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WUT recognized for its work supporting people with disabilities

Professor Robert Zalewski, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Katarzyna Tutaj, President of the Council of Student Research Groups, photo credit: BPI

Professor Robert Zalewski, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Katarzyna Tutaj, President of the Council of Student Research Groups, photo credit: BPI

The Warsaw University of Technology received an award from the E-Economy Congress and the “Promyk Słońca” Foundation in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the use of modern technologies to support people with disabilities.

The award ceremony was held on 7 October 2020 at the 15th E-economy Congress. Robert Zalewski, Ph.D, D.Sc., Eng., WUT Professor and Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, received the statuette and diploma on behalf of the university.

The jury appreciated the WUT’s overall contribution to helping people with disabilities. They recognized our community thinking, innovativeness, social sensitivity and our efforts to raise awareness of the fact that public space should be accessible to everyone.

The WUT faculty and students were praised for their numerous discoveries and innovative technology solutions which meet the needs of people with disabilities. One example of such a solution was the e-MaksPower project, which consisted in the construction of an e-vehicle for 10 year-old Maks, an avid automotive enthusiast suffering from muscle atrophy.

The winners of awards granted for projects supporting people with disabilities with representatives of the Polish Bank Association and the “Promyk Słońca” Foundation, photo credit: BPI

The award ceremony held to distinguish technology development and implementation projects intended to prevent the exclusion of people with disabilities was the climax of the E-Economy Congress. During the second session of the event, “New Technologies for Digital Inclusion”, Katarzyna Tutaj, President of the Council of Student Research Groups, talked about how the WUT student research groups support people with disabilities. Among the student projects mentioned by the speaker were the e-MaksPower vehicle, a hand prosthesis project, the Civitas app, which makes it easier for wheelchair users to move around town, and the Good Will Farm.

The E-Economy Congress is an event organized by the Polish Bank Association, which brings together the world of business, administration and the academia.