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Design for all - campaign and events

ETH Zurich is committed to accessibility: over the course of the next few years, people with disabilities or people with special needs should benefit from greatly improved access to ETH buildings and services.

Directly to the events at ETH Zurich

external page Video "Design for all" with audio description

A Laptop made from plasticine with an extra large letter "A" on the screen.

Switzerland ratified the external page UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) back in 2014. Nevertheless, people with disabilities continue to face obstacles on a daily basis, be it when accessing buildings, information or events. To draw attention to, raise awareness, and inform, ETH Zurich is participating in the external page National Action Days for Disability Rights (German page). These take place in Switzerland from May 15 to June 15, 2024

Accessibility concerns us all: Every person is confronted with more or less significant obstacles on a daily basis. Depending on physical conditions, the boundaries imposed by the environment vary. Due to accidents, illnesses, or aging, obstacles such as stair steps, small font sizes, or poor room acoustics can suddenly become insurmountable hindrances, leading to the exclusion of individuals with limitations or disabilities.

ETH Zürich is striving to minimise these barriers, or better yet eliminate them altogether, so that everyone can enjoy largely barrier-​free access to university buildings and services. The aim is that the University’s design offers everyone the fullest possible access to buildings and services – according to the “design for all” standard. This is why the campaign motif is plasticine. Our environment – our architecture, our technology, our processes and our way of thinking – are not set in stone. They can be moulded and reshaped to allow more people to participate. As part of the National Action Days for Disability Rights, ETH is presenting the "Design for all" campaign and organizing various events: learn sign language in the "Café des Signes", change your perspective in the awareness-raising workshop, explore the ETH buildings with the new barrier-free app "PolyMaps", or visit the newly equipped and barrier-free learning workstations of the ETH Library.

Did you know? “Design for all” is an international design concept that focuses on creating environments, equipment and processes that can be used by everyone, or as many people as possible, without the need for adaptations or specialisation.

Barrier-free access to the events

We are taking action to ensure barrier-free access to the events taking place during the Action Days at ETH Zurich. Contact us at hindernisfrei@ethz.ch for further information.

Do you wish to have sign language interpretation at one of the events? Please inform us at least two weeks prior to the event.

Events at ETH Zurich

All events taking place in the canton of Zurich, both ETH Zurich events and events organized by other campaign partners, can be found on the external page "Zukunft Inklusion" programme website.

Barrier-​free at ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich is committed to being barrier-​free: over the course of the next few years, people with disabilities or special needs – whether students, teachers, researchers, staff or visitors – should benefit from greatly improved access to ETH buildings and services.

The proposed measures will be implemented in 14 subprojects under three categories: “Construction, building usage and architecture”, “Organisation and culture” and “Technology, communication and teaching”.

For more information on the programme and the 14 subprojects, visit the programme website.