University of Silesia in Katowice

PROGRAM

BEYOND BARRIERS

the Role of Social Sciences in building Accessibility

08.06.2026 – 12.06 2026

The main theme of the International Seasonal School for PhD candidates and social science students is the challenges faced by the social sciences in fostering accessibility, inclusion, and participation in contemporary societies.

In this year’s Summer School, we will collaborate with the Silesian Museum, which will provide a real-life case study on how to address accessibility in practice. The museum is an excellent example of how accessibility can be implemented within a public institution. In addition to being a modern space designed to accommodate people with physical disabilities, the museum has taken accessibility a step further through its “Museum for Dementia” project. As part of this initiative, the museum has not only adapted its physical environment but has also developed activities specifically designed for visitors with dementia. Our collaboration and visit will enable students to learn about contemporary best practices and draw inspiration for developing solutions that respond to the needs of diverse stakeholders.

During our 15-hour thematic block, students will gain hands-on experience with the human-centred design process. We will explore what accessibility means in practice and how different individuals may interpret and experience accessibility in different ways.

The workshops are structured around the Design Thinking process and practical engagement. Through fieldwork (including a visit to the museum), participants will develop empathy, learn observation techniques, interpret data, and generate potential solutions. Students will also have the opportunity to “get their hands dirty” by building and testing their own prototypes.

Throughout this process, participants will be supported by mentors who will provide guidance and feedback. At the end of the course, students will develop a low-fidelity prototype and pitch it to the rest of the group. This is a dynamic and practical workshop that goes beyond traditional classroom learning.

Detailed objectives of the thematic block include:

• Introduction to the Design Thinking method (mindsets and tools)
• Learning how to work in an interdisciplinary design team
• Understanding the principles of user research
• Learning how to interpret data and translate it into insights
• Developing brainstorming and idea-generation techniques
• Building and testing a prototype with end users
• Learning how to collect and use feedback effectively

Learning how to pitch an idea clearly and persuasively

Inclusive education is currently one of the key directions in the development of contemporary education systems. It assumptions go beyond the integration of students with special educational needs, encompassing a broader understanding of diversity, equality, and social justice. In recent years, hoverer, we have observed significant changes in the ways inclusive education is conceptualized and implemented-both at the level of public policies, educational institutions, and everyday school practices. This thematic block is devoted to the analysis of transformation within inclusive education, including tensions between declared values and their implementation in practice, new forms of exclusion emerging with inclusion, as well as the redefinition of the roles of teachers, specialists, students, and families, examined through the lens of post-socialist disability studies. Special attention will be given to critical, interdisciplinary, and empirical approaches to inclusive education. The thematic block invites contributions addressing inclusive education as a dynamic and contested process of change. We particularly welcome papers engaging with the following areas (the list is not exhaustive):

• inclusive education in post-socialist and Central and Eastern European contexts;
• everyday school practices and lived experiences of inclusion and exclusion;
• inclusive education from a disability studies perspective;
• critical and empirical studies of “inclusive” reforms and their consequences;
• teachers’ work, emotions, and professional identities in inclusive education

 

More information about the project: https://inclusiveeducation.us.edu.pl

Fieldwork can be exciting, demanding, and sometimes disorienting – especially when navigating complex relationships, ethical dilemmas and personal expectations. This interactive workshop offers MA and PhD students a supportive space to pause and reflect on their own research journeys, focusing on how their experiences, identities and networks shape the way they conduct research.

Drawing on concepts of reflexivity and positionality in qualitative and ethnographic research, the workshop encourages participants to explore their motivations, challenges and resources. Particular attention will be given to research involving vulnerable or marginalized communities, where awareness of one’s role and relationships becomes essential for responsible knowledge production.

Through guided activities, collaborative mapping exercise and small-group dialogue, participants will examine their fieldwork experiences, identify sources of support and constraint, and discuss strategies for navigating uncertainty. The workshop also introduces the idea of “care networks” – the personal, professional and institutional relationships that sustain researchers throughout their projects.

Participants will leave with practical tools for reflective practice, greater confidence in managing research complexities and new perspectives gained through peer exchange and collective learning.

If you are looking for a meaningful and engaging learning experience, these living lab workshops invite you to step into a specially designed creative environment of the Universal Design Laboratory operating within the Universal Design Centre at the University of Silesia (CPUŚ). Here, you can explore accessibility and inclusion using state-of-the-art simulation technologies, including VR tools, alongside resources that support participation of people with disabilities in social life.

By taking part, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in interactive, experience-based activities that encourage reflection on the everyday realities faced by people with disabilities and individuals with special needs. You can explore diverse perspectives, engage with innovative tools, and consider how inclusive environments and services can be developed in practice.

If you want to strengthen your empathy and awareness in the context of accessibility and universal design, you too can join this collaborative and reflective workshop setting. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, experiment creatively, and connect social understanding with hands-on experience in an inspiring and supportive environment.

Higher education often functions as an “ivory tower” supported by “steep steps” (Dolmage, 2017) that more than filters individuals; it fundamentally skews knowledge production, deepening discrimination against those excluded its processes. When research methodologies lack accessibility, social studies fail to be genuinely representative, instead presenting a narrow perspective derived almost exclusively from able-bodied demographic. Further, publications that are incompatible with assistive technologies violate “open access” principles and contribute to disability injustice.

This workshop reframes accessibility as a fundamental human right, moving beyond the “retrofit” model (Dolmage, 2017) toward proactive Universal Design (Mace, 1985). You will be exposed to practical skills in critical methodology while to identify barriers, and create more widely accessible research. You will learn to design communication that is accessible to not native speakers and people with cognitive, visual, and hearing disabilities.

The workshop focuses on digital accessibility, equipping you with technical tools to ensure your findings—from data visualizations to publications— can be universally accessed and understood . By applying international standards and technical specifications (WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, APA 7 Style), you will learn to dismantle “ableist apologia” (Dolmage, 2017). This hands-on lab transforms academic practice into a commitment to representation and disability justice, facilitating research outcomes that can be both academically rigorous and accessible to the widest possible audiences.

[to be announced]

The activity is co-financed by the project International from the beginning – wsparcie umiędzynarodowienia financed by the National Agency for Academic Exchange under the STER Programme.

More: https://us.edu.pl/szkola-doktorska/en/ster/