An integral part of making study at Masaryk University accessible is not only eliminating physical and virtual barriers in educational setup, but also creating (technological) tools which enable to orientate effectively in the environment and to use the environment without barriers.
Essentials
Educational, technical, administrative and other sites of Masaryk University are located within the city in dozens of buildings which are of different age and architectural styles, i.e. they are accessible for individuals with mobility difficulties in various extents. Masaryk University continuously makes arrangements which eliminate physical barriers as much as possible – with regards to architecture, historical aspects and to function and traffic in the buildings.
Range of those arrangements, as well as needs of individuals are very diverse. That is why it is not realistic to declare a particular building as simply fully accessible or inaccessible for individuals with mobility difficulties. On the other hand it is feasible to provide sum of technical specifications that a user can utilize in order to have a view on relevant and practical accessibility of the building.
Technical solution
Because text-only specifications of building accessibility are not explanatory enough, they are delivered together with visual information of the real situation in the building.
As a platform to deliver all kind off specifications, we have developed a web-based application which is a practical guide to architectural accessibility of university sites.
Practically, the application is a kind of virtual guide (combination of panoramic and still images) with special accent to features and pieces of information which are of interest by the target group.
Application also offers the following information and technical details:
- barrier-free entrance into the building;
- barrier-free options of moving within the building vertically (location of elevators, ramps, lift platforms etc.);
- barrier-free cloakrooms (their location, disposition, dimensions etc.);
- highlighting of typical tracks to the most used destinations (teaching rooms, libraries, dining hall etc.).
- text information on operating conditions of the arrangements.