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ACCESSIBILITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES |
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Location/geographical coverage |
University of Novi Sad, AP Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia |
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Background and description |
The University was founded in 1960, when the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia passed the Law on the Foundation of the University of Novi Sad, which connected previously established faculties in Vojvodina. Today, this University represents one of the largest scientific and educational centers in Central Europe, with more than 50,000 students and 5,000 employees. Its faculties and institutes are located in 4 cities in Vojvodina: Novi Sad, Subotica, Sombor and Zrenjanin. With a developed scientific infrastructure and innovative potential, the University of Novi Sad belongs to the so-called complete or comprehensive universities covering almost all scientific fields. The University of Novi Sad is dedicated to developing an inclusive cultural practice through activities that ensure equal study conditions for all students, and in this context pays special attention to the development of support for students with disabilities. Support services, assistive technologies and adapted work environments are available to students from underrepresented groups. The central building of the University of Novi Sad has been fully adapted for people with disabilities and was built according to “universal design” standards. The University’s information center has an inclined ramp that enables unhindered entry for people with disabilities. All facilities inside the University are fully architecturally accessible. There is an elevator in the Central Building that allows access to all floors. On the ground floor of this building, there is a toilet adapted for people with disabilities. The central library of the University is also fully adapted for people with disabilities and houses the most significant part of the assistive technology intended for students with disabilities: speech programs for audio-screen reading; recorders with voice commands; electronic magnifiers; Braille keyboard; braille printer; the existing fund of publications in Braille; joysticks for computer use; inductive loops; mobile sound amplifiers. All technology is free and available to students of all faculties of the University. Over 32,000 publications in the collection of the Central Library of the University of Novi Sad are, at the request of visually impaired students, available for digitization and later use in the learning process. Study conditions for students with disabilities are continuously improved: all actors who provide support for these students are networking, existing ones support systems are being improved and new ones are being introduced. The Information and Public Relations Center (University Info-center), founded in 2017 as an organizational unit of the University, provides all necessary information and support, among others, to students with disabilities. The information center provides support to students with disabilities in providing information on study conditions and ways of support at faculties, affirmative measures during studies, architectural accessibility of each faculty, scholarships, student exchanges, work practices and employment. By networking all relevant actors into a system of support service providers, the Info-center continuously develops and improves the study of students with disabilities. In cooperation with partner institutions, the Info-center mediates in providing personal assistance, finding an adapted form of literature and an adapted way of fulfilling pre-exam obligations and taking the exam, providing psycho-social protection services, etc. In the process of providing the services of the Info-center, the role of the mentor, who follows and supports students from enrollment to graduation and finding a job, is significant. At the University, the Center for Student Support of the Faculty of Philosophy (founded in 2015) (centarzapodrsku@ff.uns.ac.rs) provides significant support to students in the organization of everyday life, learning and fulfilling student obligations. Forms of support are peer mentoring, peer counseling, thematic workshops led by students under supervision, open doors three days a week and info-contacts. The Center’s activities are carried out by engaging students as part of the learning obligation, that is, professional practice provided for in the study program and/or through extracurricular activities. All students engaged in the Center go through a program of preparation for working with peers under the supervision of teachers and associates of the Faculty. The Student Support Center cooperates with other centers and services of the Faculty and the University, as well as institutions and organizations in the local community and has intensive cooperation with the mentor for disabled students of the University, in order to develop support for their independent learning and functioning. The “Live Upright” center is one of the leading organizations dealing with the problems of people with disabilities and, among other things, it has developed two support services for students with disabilities: experiential counseling and personal assistance. |
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Stakeholders and Partners |
All faculties of the University of Novi Sad Students with disabilities All students who need to overcome some difficulty related to studying “Living Upright” Center Center for student support, within the Faculty of Philosophy |
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Innovation potential |
The innovation potential is seen first of all in the approach to handicapped persons, which aims to help not only persons whose handicaps are recognized in legal provisions for appropriate relief or affirmative measures, but also in organized institutional assistance to all students who need to overcome some of their problems. |
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Success Factors |
It is necessary to provide material resources for the implementation of technical conditions for the study of certain categories of handicapped students, which is also a legal obligation. An appropriate cultural context is also necessary, in which the inclusivity of all students is fostered, regardless of their personal characteristics or problems. |
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Sustainability |
Sustainability requires continuous investment in the maintenance of existing equipment and its modernization, as well as fostering an inclusive culture in the institution. |
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Replicability and/or up-scaling potential |
The lack of material resources in the educational system of our country is a key problem that prevents many educational institutions from adapting to handicapped students and acquiring appropriate equipment that would facilitate their studies. Cooperation with the non-government sector and the use of all funds available to educational institutions is very important for the success of such projects. |
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Contact details |
Detailed information about study opportunities, affirmative measures and support services for students of the University of Novi Sad can be obtained from the Info-center office (Bulevar cara Laraza 5, Novi Sad); by phone on the numbers (021) 485-2048 and 064 813 87 76, on working days from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; by email to stefan.savic@uns.ac.rs The contact person is Stefan Savić, mentor for students with disabilities at the University of Novi Sad. |
