communications update 07/19

Now that all the questions and issues relating to the Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich project have been gathered together, it’s time to act: various surveys were sent in April, and since the beginning of June, there has been an ongoing stocktaking of all existing barriers in ETH buildings.

Taking measurements in the LFO building with Olivia Wohlgemuth, Alex Schaad (stocktaking team), Roger Peter (Facility Management, on the right) and Dr Bernhard Koller (LFO staff member, on the left); (Image: Romila Storjohann, ETH)

Do the lifts have a minimum door width of 80 cm? Are the signs in the seminar rooms available in relief lettering/Braille? Do the dimensions of the tables accommodate students in wheelchairs? The Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich project team are currently checking these and other questions in 45 ETH Zurich buildings. Equipped with measuring tapes, cameras and checklists, a total of six student assistants in pairs are going through the corridors, seminar rooms and roof terraces of ETH. The teams are supported by the inspections conducted by a staff member in the relevant building area (Facility Management department), which are scheduled to last from June to October 2019.

«The meticulous data collection work carried out by the student assistants has been a huge help to the Barrier-Free project. We would like to thank them, as well as the alarm organisation and Facility Management staff, who are expertly planning and supervising each building inspection,» says Horst Weltner, who is leading the project on behalf of the Executive Board.

Surveys were sent to selected groups of people back in April. These included association representatives and event organisers, experts in teaching aids and IT, and the managers of the many cafeterias. The responses from these specialists ensure as comprehensive an assessment of the current situation as possible.

The Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich project, which was launched at the end of 2018, has already received strong support from the Executive Board, which approved the project on 4 June. Professor Ulrich Weidmann, Vice President for Human Resources and Infrastructure, received the mandate to implement the project, and the required resources were granted. This has confirmed the importance of the whole Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich project.