fall 2013
ACCESS

Making the University Accessible to Everyone

Providing Practical Solutions for the Physically Challenged

From smart boards to smart pens; from enlarged screen text to mobile acoustical equipment; from specially-designed furniture to specially-equipped classrooms; the Open University of Israel customizes its facilities and technologies to meet the needs of 650 special needs students with disabilities.

As part of Israel's National Insurance Institute's "Revolution in Education" initiative the Open University of Israel became one of two universities selected to participate in the national campaign to make higher education "accessible to all." The Israeli government has allocated 2 million NIS towards this program.

What is involved in making a university's facilities accessible? "It's complex," Dr. Haim Saadon, Dean of Students, explains and "requires looking not only at every physical facility, such as a classroom or a library, but also at equipment and accessories, in-class and on-line, that can provide solutions to every special student's needs."

The major objective of the "Revolution in Education" is to provide full assistance to students with special disabilities. Some 650 Open University students with unique learning requirements studying at OUI will now be able to enjoy the enhanced, customized equipment and facilities that the University is making available to them.

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