New project for an inclusive study environment at CBH

“As KTH writes on its website, we must, in accordance with the Discrimination Act, work to actively promote equal rights and opportunities for students with disabilities. Our goal is to make all students feel that this is the case if you choose to study at one of our programs at CBH,” says Marie Larsson, Head of administration and initiator of the project.

In concrete terms, the initiative aims to have premises and equipment meet the purpose of the education and the environment to be designed to be accessible to all CBH's students. The school must systematically work to become better at removing and minimizing obstacles in and around the premises.

The background

In the autumn of 2019, the CBH School got a new student in one of its programs and very soon, during the introductory weeks, it became clear that the student's need for accessibility could not be met. It turned out that the physical environment around KTH Campus had a lot of challenges for those with a disability; Osquars backe with its cobblestones and the old grade II listed buildings that do not allow the installation of door openers. Despite the fact that all houses with classrooms are equipped with accessible entrances and lifts, it turned out to be very difficult and many times impossible for the student to go between the classrooms in the 15 minutes that were available.

“When you have to go around the whole courtyard when your friends take shortcuts between the houses to go from the Q- to the F-house, does not make you feel included. Not having the time to heat your food in the section room's microwave ovens at lunch, because you need to use the entire break to transport yourself to the next lesson, makes you hungry,” says Marie Larsson and continues.

“We also saw problems with not having automatic access to all stair lifts, in this case it the student was left standing below a staircase with a stair lift to which the student lacked access, and missed a lecture on the floor above.”

Granted SEK 150,000

Marie Larsson decided to start a project to rectify the problem. She applied for funding and was granted SEK 150,000 from the Frans Georg and Gull Liljenroth Foundation. Joining her in the project group were teachers Anders Clenander and Patrik Ståhl, student Ellen Engquist, UA Pelle Dalhammar, and Maria Curtis, Tara O'Keefe and Gustav Marzocchelli Erlandsson from the administration.

“We started slowly during the end of spring, and now we are in the middle of planning out our first activity, to inventory of our premises. We focus on the locals where our students mainly moves about, in AlbaNova and our own premises around Teknikringen 26-56,” says Marie Larsson.

What do you hope you will achieve with the project?

”That we all get a higher level of awareness about these issues. That it becomes a given part of our continuous effort for a better work environment. And above all, that our next student who has a disability should worry about his or her first exam, scratch his head over algebra and differential equations, sit and eat heated micro-food and have his or her head full of just what all students should have. And not having to worry about how to get to class on cobblestones, how to open heavy doors or how to get to the next lesson without having to take a shuttle service with an extra trip past Odenplan on the way between the classrooms. That the student should be allowed to be just like everyone else.”

Text: Jon Lindhe

Three issues on the agenda

1. Inventory of the CBH School's premises with functional glasses. The project group will take in expert help.

2. A major reason behind the shortcomings is simply ignorance, negative attitudes and prejudices, many times unknowingly, therefore the project group will work with raising awareness and information on issues related to this area.

3. There is a risk that people are passed around between different units and functions at KTH as the issues are complex and require collaboration between many different actors. The project group therefore thinks that it is important to clarify a FUNNKA page for students at the school in addition to the one that is centrally located at KTH.