A Heartwarming Tour

On September 14, at the initiative of the Office for Target Student Support, HSE University organised the first inclusive tour of its campus for students with disabilities and special needs and for those admitted as part of the Social Elevator programme.

The HSE Cultural Heritage Centre supported the idea. The tour was led by Maria Gavrilina, Manager at the HSE Bureau of Research Policy.

'I chose the theme "Places of Interest on Pokrovsky Bulvar" to help students become acquainted with the part of the city where their campus is located, a place they will often visit during their studies,' explains Maria Gavrilina, adding, 'This tour was an experiment for me. Although I am familiar with the principles and techniques of inclusion, it was my first time applying them in practice during a real-life event. While I was quite nervous, I believe our walk was interesting and engaging for everyone involved.'

The tour participants learned about the people who once lived and worked in the buildings where HSE University is now located, and in the surrounding buildings.

Ekaterina Nedelyaeva

'HSE University has numerous cultural heritage sites in its operational management. It is essential not only to restore and preserve these monuments but also to make them accessible to everyone,' says Ekaterina Nedelyaeva, Director of the HSE Cultural Heritage Centre. 'It is particularly encouraging that students have been actively contributing to these inclusive projects. For example, students at HSE MIEM created a 3D-printed model of Durasov House, allowing visually-impaired persons to explore this architectural masterpiece.'

Several important stories related to Moscow's development are associated with Pokrovsky Bulvar. During the walk, these stories were discussed, helping students gain a better understanding of the capital's history.

Marina Kosyachenko

'I am grateful to everyone for this wonderful tour: the organisers, the support group and the participants,' says Marina Kosyachenko, Manager at the Office for Target Student Support. 'I am particularly pleased for the first-year students who now know nearly all the secrets of Pokrovsky Bulvar and the main building of our university. We are working to establish such events as a cherished tradition.'

The organisers and participants described their walk through the university buildings and surrounding streets as a 'heartwarming tour.'

Olga Krylova, a student of the HSE/NES Programme in Economics and participant of the Inclusive Digitalisation project implemented by the IT Office, took part in the tour. She enrolled in HSE University in 2020 after graduating from an institution for education and rehabilitation of the blind.

'It was my first time on such a tour, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to explore a 3D model representing Durasov House and created by HSE students using a 3D printer. This model provides a bird's-eye view of the building, which is especially beneficial for visually impaired individuals, as simply listening to a verbal description of this large and complex architectural structure is often insufficient for forming a mental image. It is impossible to fully appreciate its beauty without a physical model, and it is particularly helpful that the model can be disassembled for close examination of every detail. I hope more architectural models like this will become available,' Olga notes.

Vladislav Golubev, another participant of the tour, completed high school in Irkutsk this year and enrolled in the first year of the Bachelor's Programme in Urban Planning. He chose HSE University because it has established a barrier-free environment. In Vladislav’s opinion, 'this is one of the few universities in Russia that is fully accessible to persons with disabilities.'

According to Vladislav, 'After this inclusive tour, the first of its kind in HSE University's history, I now want to explore more areas of the city, including traveling around the entire Boulevard Ring. This is the quintessence of HSE University, Moscow, and Russia.'

September 19