for physical and technological accessibility at the university has the classification of types of disabilities, based on institutional needs and the concepts of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. They are:
Visual disability: includes total blindness and low vision.
Hearing disability: includes profound deafness and hearing impairment.
Physical disability: includes physical disabilities of upper limbs, lower limbs, or both.
Deafblindness: includes people who have both hearing and visual disabilities.
Short stature disability: includes people who do not meet the minimum height standard.
Intellectual disability: includes people with learning delays.
Psychosocial mental disability: includes people with psychiatric and psychological disorders.
Multiple disabilities: includes people who have two or more disabilities.