On the way to an inclusive university

Studying with disabilities and chronic illnesses

16% of students study with an impairment that makes studying difficult. This includes students with sensory and physical impairments, with chronic somatic and mental illnesses, but also with dyslexia, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. People with impairments should have access to general higher education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal footing with others. This is not only a requirement of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but also of other national and international legal regulations. Higher education institutions (HEIs) and public student service organisation (STWs) face up to this task in many ways. However, structural, communicative, digital, didactic, structural and other barriers still make access to studies, studying and further academic qualification more difficult. Individually coordinated precautions should therefore be taken to compensate for individual disadvantages.