1. ExchangeAbility

2. What is ExchangeAbility?
ESN, Youth Agora and EDF are currently working
on a project that will allow disabled students
to be fully involved in the activities of the
local sections of ESN.

3. How did it start?
ExchangeAbility was a project created by
ESN, EDF and Youth Agora with 2 goals:
Short (and Main) Term: Make ESN an accessible
organization.
Long Term: Encourage the increase of the number
of exchange students with disabilities and to create
the best conditions for them during their stay
abroad.

4. The project started with the Board of ESN 2008/2009
and it was approved in February 2008. European
Disability Forum (EDF) joined the project.
A pilot group was set from April to September 2009.
ESN, EDF and Youth Agora received the European
Youth Foundation grant and the pilot project started
with incredible results: 17 ESN Countries involved!
A wonderful
logo!

5. Increasing the number of students with disabilities going
on exchange. 2009/2010 0,14% of all Erasmus students
were students with disabilities.
In the past there were several conferences and a
booklet created for the project. Last year ESN
cooperated with UNICA in a combined project where
5 cities visits were made, 5 movies and other material
was created.

6. ExchangeAbility partners

7. Erasmus SOCIAL Network (ESN)
One of the biggest non-profit interdisciplinary
student associations in Europe, founded in 1990 for
supporting and developing student exchange.
E-mail: secretariat@esn.org
Website: www.esn.org

8. The European Disability Forum
(EDF)
The European umbrella organisation representing the
interests of 65 million citizens with disabilities in
Europe. EDF membership includes national umbrella
organisations of persons with disabilities from all
countries of the European Union and European
Economic Area.
E-mail: secretariat@edf-feph.org
Website: www.edf-feph.org

9. Youth Agora
A Brussels-based not-for-profit organisation, active
since February 2008. Youth Agora’s mission is to
improve the quality, effectiveness and accessibility of
online information aimed at young people and
produced by organisations dealing with youth
information, volunteering, education and research.
E-mail: info@youthagora.org
Website: www.youthagora.org

10. ExchangeAbility International team
Alexandros Vigos – Greece, ESN KAPA Athens
Merlin Püss – Estonia, ESN Tallinn
Fabrizio Bitetto – Italy, ESN Politecnico Milano
Communication manager: Katharina Ma
New webpage: http://exchangeability.eu/
Contact: exchangeability@esn.org
FB: http://www.facebook.com/ExchangeAbility

11. Our objectives:
In order to reach the goals of the project will during
2012/2013 focus on:
Communication:
• Internal – mailing list, creating template
• External – contacting/searching partners
• Website – 1 website, adding information, keeping up to date
• Strategy – creating communication strategy
• Guidelines – involving the sections, gather
practises, organizing, editing, distributing to the sections

12. Trainings:
International – booklet, network
Local – training national coordinators, tips&tricks
Mappings:
Universities – information from other organizations, promoting
Sections – asking NR/national coordinators to update, present accessible
sections
Publication – making more focused on ESN, accessibility and
exchanges
Dissemination conference – depends on outcomes
ExchangeAbility Day – choosing the day (March), presenting

13. First steps for starting EA

14. Step 1
Present to your ESN section the ExchangeAbility project.
Find a section coordinator for the project.
Inform us (exchangeability@esn.org) and your national
coordinator (if your country has one).
Step 2
Present to your university (international relations office) the
ExchangeAbility project.
Step 3
Improve your section's accessibility. Involve a student with a
disability in your section.

15. Then what?
You can always take more ideas from what other
sections are doing. Also if your section is being active
and has done some actions for the project or if you
have some alternative suggestions for the first steps, feel
free to share them with everybody through this website
(just send us an e-mail to: exchangeability@esn.org).

16. ExchangeAbility activities

17. About young people with disabilities

18. The development from a child to an adult is an
exciting, but also very often a challenging period in
one’s life, because young persons have to deal with
a lot of physical and psychological challenges.
Young people with disabilities perceive this time in
a different way from their non-disabled peers.

19. Challenges and Advantages of Youth
Work and Involvement in Youth
Organisations
For young persons with disabilities, it is important
to meet and share life experience with their disabled
peers as they can often relate to each other in a
special way. But being part of mainstream
organisations also represents an opportunity to meet
for an interest, and not for a disability.

20. Including students with disabilities
into ESN’s activities

21. What can a non-formal training give
to young persons with disabilities?
Shift from self-centeredness to an increased self-
awareness and appreciation of others’differences.
Greater self-confidence and self-esteem
Tolerance and respect
Active participation skills
Feeling of belonging

22. Leadership skills
Communication and group skills
Impetus for counteracting stereotypes and breaking
down attitudinal barriers.
Problem-solving skills
Examples of good practises and powerful role models

23. Foundation
The Greek ExchangeAbility team was founded in
March 2012
It is currently composed by:
- National Coordinator, Hlias Konstantinidis
- 6 Local Coordinators from
ESN Athens AUEB
ESN AUTH
ESN KAPA Athens
ESN TEI Athens
ESN TEI Piraeus
ESN UOM Thessaloniki
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

24. What have we done?
We ‘ve created a facebook page for the promotion
of the project.
We started mapping the access of our
universities, with the addition of video
tutorials, for future upload to our sites.
We organized the following events:
- Meet the ExchangeAbility
- Challenge Yourselves
- Feel the Difference
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

25. Challenge yourselves!!
It was inspired from Esn Tallinn “Challenge your
senses”
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

26. Meet the Exchangeability
With Cooperation with MDA Hellas!!
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

27. Feel the difference
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

28. What have we accomplished?
Made lot’s of people aware of the existence of
ESN and the ExchangeAbility project.
Integrated disabled people to our actions and
motivated them to join ESN.
Getting Erasmus students to know people with
disabilities, thus raising their awareness and the
other way around.
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

29. Future Plans
Expand our team with members from the rest of
the sections in Greece.
Finish the mapping of our universities and share
the results with everyone through our sites
(estimated by the end of the year).
Cooperation with more associations with disabled
people.
Further integration of disabled people to our
actions.
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

30. Future Plans
Organizing an ExchangeAbility Day for introducing
and promoting the project.
Create a promotional video with our actions.
Having incoming or outgoing Erasmus students
with disabilities.
Improvement of the universities’ access and
services.
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

31. Thank you for your
attention!!!
Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

32. EXCHANGEABILITY
YEAR
Workshop

33. ExchangeAbility Year
Which events we can organise during the year?
How to make the ExchangeAbility Day
memorable?
What are the pros and cons?