DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
„The purpose of the realization of the project titled: „Enabled in Science” to achieve an improvement in the situation of doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students in
terms of respect for their right to science and their right to be active in the life of the academic
community by:
- • increasing public awareness of the problems faced by doctoral students
with disabilities and foreign doctoral students in the academic community;
- • increasing the level of activation of doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students
in self-government activities;
- • ensuring in the regulations of doctoral self-governments and the regulations of doctoral school’s
forms of support for doctoral students with disabilities;
- • bringing about the translation of doctoral self-government regulations and doctoral school regulations into English.
The project will equip the academic community with knowledge regarding the exclusion of these groups of doctoral students in academic life and will lead the community to take action to
eliminate the barriers creating inequalities in access to science, organizational activities, and access
to information. A key role in the process of achieving the planned effects will be played by the
doctoral self-governments, which will be equipped with the competencies necessary to initiate the
process of implementing solutions aimed at activating the two indicated groups of doctoral students
and taking care of their protection and ensuring their equality in education.
As part of the project, the following activities will be carried out:
• monitoring of all regulations of doctoral self-governments and doctoral schools in Poland in
terms of:
- • providing doctoral students with disabilities forms of support in terms of education and in case of
willingness to undertake self-government activities;
- • verification of the availability of English translation of the indicated legal acts and the availability of
classes in English in a particular doctoral school.
• training series:
- • practical workshops aimed at representatives of doctoral local governments, which will be aimed at
equipping them with the knowledge and competencies necessary to understand the situation of doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students in the academic community;
- • practical workshops directed to doctoral students with disabilities, which will be aimed at showing
them the possibilities in terms of engaging in local government activities and responding to
inequality in the treatment of doctoral students;
- • practical workshops directed to foreign doctoral students, which will be aimed at showing them
opportunities in getting involved in local government activities and responding to inequality in their
treatment of doctoral students.
• Organization of the „Understanding People with Disabilities” event. Its purpose is to enable
doctoral students holding positions in doctoral self-government to learn in practice about the
limitations faced by people with disabilities.
• Organization of the scientific conference „Fully-fledged in Science/Fully equal under the Law
in Science/Equal in Science. Protection of fair treatment of doctoral students in academic
community – problems and challenges”.
WHY IS IT REASONABLE TO CARRY OUT A PROJECT WITH THIS THEMATIC SCOPE?
The problem of exclusion of doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students from academic life is discernible throughout the country. Our organisation conducted a preliminary monitoring of selected doctoral self-government regulations and the regulations of doctoral schools, which led to the conclusion that doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students are clearly discriminated and are at a disadvantage compared to other groups of doctoral students.
Doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students do not usually apply to doctoral self-government bodies and do not participate in university self-government initiatives. Their access to such activities is in fact limited. The regulations of doctoral schools rarely include forms of assistance for doctoral students with disabilities. It should also be pointed out that acts of an internal nature concerning doctoral students are not usually translated into English. Data from the database of the Information Processing Center shows that in 2020, 1194 foreign doctoral students and 839 doctoral students with disabilities were educated in Poland. These problems are therefore affecting a large percentage of the total number of doctoral students in the country. Consequently, they cannot be underestimated. Every doctoral student has the right to be treated equally and to be allowed to engage in certain types of scientific and self-government activities.
The preliminary conclusions drawn from the analyses were confirmed by a survey on the evaluation of the activation of doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students, addressed to representatives of doctoral self-governments. The survey was conducted from 2.12- 8.12.2022 via email. The questions in the survey were answered by the chairpersons of doctoral self- governments or their nominated representatives. The survey was completed by representatives of 26 doctoral self-governments.
- The survey revealed that:
- • the majority of respondents have no knowledge of disabilities and the barriers faced by the
group of doctoral students with disabilities (15 marked the answer NO, 11 YES);
- • in the vast majority of respondents’ academic units, doctoral students with disabilities are
not involved in local self-government activities (24 respondents indicated that they do not
hold any positions in self-government);
- • in most of the respondents’ self-government regulations, there are no provisions relating to
forms of support for doctoral students with disabilities (none in the regulations of 22
respondents);
- • many of the respondents’ doctoral schools do not include in their regulations provisions
relating to forms of support for doctoral students with disabilities (such provisions are absent
in the bylaws of 16 respondents’ doctoral schools);
- • in most of the respondents’ academic units, foreign doctoral students do not engage in self-
government activities (20 respondents indicated that foreign doctoral students do not hold
any positions in self-government bodies);
- • most of the respondents’ self-government regulations have not been translated into English
(21 respondents indicated that they had not been translated);
- • many of the respondents’ doctoral schools do not translate regulations into English (15
respondents indicated that they had not been translated);
- • respondents explicitly pointed out the problems of foreign doctoral students, such as the
lack of available translations of legal acts, lack of subjects in English, language and cultural
barriers, unfamiliarity with the customs and peculiarities of the Polish academic community,
ignorance of the needs of foreign doctoral students by Polish doctoral students.
Preliminary results show, therefore, that the project can clearly improve the situation of both groups of doctoral students. The activities undertaken as part of this project may lead to greater activation of doctoral students with disabilities and foreign doctoral students in the academic community. It is important to note that no one should be excluded or discriminated against because of limitations related to disability or inability to communicate in Polish. Indeed, the academic community should be a place where every individual is treated equally, with respect for all their rights and obligations.”