12 October 2026, Katja Saxer (PHBern), Caroline Sahli Lozano (PHBern)
What a week!
This thought came back to us again and again on our journey home, and it still resonates now that we are back in Bern.
We could not have anticipated just how valuable this week would be. A study visit involving a 16-member delegation made up of representatives from all institutes, the Rectorate and professional services, as well as colleagues working in teaching and research, requires extensive preparation. Yet much remains uncertain. How the encounters will unfold, which questions will be answered, which new ones will emerge and how the group will develop over the course of the week cannot be planned in advance.
Much of what ultimately shaped our visit grew out of these face-to-face encounters. Information about programmes and concepts at other universities is readily available today at the click of a mouse or by asking an AI tool. But nothing can replace speaking directly with the people involved, seeing how these approaches are put into practice and being able to ask questions on the spot. In Edmonton and Vancouver, we gained first-hand insight into how Universal Design for Learning, academic accommodations, inclusive post-secondary education programmes and easily accessible support services are implemented in everyday university life.
What impressed us most was not only the programmes themselves, but above all the openness of the people we met and their commitment to diversity and inclusion. All our questions were welcomed, whether detailed, critical or fundamental, and answered with patience and a genuine willingness to engage in dialogue. Some of the most thought-provoking moments came when our questions were initially difficult to understand because certain forms of participation and support were already considered entirely natural by those we spoke with. The question was not whether inclusion should be made possible, but how it could work even better.
The delegation’s daily reflection sessions were just as valuable as the formal programme. The broad composition of our group became a particular strength: different perspectives came together, observations were discussed and interpreted collectively, and assumptions were critically examined. At the beginning of the week, our main task was to absorb and make sense of the many impressions. As the week progressed, the discussions became deeper and more concrete. By the end, the focus had increasingly shifted towards how these insights could connect with the PHBern context and what our next steps might be.
We did not return from Canada with a ready-made recipe for a more inclusive university. Nor could such a recipe simply be transferred to PHBern. What we did observe, however, were some of the ingredients that can be essential to an inclusive university culture: a generous helping of shared commitment, reliable structures and inclusive practices that are tangible in everyday university life. Other important ingredients include time for relationships and collaboration, a willingness to listen to students and a healthy dose of courage to try new approaches and learn from both experience and mistakes. What struck us most was how these ingredients worked together at the institutions we visited: university leaders provided clear direction, staff received professional support, and students were involved in ongoing development while their different needs were taken seriously.
Our task now is to examine these ingredients, adapt and add to them, and develop something that fits PHBern and our particular context. Not every attempt will succeed at once, and some early efforts may still be a little over-seasoned. What matters is having the courage to begin, try new approaches, reflect on them together and continue learning step by step.
Now that we are back, the real work of translating these insights into our own context begins. And, however grand it may sound, this journey was only the beginning. The delegation will continue its exchange as a group, explore the insights gained in greater depth and use them to develop the next steps for PHBern.
At the same time, we do not want to remain within our own circle. As this work continues, we hope many more people will join us in the kitchen. Students, staff, university leaders and partner institutions are warmly invited to contribute their perspectives and experiences, engage critically with us and help shape the further development of an inclusive university.
An important opportunity to continue this conversation will be the conference “Towards an Inclusive University: Perspectives from Switzerland and Canada” on 12 March 2027. Together with experts from Switzerland and international colleagues from Concordia University of Edmonton and Inclusion Alberta, we aim to carry the insights from our visit forward and develop new ideas for PHBern and the wider Swiss higher education context.
The study visit has come to an end. As a group, however, we remain on this journey and look forward to being joined by everyone who would like to help shape what comes next.
This article reflects the personal impressions of its authors.