Vitorian Noelia Da Costa Reviirrigation, with cerebral palsy, needs a university assistant to go to the bathroom, take off the shelter or put the computer on the table. However, the UPV/EHU denies her collaboration on the grounds that the graduate master's degree she is pursuing is not official. He told us about this about a month ago, adding that, being an official or natural graduate, the regulations say that people with special needs must be guaranteed their rights throughout the university period “and I am still a student at the UPV”.

“As an organization we cannot address the problem”

Fernando Mijangos, member of the Social Council of the UPV, brought the issue to the last plenary of the Social Council, “reading and moving the interview in ARGIA”. Mrs herself Rector of the University, Eva Ferreira, responds in line with the starting arguments, arguing that the title is proper and accountable to the law: “The right to higher education enshrined in the law always corresponds to official degrees and the university offers other degrees. We offer support in official titles beyond scholarship, material support and personalized assistance. We are a reference point here. No. If a person has trouble attending class in the Experience Classrooms, we cannot ensure this personalized help throughout life, as in the budget, as a society, we have not decided to ensure lifelong training with a companion. The public university that is funded with public money guarantees someone who needs it a personalized support in degrees that will allow them to achieve this level of higher education. It does not exist either in Spanish legislation (which is limited to official qualifications), in the regulations for granting aid to Members, or in the measures for awarding grants adopted by the Basque Government. Everything else would be to do something that nobody has told us. We do not have enough capacity to provide personalized care to all people with special needs who want to carry out all our training throughout our lives. As an organization, we cannot address the problem. In our social plan we take into account training that allows access to employment.”

He also stressed that the UPV/EHU is a reference for inclusion: “Our university is a reference among other universities. We have an inclusive plan, and this year we will have results and we will see the help we offer.”

Ferdinand Mijanos told us that in the Social Council they want to hold a debate on the own titles in January.

Noelia Da Costa: “Psychologically, it takes nothing easy”

However, Noelia Da Costa is still in the same situation and as the UPV/EHU does not give him the helper, his mother accompanies him. “I’m partly satisfied because I’m doing what I want and I haven’t gone back on the road to my dreams, but I want to stress that thanks to my family it’s being possible, and to the protection of others and friends, this situation is not easy to take psychologically, and they encourage me not to leave.”

As we know, Da Costa’s final degree work, which provides keys to independent living through the combination of functional diversity, the third sector and social work, has won the first prize in the category of Success at the fifth congress of students of the UPV/EHU, “and that has also prompted me to move forward.”