Speaker
Description
Ensuring equal opportunities in physics requires not only formal access, but also a deep understanding of systemic barriers that affect participation, performance, and creativity. The project TUgether ohne Barrieren, led at TU Wien in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, addresses these challenges through an interdisciplinary, evidence-based framework grounded in analytical thinking familiar to the physical sciences.
The project applies quantitative and qualitative methodologies—anonymous large-scale surveys and structured interviews—to identify barriers in infrastructure, teaching, and institutional processes. From a physics perspective, the university system can be viewed as a complex system with constraints, boundary conditions, and non-linear responses to interventions. Within this system, particular attention is given to twiceexceptional (2e) individuals: persons with high cognitive or creative abilities who simultaneously experience disabilities or neurodivergent conditions (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia). These individuals often exhibit exceptional pattern recognition, abstraction capabilities, or problem-solving skills—traits highly valuable in physics —yet face disproportionate structural obstacles.
By combining empirical data analysis with international benchmarking and best-practice transfer, the project aims to derive optimized intervention strategies analogous to constraint minimization in physical systems. The expected outcome is a set of scalable, evidence-based measures that enhance accessibility while simultaneously fostering innovation, diversity of thought, and scientific excellence.
This contribution highlights how concepts familiar to physicists—such as system optimization, hidden variables, and emergent behaviour—can inform the design of inclusive academic environments, ultimately improving conditions not only for 2e individuals but for the entire scientific community.