Welcome to the portal dedicated to the academic community of Instituto Superior Técnico, where we promote an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone.
Our mission is to gather and provide valuable information about Special Educational Needs (Necessidades Educativas Especiais – NEE), ensuring that all members of our community have equal access to education and growth opportunities.
Our values and goals
We believe that the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility are fundamental to building an enriching academic community.
Our goals are aligned with these values, aiming to create an environment where each individual feels valued and respected, regardless of their differences.
Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is essential for creating an environment where everyone feels valued and capable of expressing themselves freely, without fear of judgment or retaliation. Achieving this requires clear rules, commitment, empathy, self-awareness, and involvement from the entire academic community.
Psychological safety is crucial for a healthy and productive work environment, based on five fundamental pillars:
- Belonging: Feeling a sense of belonging and acceptance in any circumstance.
- Mistake Culture: Being able to learn and make mistakes without fear. There are no errors, only feedback.
- Improvement: Having space to grow and improve.
- Being Yourself: Being authentic without fear of judgment.
- Giving Suggestions: Having the freedom to propose changes and improvements, knowing they will be heard and considered.
These pillars promote trust, innovation, and personal and professional growth.
The benefits of a safe environment include innovation, team diversity, adaptability and resilience, a problem-solving culture, creativity, better quality of life, communication, and relationships.
The lack of psychological safety can result in serious risks to mental health and well-being, including burnout, depression, anxiety, and discrimination.
“If we want innovation, if we want creativity, if we want morale, if we want collaboration – we need safety. If we don’t have safety, then we just aren’t able to connect, and we aren’t able to come out with the same kind of outputs we would if we were in a safe environment.” Dr. Angie Montgomery Co-Founder & CEO, INCHEQ
Universal Design
We adopt the concept of Universal Design with the aim of ensuring that our spaces, resources, and practices are accessible to everyone, regardless of their individual characteristics.
Universal Design allows us to remove physical, technological, and communication barriers, ensuring that each member of our community can fully participate in the academic and extracurricular life of Instituto Superior Técnico.
Welcome to an environment where diversity is celebrated, inclusion is a priority, and everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Join us in building a fairer and more accessible future for all.
You can consult more details about:
- Information for students or future applicants – SSEN status, available support and resources, etc.
- Information for teachers and researchers – SSEN status, available support and resources, etc.
- Working Group for Students with Special Educational Needs (GENEE) – team, projects in progress, etc
