Two agreements were made with the Argentine Library and CILSA to continue promoting actions in the area of ​​accessibility.

La Universidad Nacional de Rosario signed two important collaboration agreements with the Argentine Library and the Center for Free and Solidarity Integration of Argentina (CILSA), which seek to strengthen the inclusion actions that the University has been developing in all its areas. 

The signing of both agreements was attended by the rector Franco Bartolacci, the head of the Human Rights Area of ​​the UNR, Paula Contino, the Undersecretary of Cultural Innovation of the Municipality of Rosario, Nicolas Charles, and representatives of the Argentine Library and CILSA, among others.

“The signing of these agreements is extremely important because it reflects many years of joint work, which has resulted in concrete and very fruitful actions for our university. This allows us to continue strengthening our accessibility policies and address outstanding debts that the university had in this area,” explained rector Franco Bartolacci. 

She added: “We are going through a difficult time, and in this very adverse context it is even more necessary for the university system to move forward with greater determination in this area. Inclusion policies have historically been postponed, so it is essential not to divert our attention from this objective or relax in this task. I would like to thank and highlight all those who contribute significantly to the construction of this agenda.”

Paula Contino highlighted the need to continue working on inclusion and accessibility within the UNR and commented on the importance of doing so collectively. “What we are doing with the signing of these two agreements is strengthening ties with other actors with whom we have already been working. It is a great pleasure to be able to deepen inclusion policies at our university. In recent years we have been growing a lot in this regard and we continue to plan a collective horizon. We believe that being able to promote these actions corresponds to a declaration of principles of where we want to go as a public university.”

For her part, the Director of Inclusion and Accessibility of the Human Rights Area of ​​the UNR, Miriam Bidyeran, highlighted the importance of strengthening the ties between these institutions to advance in the construction of accessible environments within the academic field and to mainstream accessibility in all university spaces, guaranteeing equal opportunities for students, teachers and staff. “Creating accessible spaces enriches the educational experience and contributes to a more just and equitable society,” she said.

The signing of these agreements not only reaffirms UNR's commitment to accessibility, but also promotes collective actions to guarantee the right to inclusive education. 

The Undersecretary of Cultural Innovation of the Municipality of Rosario, Nicolas Charles, explained that for a long time, together with the University, they have been working in a coordinated manner on all the necessary lines to guarantee access and full participation of people with disabilities. “Our commitment is to promote inclusive and accessible environments that allow us to eliminate barriers, thus ensuring equal opportunities for all. From the Municipality, we consider it a priority to actively contribute to the construction of policies that promote accessibility, not only in the educational field, but also in all spaces of our community.” 

With the Argentine Library, joint activities will be initiated in this regard, linked to guaranteeing the right to inclusive education. “The accessible reading service has been in our Library for 30 years, so we believe that we must continue working to generate access tools and promote meetings. We have already worked with the University on multiple occasions and have maintained a relationship for many years, so we know that based on this agreement we will be able to promote the program. We seek to give priority to all the ways there are to democratize access to reading and books, something that seems so basic but in many cases does not happen,” said Federico Tinivella, Deputy Director of the Argentine Library. 

The agreement with CILSA will allow us to continue with awareness workshops in schools and offer scholarships to students with disabilities. “We have been working with the University for a long time on various initiatives. At a national level, we support more than 300 scholarship recipients, many of them from the UNR. Our goal is to contribute to eliminating the barriers that still exist in access to education, a fundamental aspect to also promote job development. We hope to be able to add more and more actions that promote the rights of people with disabilities,” said María José Draperi, Regional Coordinator of Social Programs at CILSA.

In addition, CILSA delivered four wheelchairs that will be available in various spaces of the university for those who need them. These will be distributed in “This is the first delivery, but in the remainder of the year we will continue to complete the order to reach all the academic units and common spaces of the University that need them,” explained Miriam Bidyeran.

Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photographer: Camila Casero.