Technion – Campus open to all
In the 1980s, the Technion was the first academic institute to initiate a comprehensive plan of campus physical accessibility for people with disabilities. The basic principles of the accessibility plan arose from the ethics of equal rights for all students and the vision of Technion City as the home of all – including students, administrative staff, faculty and visitors.
Around 90 % of the buildings on campus are today adjusted at different levels. Such adjustments include ways to access to buildings, ramps, additional elevators to existing buildings, access services to dormitory apartments, fifty audio support systems for halls and classrooms, innovative voice navigation systems to guide people with visual impairment, reinforcement lighting, directional signs and more.
This large-scale project was funded by a generous donation from Technion friends and from Israel’s National Insurance Institute. Technion’s total investment in physical accessibility, is today more than $4 million.
Additional services are also available to students with special needs from the Division for the Advancement of Students. Services include emotional support , mediation in order to claim rights from the National Insurance Institute and other aid agencies, contact with relevant faculty and representation on various committees such as the medical committee ( special accommodations Committee ), the Committee for exceptional candidates and others.
In the last decade , Israel has witnessed a revolution in legislation for equality for people with disabilities. As a result, the Technion is matching jobs according to the required quota. The Technion accessibility forum and advisory body oversees management in the field. The forum chairman is a senior faculty member, and members include representatives from management, the Dean of Students , Student Union and students with disabilities. Additionally, tutorials are held in different populations on campus , including the heads of principal and maintenance managers of buildings.