VMU Disability Policy – A University Culture Based On Human Rights
Every year on December 3rd, the world celebrates the International Day of People with Disabilities. It is a reminder and an opportunity to reflect on the situation of people with disabilities in society – their rights, freedoms, quality of life and discrimination.
“The International Day for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, let’s call it December 3rd, has been declared by the United Nations to ensure that everyone hears and sees that people with disabilities, whatever their impairment is, are not objects of treatment and care, but subjects of human rights, with equal rights with all human beings, and with the right to be protected from discrimination on the basis of disability. It is also a reminder that, as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it is the duty of States to promote and implement the equality of persons with disabilities with all other human beings, by ensuring the accessibility of buildings, transport, information and communication, by providing appropriate adaptations to the living, educational and working conditions, and by providing the personal assistance necessary to live independently of other people. I would therefore consider December 3rd to be Human Rights Day when States reaffirm their commitment to ensuring equality and non-discrimination against people with disabilities on the basis of disability. For Vytautas Magnus University it is also a celebration and a commitment, because the Disability Policy agreed by the VMU community, approved by the VMU Senate and started to be implemented at the University, is based on the principles of freedom and equality and on the dignity of students and employees with disabilities and on the dignity and the human rights of the University’s culture”, – VMU professor, the Vice-President of the UN Committee of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Jonas Ruškus, said on the importance of this day.
Prof. Jonas Ruškus
The Disability Policy Document of VMU – Inclusive University has been prepared on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the practice of disability policy documents in other countries, as well as the University’s long-standing experience and tradition of working with persons with disabilities – their inclusion in higher education, the implementation of the VMU Disability Friendly University idea and the goals of the University’s Strategic Plan 2021-2027. The aim of this policy is to ensure a culture of equality and non-discrimination at the University by providing reasonable accommodations and by increasing accessibility of studies and/or work for persons with disabilities.
Inclusive opportunities – mean human rights-based conditions and measures to promote inclusion and opportunity within the organization. This includes the organization’s commitment to ensuring a culture of equality and non-discrimination through documents and standards, removing barriers to equality and participation of persons with disabilities in the study and work environments, and fostering the individual’s free and varied choices, based on his/her own individual support requirements and aspirations and on what is meaningful to the individual. Furthermore, where necessary, reasonable accommodations are provided to ensure that the individual has the opportunity to pursue meaningful and successful study and work at the University.
“VMU’s ambition to increase the accessibility of study and working conditions for persons with disabilities, thereby increasing inclusion and ensuring equal opportunities at the university, finally has a document defining this. By implementing this disability policy at the university, we aim to remove existing or perceived barriers in the areas of study, work, service provision, environmental accessibility, education and communication, and research, thus fostering a culture of equality and non-discrimination at the university”, – said Miglė Janušauskaitė, VMU Disability Affairs Coordinator.
Miglė Janušauskaitė
In the process of preparing and implementation of this disability policy, VMU has successfully initiated or joined various initiatives to bring about change in the university and society. At the beginning of this year, following a discussion with representatives of the Kaunas City Municipality Administration, the “Socialinis taksi” assisted transportation service was renewed in Kaunas to ensure the mobility of people with disabilities. VMU has also become the first higher education institution in Lithuania to be awarded the “Gilė” label by the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee for its unit, the VMU Sports Centre, which symbolizes and indicates that the facility is accessible to persons with disabilities.
“The implementation of the disability policy at the university is an ongoing process, which aims to properly accommodate the study and working conditions for disabled members of the community”, – said Miglė Janušauskaitė, the VMU coordinator for disability affairs.
VMU also supports projects initiated by other organizations to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. The University has joined the Department of Disability Affairs’ campaign “Dirbk pas mus. Jokio Skirtumo, su ar be negalios” joined by major Lithuanian employers. The aim of the campaign is to encourage employers to include people with disabilities in the labour market and to show that there is no difference between having or not having a disability – employees are employed according to their talents and competences.
“Vytautas Magnus University, with its long-standing and inclusive culture and the opportunities it provides for people with disabilities to integrate into the university community, is a leader and lays a strong ground for a student, employee or researcher to become an equal member of society. This Disability Policy Document reaffirms these opportunities. As a staff member, it is very important for me to make sure that as many people as possible hear about the provision of reasonable accommodations, which is why I am happy to participate in various conferences and other events where I try to promote the University’s position on disability issues”, – said Martynas Vitkus, a specialist for disability related issues at VMU.
Martynas Vitkus
“The new VMU Disability Policy consolidates our community’s commitment to creating inclusive opportunities and reasonable accommodations for all those studying and working at the University. It closely reflects the goal of sustainable diversity as stated in the VMU Strategy and will be an important starting point for building a sense of emotional well-being and confidence for the whole community. It also reflects our systematic cooperation with organizations representing people with disabilities. We believe that the human rights-based approach to disability declared in the document will have a positive impact on raising the awareness of the general public on this issue”, – said Dr. Vilma Bijeikienė, Vice-Rector of Communication at VMU.
Doc. dr. Vilma Bijeikienė
We would like to thank the entire VMU community and all those who took part in the surveys, analyses, shared their knowledge, experience and insights, which contributed to the creation of the VMU Disability Policy Document.
The English version of the VMU Disability Policy “University of inclusive opportunities” is available here.
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