“Accessibility is a permanent task”
How accessible is ETH Zurich? On the occasion of the “Rights of Persons with Disabilities Action Days” taking place throughout Switzerland from mid-May to mid-June, Ulrich Weidmann, Vice President for Infrastructure, takes stock of the “Barrier-free at ETH Zurich” programme and explains what still needs to be done.
Mr Weidmann, the “Barrier-free at ETH Zurich” programme has been in place since early 2021. What prompted the initiative?
I first encountered the topic of accessibility in the 1990s when I was working on my doctoral thesis about “Step-free access to buses and trams”. This was when I became aware of the “Design for all” concept – that is, the idea that measures for people with disabilities can bring about an improvement for everyone. I’ve since remained constantly interested in this topic. At some point, it seemed to be the right time for us to also address this issue – in the knowledge that many parts of ETH were still not accessible.
Why didn’t anything happen earlier? The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified in Switzerland ten years ago and the Disability Discrimination Act has even been in force for 20 years...
ETH is a mirror of society in this respect. Accessibility was not a big issue in Switzerland for a long time – including, for instance, on public transport. We at ETH were no further ahead of or behind other sectors. However, when we finally launched the programme, there was a lot of positive feedback.
Accessibility: what it’s about
The “Design for all” campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of an inclusive teaching and research environment that should ideally be free of all barriers, obstacles and limitations. After all, this is an issue that affects us all: every day, we all encounter obstacles – some easier, others harder to overcome. Due to an accident, illness or the mere process of getting older, factors such as steps, tiny print or poor room acoustics can suddenly present insurmountable barriers that exclude people with limited mobility or disabilities.
ETH Zurich is striving to minimise these barriers and ideally to eliminate them altogether so that everyone can enjoy largely barrier-free access to university buildings and services.
Why is it important for all people – whether with or without disabilities – to have access to ETH?
To put it another way: why shouldn’t they have access? It’s a question of the principle that all people should be able to study or work at ETH who have the requisite intellectual abilities and motivation. On top of this, there are also statutory requirements. For example, the Cantonal Constitution of Zurich requires all public institutions to facilitate access for people with disabilities. This shows that society also supports and expects this principle.
The “Barrier-free at ETH Zurich” programme will be completed in the spring of 2025. Will ETH Zurich then be barrier-free?
As far as infrastructure and services are concerned, we will be largely barrier-free. However, there’s still a lot to be done in terms of physical access to our buildings. It’s likely to take another 15 to 20 years before all the existing properties are barrier-free. This is not the case for new buildings and buildings undergoing refurbishment. As of last year, accessibility has been included in the planning from the outset. In terms of barrier-free signage, which is particularly relevant for persons with impaired vision, it will take some years before the whole of ETH is converted to new room and building signage.
Examples of measures already implemented in the “Barrier-free at ETH Zurich” project:
- Courses and awareness workshops
- Information websites and checklists
- Accessible learning spaces
- Subtitling of course recordings
- Barrier-free adaptation of buildings
All implemented measures can be found in our quarterly reporting under “News” (link: Barrier-free at ETH Zurich – Staffnet | ETH Zurich)
Does the programme not raise false expectations if ETH will still not be completely barrier-free after its completion?
Accessibility is a permanent task. The programme may be completed next year. However, this will merely mean that this initial incentive is completed. From then on, accessibility must be part of our day-to-day business. The statutory requirements concerning accessibility will also develop further. We will constantly have to reconsider these in the future.
In other words, the support of all ETH members is required to make our university truly accessible?
Absolutely. For example, when designing websites and courses, we rely on all persons who are planning, managing and implementing such formats – such as web authors and teaching staff – taking accessibility requirements into account. We are all needed to make ETH barrier-free.
What challenges could ETH face in future with regard to accessibility?
The financial resources for the further development of accessibility could come under pressure. One touchstone for ETH will be whether it still remains prepared to invest money in this area during financially challenging times. For me, accessibility is a basic requirement for being able to offer teaching, research and knowledge transfer in the first place.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Action Days
ETH Zurich is once again participating in the external page Rights of Persons with Disabilities Action Days this year. These will take place in Switzerland from 15 May until 15 June 2024. Learn sign language in the “Café des Signes”, change your perspective in the new awareness-raising workshop, explore the ETH buildings with the new “PolyMaps” barrier-free app or visit the ETH Library’s newly equipped and barrier-free learning workstations. You can find these and other events on the “Design for all” website.
Always up to date
Would you like to always receive the most important internal information and news from ETH Zurich? Then subscribe to the "internal news" newsletter and visit Staffnet, the information portal for ETH employees.