What counts as a disability or chronic illness?
A broad spectrum of impairments that can affect everyday study life.
These include, among other things
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Mobility and movement impairments
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Visual impairment or blindness
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Hearing impairment or deafness
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Chronic somatic diseases (e.g. rheumatism, multiple sclerosis, intestinal diseases, tumor diseases, ME/CFS)
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Speech/language impairment
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Mental illnesses (e.g. depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorder, schizophrenia)
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Neurodivergence (e.g. ADHD, autism spectrum disorder)
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Partial performance disorders (e.g. dyslexia/dyscalculia)
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Other impairments
It is noticeable that mental illnesses are by far the most common among all students with an impairment that makes studying difficult.
This diversity of students with impairments results in a variety of impairment-related demands on studying and teaching, universities and student services, whereby structural barriers are only one issue among many, as communicative, organizational and structural barriers also have a strong impact on studying.
Students with health impairments are confronted with difficulties, for example, when it comes to accessing university, studying, financing their studies and also in everyday life. The study and examination regulations for Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at the University of Siegen regulate the compensation of disadvantages for disabled or chronically ill students due to their specific situation. in the course of studies and examinations. There is also further special assistance for various groups with special needs. However, there is often a considerable lack of information, as many do not know that they are entitled to compensation for disadvantages or other assistance or how they can claim it. Others do not want to come out as impaired, as a person with special needs, as 'disabled'. Due to misinformation, they prefer to waive their rights - often to their own detriment.
You can find advice and help from the University of Siegen's representative for students with chronic illnesses or disabilities as well as from the psychological counseling service and the Asta social department. Students or prospective students who are restricted in their ability to study due to health problems or disabilities should first contact the representative for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
As a general rule: personal information is always treated with absolute confidentiality!
