Fact Sheet: Accessibility for students with disabilities/ chronic illnesses.
Petra Schorat-Waly; Jutta Rump; Imke Buß; Janina Kaiser; Melanie Schiedhelm
Definition and initial situation
Around 2.5 million students are currently studying at German universities (Fisseler 2014). The results of the 20th Social Survey of the Studentenwerk revealed health impairments in 13.6% of students in the summer semester of 2012. 7.6% of all students with health impairments have a very severe difficulty in studying (Middendorff et al. 2013, p. 37). But what does "disabled" actually mean and who are students with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses? Social legislation (SGB IX) defines a disability as follows:
"People are disabled if their physical function, mental ability or mental health is highly likely to deviate from the condition typical for their age for more than six months and therefore their participation in life in society is impaired. They are at risk of disability if the impairment is to be expected (§ 2 para. 1)."
The medical model of disability emphasizes the condition of the disabled person who deviates from the expected norm. This person is seen as a problem because he or she cannot cope with the environment due to his or her disability. This view is not without its problems, as it tends to stigmatize and segregate people (Fisseler 2014, p. 83).
The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society follows the social model of disability. "This model shifts the focus away from the person with a disability and towards the barriers in the environment that hinder participation in society. The slogan formulated by "Aktion Mensch" as part of the "Aktion Grundgesetz" campaign "You are not disabled. You become disabled" (Schorat-Waly and Oechler 2014, foreword).
Effects on study situation and academic success
For 94% of students with health impairments, their disability or illness is not immediately apparent. Only when problems arise during the course of their studies do those affected make themselves known. This includes, for example, 45% of impaired students whose mental impairment has the greatest impact on their studies or the 20% of students who are at a disadvantage compared to their fellow students when studying and/or taking exams due to their chronic somatic illness (Deutsches Studentenwerk 2012). Berthold and Leichsenring (2012) point out that illnesses and performance restrictions in higher education are on the rise. The reasons for this are, on the one hand, the growing awareness of limitations at school (e.g. dyslexia) and, on the other, an increased incidence of some chronic (diabetes, allergies) and mental illnesses among young people.
A total of 11.5% of respondents at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society stated that they had permanent health and/or physical impairments (Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society 2015). If we look in more detail at the impairments that affect students, the most common reason given was a physical impairment that is not visible in everyday university life (7.5% of all students).
Evaluations of the study situation (Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society 2015) of students at Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society with permanent health and/or physical impairments show that, compared to students without impairments, students with disabilities have significantly more need for support with regard to social integration, (academic) performance requirements, course assistance, participation in research projects and childcare. These support needs often result from the structure of everyday study life, communication in courses and structural barriers and not from the fact that students are unable to cope with the demands of studying. In addition, students with disabilities tend to underestimate their own performance. Despite a comparable average grade for their qualification for university entrance (2.2 for students without disabilities vs. 2.3 for students with disabilities), students with disabilities are 40% more likely to rate their school performance as being in the bottom third (11% compared to 6.8% of students without disabilities) (Berthold and Leichsenring 2012). Berthold and Leichsenring (ibid.) assume that this can be seen as a clear indicator that students with disabilities perform at a similarly high level as their fellow students without disabilities. However, students with disabilities are often insecure about their performance, which means that they rate themselves less highly.
There are also topics that were rated similarly by students with and without disabilities in the student barometer (Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society 2015b): For example, they have a comparable opinion with regard to part-time study: 26% of students with disabilities and 25.8% of students without disabilities consider this topic to be very urgent or somewhat urgent. The group of students with professional qualifications in particular would like to be able to study part-time to improve their study situation. The results suggest that all students would like to have more flexibility with regard to the timing of their studies. At best, one could put forward a working hypothesis that there are gradual differences in how the student groups justify their wishes, e.g. with regard to the compatibility of studying & (part-time) employment vs. the problems that can (but do not have to) arise from studying with a disability. This could include a possible increased time requirement to access and receive accessible learning materials or the compatibility of studying with medically necessary treatments, such as physiotherapy. However, this was not surveyed in detail in the student barometer. In these considerations, it is also important to bear in mind that students with disabilities also have to finance their studies and generally face even greater challenges than their non-disabled fellow students, e.g. in terms of integration opportunities in the labor market or due to higher disability-specific living costs.
Finally, it should be noted that students with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses must complete their studies and examinations under the same conditions as their non-disabled fellow students. If they are at a disadvantage compared to their fellow students when completing their studies and/or taking examinations due to their impairment and/or disability, they are entitled to compensation for disadvantages. This entitlement is enshrined in law. The protective provisions for students with disabilities are listed in Section 25 of the General Examination Regulations. The Coordination Office for Equal Opportunities and Diversity, in cooperation with the University Didactics Department and the Disability Officer for Students at Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, provides relevant tips and information material on the inclusive design of education on the website www.hwg-lu.de/barrierefrei. In the download area you will find the guide "Studying with a handicap" for lecturers at the university.
Literature
Berthold, C.; Leichsenring, H. (ed.) (2012): CHE: Diversity Report: The overall report. Available online at
www.che-consult.de/fileadmin/pdf/publikationen/CHE_Diversity_Report_Gesamtbericht_komprimiert.pdf, last checked on 25.04.2016.
Deutsches Studentenwerk (2012): Beeinträchtigt studieren - Datenerhebung zur Situation Studierender mit Behinderung und chronischer Krankheit 2011. Brochure on the data collection. Berlin. Available online at best-umfrage.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BEST_barrierefrei_2011.pdf, last checked on 25.04.2016.
Fisseler, B. (2014): Barrier-free university didactics. In: New handbook on university teaching (F. 4.4).
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (2015): Student barometer. University-wide student survey. Winter semester 2014/2015. Unpublished documents. In collaboration with Keller, A. Evaluation officer of the university. Ludwigshafen on the Rhine.
Middendorff, E.; Apolinarski, B.; Poskowsky, J.; Kandulla, M.; Netz, N. (2013): Die wirtschaftliche und soziale Lage der Studierenden in Deutschland 2012: 20. Sozialerhebung des Deutschen Studentenwerks durchgeführt durch das HIS-Institut für Hochschulforschung. Available online at: www.sozialerhebung.de/download/20/soz20_hauptbericht_gesamt.pdf, last checked on 25.04.2016.
Schorat-Waly, P.; Oechler, M. (2014): Studying with a handicap: Guidelines for lecturers at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society.
Citation
Schorat-Waly, Petra; Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie (2017): Profile: Students with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good education in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, No. 6. www. hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere
Use according to Creative Commons under attribution (please use the citation provided) and for non-commercial purposes.