Last 8 June, the library María Moliner received the the certificate AENOR for Universal Accessibility for having a management system in compliance with the standard UNE 170001-2:2007. Last Wednesday, the award ceremony was celebrated thanks to the UV’s Sustainable Campus programme. Principal Esteban Morcillo received the award.

The Universal Accesibility certificate of the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR) certifies that the University of Valencia has implemented an Accessibility Management System that focuses on continuous improvemement. “We know that his has to be a continuous improvement process,” said the University of Valencia’s principal, Esteban Morcillo, who also asserted that the mission of the University of Valencia is “the social welfare and public service to citizenship”. That is why the principal has requested the support of the different public administrations.

Esteban Morcillo has referred to three ideas in his speech: quality culture, which the University of Valencia seeks to normalise through its strategic plans; disability, managed by the Unit for the Integration of People with Disabilities; and the social value of the University as an institution that generates and transmits knowledge, involved with society through organisations such as the Science Park.

The principal has defined public university as a “committed institution, based on a participatory democracy”. In this sense, the University of Valencia, which has over 46,000 students, a thousand of which are part of the Unit for the Integration of People with Disabilities, manifests itself as an “advanced institution for meeting the demands of a minority not considered as such, working for their full integration”, he said.

The awarding of this certificate takes place in the framework of the University of Valencia’s Sustainable Campus programme, with funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports through the Universal Accessibility and Integration programme of the VLC/CAMPUS. Valencia, International Campus of Excellence.

The award ceremony, held this morning at the María Moliner Education Library, was chaired by Principal Esteban Morcillo, who has received the certificate from the general director of AENOR, Avelino Brito. To Avelino Brito, the “Universal Accessibility certification by AENOR to the University of Valencia’s María Moliner Library is the most direct and credible way to express its commitment to accessibility. There is a growing number of organisations that consider the needs of people with disabilities; more than 300 environments and services in all sectors have the AENOR accessibility certificate: museums, beaches, shopping centres, hotels, workplaces, points of sale, tourist information offices, fairs and conferences, universities and transportation services, among others.” Both of them were accompanied by the director of AENOR in Valencia, Roque Giner, and by the regional secretary for Personal Autonomy and Dependent Care of the Generalitat Valenciana, Joaquín Martínez Gómez. The latter stressed the University of Valencia’s policy in providing care to people with disabilities: “For years we have worked on removing physical barriers and barrier of any other nature. Regarding staff recruitment, the University of Valencia has never ignored quotas, on the contrary, it even has its own service devoted to this matter”, he said. Martínez Gómez concluded his speech by encouraging the University to “continue along the same path, a path full of satisfaction”, and stated that “there are no people with disabilities, but people with other abilities”.
The event was also attended by many members of the University of Valencia, such as the Vice-principal for Teaching Staff and Academic Planning, Maria Vicente Mestre; the Vice-principal for Sustainability, Campus and Planning, Clara Martínez; the delegate for students, Daniel González Serisola; the manager of the University of Valencia General Foundation, Cristóbal Suria; the director of the Unit for the Integration of People with Disabilities, Celeste Asensi; the director of the Libraries and Documentation Service, Victoria García; and members of the Technical and Maintenance Service, among others.

Attendants visited the information and loans desk of the library, equipped with signaling and adapted counters; the computer area with adapted computer stations; and the also adapted work stations. Then, they went down the ramp to the first floor of the centre, where a poster with information about the entire building adaptation is located.
Many services from the University of Valencia participated in these adaptation works, led by the Unit for the Integration of People with Disabilities, managed by the University of Valencia General Foundation. The areas analysed were urban spaces, specifically, public and private transport, parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities, access to and movement inside the complex, and access to the building.

The University has also promoted the removal of architectural barriers and analysed the services offered. Moreover, it has developed the library’s self-protection plan and has placed special signage for people with visual disabilities. On the other hand, it has also optimised the conditions for accessing the building by means of products supporting people with and without disabilities.

With the Universal Accessibility certification awarded by AENOR, a leading entity in certifications, all people, regardless of age or disability, are guaranteed that the environments and services of organisations are accessible and well maintained over time.