THI is awarded the "Bavaria barrier-free" signet

Ingolstadt, 24 September 2021  

On 24 September, the Minister of Social Affairs, Carolina Trautner, and the Minister of Science, Bernd Sibler, awarded Technische Hochschule (THI) the "Bavaria barrier-free" signet. The President of THI, Prof. Dr. Walter Schober, accepted this sign of recognition.

With the signet, the state government recognises contributions on the path to accessibility in Bavaria. Barriers are to be removed and more participation in social life made possible for people with disabilities. The signet is a sign of recognition for all those who reduce barriers in Bavaria. But it is also an incentive to do even more for accessibility. The THI has already initiated a number of measures to make it easier for students and staff to work and study at the university. For example, there are barrier-free toilets on campus, all lecture hall buildings are barrier-free, as are the refectory, the cafeteria and the library. Seats for wheelchair users are available in the lecture halls with rising stalls. Disabled parking spaces are available in the underground car park and in the north car park. Some lecture halls are equipped with inductive hearing loops and the homepage is currently being converted to be barrier-free.

During the ceremonial presentation of the "Bavaria Barrier-Free" signet, the Bavarian Minister of Social Affairs, Carolina Trautner, emphasised: "Accessibility and inclusion in the education sector have a special socio-political significance. This is about fundamental life opportunities for young people with a disability or a chronic illness. The removal of barriers at universities opens up equal participation and new life paths for the students concerned. However, living inclusion at universities does not only include the removal of barriers in the infrastructure, but also the support of all students - whether with or without disabilities - in developing their talents."

Minister of Science Bernd Sibler was pleased with Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt determined commitment to setting an example for accessibility and being equally accessible to all members of the university family. With the "Bavaria barrier-free" signet, the THI receives visible and well-deserved recognition for its many measures, Bernd Sibler emphasised: "The THI is not only setting structural standards. There are two AI-supported research projects in Ingolstadt that also benefit students with disabilities. Both projects facilitate access to material for all and thus open up educational opportunities." This, he said, is also an important form of accessibility. "With our High-Tech Agenda Bavaria, we are specifically supporting the research fields of artificial intelligence and high-tech throughout the Free State. Thanks to new findings in these fields, we can implement inclusion and accessibility even better. This is a win-win for all of us."

It is not enough to see accessibility merely as structural measures, said THI President Prof. Dr. Walter Schober: "It is about more, about a fundamental attitude in respectful interaction with each other. Disabled and non-disabled people should meet each other with respect for their respective personalities. This means breaking down barriers that often arise through ignorance or bias, or not allowing them to arise in the first place." For the THI, this signet is the beginning and motivation for the further barrier-free expansion of the university facilities.