Where and when: Club Hall of the UBB Academic College (E. de Martonne Street no. 1, Cluj-Napoca), Wednesday, 8 October 2014, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Participants: BBU students with disabilities, student representatives (CSUBB, student associations), BBU staff, OSD volunteers. Admission is free.

The BBU Office for Students with Disabilities operates within the UBB Rector’s office and aims to facilitate and support the inclusion of students with diverse learning needs in university life, as well as to inform teachers and students about accessibility and disability. In this direction, OSD aims to offer a series of educational events on accessibility, some of them with the participation of foundations, associations, and institutions (national and international) actively involved in accessibility and disability training.

On 8 October 2014, there will be a seminar presenting the Motivation Foundation (activities, services, projects), which will include elements of accessibility and preparation for independent living for people with disabilities.

Founded in 1995, Motivation Foundation Romania (www.motivation.ro) is among the most active non-profit organizations specialized in independent living services for people with disabilities. The Foundation’s mission is to develop sustainable programmes that improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in Romania. They focus on social, educational and professional integration, through consultancy for the accessibility of spaces, mediation of work integration, day care or leisure activities – adapted sports, cultural events, etc. In Motivation’s vision, accessibility of public space is practically the first condition to be able to talk further about real inclusion of the disabled person in society. To the extent that a person with a disability can move from home to school or to a workplace, can carry out their activity, can access other public services provided by the state authorities – only then can we talk about participation in social life.

A basic idea promoted by the Motivation Foundation is that every person has the right to move freely in public space, to have access to education and culture, to goods and services or to a job. To encourage change, in 2012 the Motivation Foundation launched the Accessibility Mark, awarded to buildings that meet standard accessibility criteria, along with expert services and the actual accessibility of institutions. Also in 2012, the Motivation Foundation developed the first Accessibility Map, available at www.accesibil.org, which acts as a tool to identify public spaces accessible to wheelchair users. Motivation Foundation Romania aims to reduce the number of wheelchair users who are immobilized at home and to stimulate their participation in sports, cultural or recreational activities.

This Motivation Foundation seminar in the Office for Students with Disabilities is the first event in the future collaboration between Motivation Foundation and Babeș-Bolyai University to promote accessibility, programs to increase the quality of life of students with disabilities and their optimal interaction with UBB students and staff, as well as future employers.

For further details about the event, please write to us at: bsd@ubbcluj.ro, or phone: 0746566311 (Conf. Dr. Alina S. Rusu, OSD coordinator).

Pictures from the Motivation Foundation activity (www.motivation.ro)