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URL of the practice Reference document |
https://www.uns.ac.rs/index.php/podrska-studentima-sa-invaliditetom-2 |
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Related Web site(s) |
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Related resources that have been developed |
Savić, S. (ur). (2018). Pristupačnost visokog obrazovanja studentima sa invaliditetom – vodič namenjen studentima sa invaliditetom. Novi Sad: Univerzitet u Novom Sadu. |
Belgrade
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SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS FROM SENSITIVE SOCIAL GROUPS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE |
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Location/geographical coverage |
Faculty of Law, Belgrade University, City Belgrade, Republic of Serbia |
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Background and description |
Students from sensitive social groups (disabled, Roma, socially disadvantaged) are facilitated to enroll the faculty and are provided with continuous support during their studies, in order to ensure equal opportunities for education of all students at this higher education institution. Good practice is implemented every year, in a certain period and/or throughout the year, depending on its nature and taking into account the needs of the users. In addition to observing the enrollment quotas prescribed by law for students with disabilities and Roma students, the following is practiced:
During their studies, students with special needs are provided with assistance when registering for exams, postponing or changing the examiner, submitting various requests and resolving them (students with disabilities often do the above through communication via e-mail or telephone). In the described way, it is easier for students to study and save money for travel expenses, especially for those who are not from Belgrade.Students with disabilities are allowed to take exams in accordance with their needs – oral/written, separately from other students; they have at their disposal resources that facilitate access to teaching and teaching materials: a ramp for wheelchairs, a tactile map of the building for the visually impaired, e-textbooks for the visually impaired, the JAWS program for the visually impaired, an induction coil for speech amplification in the amphitheater V for the hearing impaired. Students enrolled under affirmative measures choose their own representative in the Student Parliament who will represent their interests. In addition to providing various types of support to underrepresented students, the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade has been continuously working, especially during the last decade, on the development of an inclusive culture and fostering sensitivity for interculturality among students and employees of this higher education institution. Convinced that academic and scientific excellence cannot be spoken of today if higher education is not inclusive, the Faculty of Law undertook a series of activities related to the education of male and female students on the principles and values of equality and the fight against discrimination. This included, first of all, the enrichment of study programs with the subject of Minority Rights, as well as numerous legal clinics which, while there were legal possibilities for this, provided free legal assistance to persons from sensitive social groups, while several of them persistently and successfully dealt with training students for correct and complete understanding of discrimination issues (Legal Clinic for Discrimination Issues, Legal Clinic for Asylum and Refugee Law, Legal Clinic for Combating Human Trafficking). In addition to formal education, the Faculty of Law’s efforts to promote an inclusive culture in the higher education context are also reflected in the organization of summer schools and conferences dedicated to certain sensitive groups.
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Stakeholders and Partners |
Beneficiaries of good practice are students from vulnerable social groups: students with disabilities, socially vulnerable students and Roma students, graduates from student dormitories. |
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Methodological Approach |
Starting from the school year 2009/2010. The Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade finances scholarships for its students with a more modest financial situation. After reviewing the applications received for the competition, the competition commission compiles a ranking list of students who meet the conditions for receiving scholarships, guided by the following criteria: regular enrollment in the next year of study; lower material status of the student; other achieved results (scientific or professional papers, participation in domestic and international law student competitions). The committee selects 100 students at the Bachelor studies (except for first-year students) who are financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia and students of Master’s academic studies to whom the Faculty of Law pays scholarships in the amount of 10,000 dinars per month. |
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Validation |
According to the vice-dean for scientific and professional work, very often students verbally or by email express their satisfaction for the help provided to them. |
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Innovation potential |
The Faculty of Law is the first higher education institution in Serbia that provides scholarships to its students with its own funds and has been doing so continuously for 13 school years. |
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Success Factors |
In order to replicate this good practice in a similar context, good will, financial resources, knowledge of the needs and risk factors of vulnerable groups are needed. |
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Constrains |
When it comes to the challenges faced by both students and teaching and non-teaching staff in the application of good practice, it should be emphasized that the financial moment has a great impact on the application of good practice. Also, working with these sensitive groups often requires additional effort from employees, which can be a problem in periods of work overload and with a reduced number of employees. |
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Lessons learned |
Recognizing the needs of sensitive groups, adopting a plan of measures to correct perceived deficiencies, checking the measures plan with representatives of sensitive groups and checking the implementation of the plan of measures by the faculty administration are key messages and lessons learned from past experience. |
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Sustainability |
Donations and education. |
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Replicability and/or up-scaling potential |
Prerequisites for the spread of good practice are an increase in awareness of the need to include the aforementioned groups in normal life and courses with equal opportunities for education. It is necessary to secure financial resources and cooperate with non-governmental organizations that deal with special sensitive groups. |
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Conclusion |
As a good example of the effectiveness of the existing practice, we state that a completely blind person completed Bachelor academic studies, Master’s studies and is currently enrolled in doctoral studies and in the meantime got a job at the Faculty of Law. |
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Contact details |
For more information on good practices, students and other interested parties can contact the Faculty of Law at the following e-mail address: |