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logotypo E.A.U. Sterea Equal Access Uniti - Sterea

Services

Transportation Service

The Transportation Service is one of the main services of the Equal Opportunities Unit, providing transportation support to students with disabilities to and from the University premises during teaching semesters and examination periods. The service is addressed exclusively to active University students who meet the required participation criteria. Eligible students may submit an application to join the service. For more information, interested students may contact the Equal Opportunities Unit.

Physical Accessibility

The University takes measures to ensure the physical accessibility of students with disabilities, as well as staff members and visitors with disabilities, in its outdoor and indoor areas.

Within this context, the facilities of the Departments of the Agricultural University of Athens in Central Greece have the necessary infrastructure to allow free movement for people with mobility disabilities.

Specifically:

  • There are designated parking spaces and ramps providing unobstructed access to the buildings for people with disabilities (PwD).
  • Elevators and electric stair lifts are available to facilitate movement to all floors of the buildings, ensuring direct access to all teaching rooms, as well as accessible toilets for people with disabilities (PwD).
  • Tactile guiding paths have been installed in the outdoor areas of the buildings, facilitating the safe and independent movement of students and visitors with visual impairments to and around the buildings.
  • In the indoor areas of the Department of Regional and Economic Development of the Agricultural University of Athens, based in Amfissa, tactile signage has been installed along the corridors, contributing to the safe orientation and independent movement of people with visual impairments within the building.

In addition, to support the safe navigation of people with visual impairments, access is also supported through the Agricultural University of Athens’ dedicated mobile accessibility application and through audio navigation (Accessibility Application – Agricultural University of Athens).

Digital Accessibility

Digital accessibility ensures that all people can use digital content, websites, applications, and online services equally, regardless of their abilities or limitations.

It involves the design and development of digital solutions that are easy to use, understandable, and functional for all users, including people with disabilities.

Its aim is to remove access barriers and ensure equal opportunities for participation in the digital world. By applying the principles of digital accessibility, every user can browse, obtain information, and use the available services safely, easily, and independently.

Support in the Educational Process

The Special Education Teacher of the Equal Opportunities Unit has as a primary role the support of students with disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs (SEN), as well as contributing to the creation of an accessible and inclusive academic environment. Through their scientific training, they support the equal participation of students in the educational process and the removal of barriers that may limit their academic progress.

Role and Responsibilities of the Special Education Teacher

  • Provides counseling guidance, information, and training to teaching and administrative staff on issues of special education, accessibility, and the implementation of inclusive practices.
  • Investigates and assesses the educational needs of students with disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs (SEN) and contributes to the design of individualized support interventions, proposing reasonable educational adjustments to teaching, the learning process, and examinations.
  • Contributes to the organization, training, and support of the Unit’s volunteer network, whose members provide support services to students with disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs.
  • Cooperates with members of the Equal Opportunities Unit, Education Advisors, and the competent staff of the Department Secretariats, with the aim of effectively coordinating the services provided and implementing the necessary educational adjustments.
  • Contributes to the continuous improvement of student support procedures by monitoring their needs and cooperating with all relevant members of the academic community.

Accessible Textbooks and Learning Materials

Procedure for Producing Accessible Textbooks

After registering with the Equal Opportunities Unit, the student is assessed by the Unit’s Special Education Teacher and subsequently submits a request for textbook conversion. A query is then carried out to determine whether the textbook is already available in an accessible format. If an accessible copy is not already available, the production process follows.

Depending on the type and particular characteristics of the textbook, the process may include, indicatively:

  • recognition and processing of the text;
  • editing and proofreading of the content;
  • formatting in accordance with digital accessibility specifications;
  • adaptation of images (alternative text), tables, diagrams, mathematical formulas, and other non-text elements, where required;
  • production of the appropriate accessible format;
  • final quality and functionality checks before the textbook is made available.

Available Formats

Accessible textbooks are provided in the format that meets the needs of each eligible student. To name a few, the following formats are supported:

  • Accessible tagged DOCX file (Microsoft Word)
  • Accessible PDF file
  • Accessible EPUB 3 file
  • DAISY 3 digital talking book

The available formats may be updated and expanded in accordance with technological developments, international accessibility standards, and users’ needs.

Accessibility Testing

Before each textbook is made available, its quality and accessibility are checked in order to ensure, to the greatest extent possible and based on available resources, compatibility with assistive technologies.

Greek Sign Language (GSL) Interpretation

Greek Sign Language interpretation is provided to support the equal participation of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the educational process and in University activities.

Volunteer Support for Students with Disabilities & SEN

Volunteering in the Unit makes a substantial contribution to the day-to-day support of students with disabilities, facilitating their access to University premises and enhancing their equal participation in the educational process.

Interested persons may indicate their availability and select one or more volunteer activities, depending on their available time, abilities, and interests.

Accessible Workstations in the Libraries

The Library and Information Center of the Agricultural University of Athens, “Alexandros Poulovasilis,” in an effort to facilitate and assist groups of people with disabilities (PwD), has installed two workstations for people with partial or complete visual impairment and mobility difficulties. This equipment includes:

  • Two desktop computers
  • SuperNova Magnifier & ScreenReader software
  • TTS Reader text-to-speech software
  • Duxbury Braille Translator text-to-Braille conversion software
  • Eye-gaze / eye-tracking system (Tobii PCEye Mini)
  • Tactile graphics embosser
  • Closed-circuit desktop magnification system (CCTV)
  • Special switches (alternative to the mouse)
  • Support arm (for switches or tablet/laptop)
  • Alternative computer mouses (n-Abler Joystick // n-Abler Trackball)
  • Large-key keyboard (accompanied by a keyguard that prevents accidental keystrokes and a protective membrane)
  • Braille printer

The Library staff is always willing to facilitate and assist other groups of people with special needs, compensating—where possible—for the lack of technical equipment.

Accessible textbooks produced as part of the Unit’s operations are uploaded to the AMELib multimodal electronic library, where eligible users can access the available educational material in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

To support the production and distribution of accessible academic textbooks, the Equal Opportunities Unit of the Agricultural University of Athens for the Departments of Central Greece cooperates with AMELib (Accessible Multi-modal Electronic Library) of GUnet, an accessible multimodal electronic library that supports the distribution of accessible academic content to eligible persons, in accordance with copyright legislation providing exceptions for persons with print disabilities. Registration with AMELib is exclusively available to certified eligible students with print disabilities.