The aim of the project is to structurally integrate experiential knowledge into higher education of social studies. The project has three specific objectives: 1) to develop and support teaching activities of people with experience of disadvantage (experts by experience) and to structurally embed their knowledge into teaching plans; 2) to create a safe educational environment for disadvantaged students by piloting various formats of support in cooperation with experts by experience and academicians and by examining the conditions of access to higher education; 3) to develop local and international methodological frameworks for structural integration of knowledge by experience into higher education. These aims focus on building inclusive and diversified higher education systems and using innovative teaching and learning methods. We want to promote dialogue between students, academicians, and experts by experience, in which all parties transcend their "traditional roles" ("student," "educator," "client") and communicate on a deeper human level within shared creative processes. In this way, we will contribute to democratic learning based on a human rights perspective and to the promotion of equality and social inclusion in society.
Today, we are facing increasingly complex social challenges, the resolution of which requires new competencies and knowledge in the field of social studies (Gardner, 2006; D'Cruz, Gillingham, Melendez, 2007). The knowledge of people in vulnerable situations (people with limited opportunities due to disability, socioeconomic difficulties, and various forms of discrimination) is understood as a third form of knowledge (knowledge by experience) (Humphreys et al., 2003; Pawson et al., 2003; Driessens, Saurama, Fargion, 2011), complementing academic and professional knowledge in the social field. This concept is closely linked to the sustainability of democracy, citizenship, human rights, and social justice, which should also be promoted in higher education (Laker, Naval & Mrnjaus, 2014). Despite this, knowledge by experience has long been underestimated (Wilson, Beresford, 2000). Involving people with knowledge by experience in higher education would establish an equal relationship between these three types of knowledge. It could also improve access to higher education for people in vulnerable situations and encourage currently disadvantaged students to articulate their lived experience and integrate it into their professional lives.