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Accessibility

accessibility

With its GEDIW Plan – Gender Equality Diversity Inclusion and Wellbeing Plan valid for the 2025/2027 three-year period, Politecnico di Torino has relaunched as a strategic objective the development of an advanced, integrated, and accessible model for the use of physical and digital spaces, information and data, engaging the final users in its design.

Interventions seek to remove existing physical barriers, to foster inclusive digitalization by improving platforms, tools and languages, and to experiment with data lakes in line with FAIR principles. 

Discover the main University campus map with access routes for wheelchair users.

The GEDIW Plan defines a set of actions aimed to ensure the accessibility of spaces and pathways in the University. Specifically, it provides for:

  • systematic analysis of existing campus spaces and pathways;
  • design of inclusive environments and signage systems, based on updated criteria to ensure accessibility, comfort, and functionality;
  • redevelopment of spaces aiming to promote wellbeing and social interaction, through the design of social and quiet areas, the expansion of green spaces, the upgrading of parking facilities (including those for bicycles and pregnant people), and the increase of gender-neutral restrooms.

The cornerstone of this strategy is the drafting of PEBA (Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers, standing for Piano per l’Eliminazione delle Barriere Architettoniche), a strategic and operational tool used to monitor and plan targeted interventions for public building heritage.

A multidisciplinary and broad-based working group has been established to spearhead the PEBA, integrating the technical expertise and scientific know-how of faculties, researchers, and internal professionals. The team collaborates actively with the Soprintendenza and external experts, operating across various scales: from building safety to wayfinding, including the design of physical and digital pathways and inclusive communication.

The project originated from the analysis of the Castello del Valentino, a Savoy residence and UNESCO World Heritage site of extraordinary historical significance. The plan focuses particularly on the museum itinerary — which includes the state rooms (sale auliche) on the main floor, the Room of Columns, and the Chapel — with the aim of ensuring accessibility and inclusion during institutional and cultural events open to the public, in alignment with the University Masterplan objectives

The GEDIW Plan will assess and improve the accessibility of its website and digital collaboration platforms. It will foster the use of inclusive tools such as the Italian Sign Language (LIS) and promote training activities on the creation of accessible content.

These objectives have given rise to a collaboration with the Turin-based company AccessiWay, a partnership aimed at structuring a system of periodic and ongoing audits.

Audits are conducted by both experts and people with motor, cognitive, or sensory disabilities, who are directly involved in testing the University’s touchpoints, to produce detailed and timely reports on the critical issues.

The project is organized into four main lines of intervention:

  • Analysis and Remediation: A progressive path to adapt the website, applications for students and faculty, and published documents, with the aim of ensuring full accessibility and readability.
  • Internal Training: Training programs aimed at editors, developers, and teaching staff, designed to spread expertise in inclusive languages, accessible UX design, and educational strategies oriented towards equity of access.
  • Monitoring and Compliance: Upon completion of the remediation activities, the partner supports the University in the continuous monitoring of necessary updates and in verifying the regulatory compliance of the solutions adopted, contributing to the drafting and publication of the Accessibility Statement.
  • Continuous Improvement: An iterative process based on user listening and feedback analysis, aimed at ensuring the long-term effectiveness and evolution of the implemented solutions.