Inclusive tertiary EDucation in the West BAlkanS

WB countries do not hitherto afford good-quality accessible tertiary education to students with disabilities (SwD) or learning difficulties (SwLD). In spite of provisions of equity of access, the reality is that this intellectual capital is wasted, as SwD are often deprived of the educational principles of equity, relevance, access, effectiveness and efficiency. As a consequence, their already small numbers get even smaller. Clearly, EU integration of WB countries passes from inclusive and accessible HE.To address this need we have created a consortium of 10 WB HEIs from Albania, Kosovo & Montenegro, which solicit the expertise, practical knowledge and contextual experience of 3 European Universities and 3 NGOs dedicated to the advocacy of rights of PwD in Albania, Kosovo & Montenegro, to establish or enhance accessibility units. To this end, the 16-members consortium joined forces with the respective Ministries of Education as associate partners.After studying good international models and best practices in the Accessibility Units of European universities, 3 policy documents and 3 new protocols will address the normative and regulatory reforms necessary to facilitate the particular facilities and services to be established for SwD & SwLD. 10 Accessibility Units in WB will be established after purchasing the necessary assistive technology equipment, installing them and utilizing them for hands-on training to academic and administrative staff of consortium WB partners by the European partners, with inputs from the local NGOs. Upon a piloting period of Accessibility Units’ operation, the accumulated knowledge on the processes and procedures of establishing Accessibility Units on WB will be encapsulated in a manual for knowledge-transfer and project sustainability.To this end, efficient management & quality monitoring mechanisms are developed, also to ensure that the project outcomes meet wider social groups, thereby promoting an educational inclusiveness culture.