By blending social inclusion, disability accessibility, civic engagement and ICT-enabled solutions the idea for the Map4Accessibility project was born. The main objective of the project is to civically engage HEI students through service-learning (SL), ECTS recognised activities in the co-creation of a pan-European PWA highlighting both digital and physical accessibility at the urban level. The project’s specific objectives are: i) promote and increase SL, community engagement and strengthen civic skills among HEI students by offering ECST credits for students’ involvement in the project SL activities, ii) gather and share best practices and expertise on digital and physical accessibility for HEIs and cities at large; iii) design a Pan-European accessibility mapping tool built based on an existing mobile application which enables people with disabilities to be better informed on the accessibility of public spaces and be able to influence both HEIs and a variety of institutions for an improvement in accessibility levels, iv) promote the inclusive education agenda – including but not limited to HEIs.
Civic participation and service-learning engagement with HE can enhance the citizenship competences among HE students including better critical thinking, social skills and appreciation of diversity. EC’s Renewed EU Agenda for Higher Education (2017) outlines community and civic engagement as a mechanism to strengthen and promote their societal purposes. The Map4Accessibility project addresses studies the opportunities to integrate service-learning (SL) in HEI curriculums, involving local community and NGOs, via a comprehensive SL approach. At the tertiary level 36% of persons aged 30-34 have completed tertiary or equivalent education with the rate among people with disabilities being 27%. The Map4Accessibility project gathers 7 partners from 5 EU Member States (Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, and Bulgaria) with complementary profiles to introduce a competence-based mix to address the following 3 needs in EU and HEI: i) low levels of civic engagement among HEI students, ii) low awareness and the need to empowering students to co-create solution for inclusivity and accessibility through SL approaches, iii) the need for socially inclusive and accessible HEIs and EU cities with improved accessibility and inclusivity policies.