Description
The project will address the matter of international mobility of students with physical disabilities by focusing on two matters: institutional assessment and change and setting up a framework for actual mobilities. It is situated, broadly, at the intersection of two main dimensions of higher education priorities worldwide at this moment: internationalization and social equity, by aiming to ensure equal access of students with physical disabilities to international mobilities for studies. Thus, it offers students with disabilities the opportunity to cultivate their personal and professional skills in order to support their access and inclusion to an increasingly internationalized academic world, as well as an increasingly globalized labour market. The project contributes to the specific aim of targeting social sustainability issues as it has the objective to socially and economically empower students with disabilities. The project is expected to achieve an Evaluation Tool for Higher Education Institutions, a State of the Art Report, a White Paper and a Manual for Institutional Change, as well as a Mobility Network of Higher Education Institutions committed to promoting and supporting mobilities for students with disabilities.
Summary of project results
The project adresed a problematic aspect of equal and sustained/sustainable access of students with disabilities to international mobilities. The results, the intellectual outputs and project activities have been and continue to be disseminated through a network of partners, as well as the project website. They have also been presented within the project's events, a mutual learning workshop and a closing conference. As the aim of the project was to both raise awareness and engender institutional development, the impact of the project has reached various target groups within the academic communities of the consortium partners and secondary partners of the consortium universities (students, student unions, administrative staff and academic staff). Target groups benefits included a complex and comprehensive perspective on international mobilities for students with disabilities, as speakers and participants have included students with disabilities and professionals dealing with disability and international mobilities at university level. The intellectual outputs included an Evaluation Tool for HEIs, a State of the Art Report, a White Paper and a Manual on Institutional Development, concerning the topic of the project, all of them having been delivered and benefiting from partners' and stakeholders' feedback. The donor state partner, University of Agder, coordinated the development of the Evaluation Tool for HEIs.
Summary of bilateral results
The donor state partner coordinated the development of the Evaluation Tool for HEIs in regards to supporting international mobilities for students with disabilities and its' content is outstanding, with additional efforts having been made in order to include evaluation for support for academic staff with disabilities, an aspect left out in the project, but very useful. The partnership has led towards two knowledge/practice sharing events: a Mutual Learning Workshop and a Conference on the topic of the project, reuniting various stakeholders: students, student unions, academic and administrative staff working in international relations or disability offices, university management staff, etc. Intellectual outputs include: Evaluation tool for HEIs' services, State of the Art Report, White Paper, Manual on institutional change. These have offered opportunities for networking between the above mentioned stakeholders for achieving the objects of the project in terms of ensuring equal access of students with disabilities to international mobilities and will be followed up by a more in-depth transnational project application on specific courses for students with disabilities.