communications update 04/20

The Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich project is entering its final stage. Over the next few weeks, the planned packages of measures will be defined and consolidated into a master plan.

Owing to the current situation, the fourth meeting of the project management team in mid-March was held as a Skype conference. Professor Ulrich Weidmann (Vice President for Infrastructure) and all the organisational units involved accepted the interim project report. They gave a largely favourable assessment of the project’s progress so far and agreed to all the presented results and proposed measures without reservations.

The bundled packages of measures in the three discrete fields – “Construction: buildings and their use”, “Technology: IT, communications, teaching materials and library media”, and “Institutional approach” – will be consolidated into a master plan in the coming months. The duration, resources and potential dependencies and priorities of the various measures outlined in the plan will be presented to the Executive Board, which will make a final decision on the application.

Notes on the coronavirus pandemic

The first public guided tour in sign language, originally scheduled for 10 March, had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The next planned tour of the pilot project – a discovery tour of the Hönggerberg campus – is scheduled to take place on 16 June; we will provide an update on whether this will take place on the project website.

The planned "Cafés des Signes" on the central campus has also been postponed until the 2020 autumn semester. Deaf waiting staff will serve ETH members and guests, answer questions and, on request, help guests to order in sign language.

The project team wishes everyone strength and hope in this unprecedented situation. Our thoughts are with all ETH members who are facing additional challenges due to a disability or other impairment. If you have any questions about the ongoing situation, please do not hesitate to contact the ETH coronateam.