Disability Support Services
Do you have a documented functional impairment, such as dyslexia, ADHD, autism or a visual impairment? If so, you are entitled to support from the University to help you succeed in your studies on the same terms as other students.
For example, you can get help with notetaking, support with planning or adapted exams. Further down on this page you will find information on what could be relevant when teaching or assessments are being fully or partially conducted online.
Do you have the right to learning support?
If you have a documented long-term functional impairment, you should be eligible for learning support. You apply via the Disability Support Services website, where you will be asked to upload evidence of your impairment.
If you are unsure whether you have the right to learning support, or have any other questions about applying, you can always make an appointment with one of our coordinators. On the Disability Support Services website, you can find which coordinator you should contact depending on what you are studying. There you will also find a link to the application.
Go to the Disability Support Services website – lunduniversity.lu.se
What happens when you apply?
Once Disability Support Services has received your application, they will contact you to book a meeting with the coordinator responsible for your area of studies. At the meeting you will discuss what type of support you might need depending on your diagnosis and your chosen subject of study. After the meeting you will receive a notification of what support is recommended for you.
If you have been granted learning support, you have a responsibility as a student to inform your programme of this. There are usually established procedures to follow which you will be informed about. If you are not sure who to contact, you can always ask your coordinator at Disability Support Services or your study advisor.
It is up to you whether you want to tell your classmates about your functional impairment or about possible support measures. This is not something your lecturer or academic advisor will do unless you have specifically asked them to do so.
Talk to your lecturer in good time before an examination
If you require adapted forms of examination (e.g. extended time, an individual examination or oral examination), this will be recommended in your letter from Disability Support Services. But in order for the necessary adaptations to be made, your course needs ample time to prepare. First check who is responsible for telling your lecturer that you need adaptations and then be sure everyone involved gets the information as soon as possible.
Disability Support Services can decide you have the right to a mentor and notetaking support, but when it comes to examinations, your course makes the decisions about what support is allowed. Usually a course will follow the recommendations made by Disability Support Services, but sometimes a lecturer might conclude that certain adaptations are not possible as these contradict certain course goals relevant to a particular examination. Perhaps a certain goal must be examined in writing or as part of a group, for example. In these situations, it is especially important to speak to your lecturer in good time so that you are informed and can prepare.
Your lecturer should be especially clear if teaching will take place online
The University has developed guidelines for what lecturers need to consider in particular when teaching and examinations are fully digital. The purpose of the guidelines is to make it easier for students with disabilities who, for various reasons, find it more difficult to plan and structure their studies when they are done online, but it is of course better for everyone if the lecturer is clear and concise in their teaching and instructions.
When all information is conveyed digitally, lecturers are encouraged to give especially clear instructions and more detailed feedback, both orally and in writing. The guidelines also state that it is important that there is an opportunity to ask questions and that students can get in touch with the lecturer. It is also clear that writing an exam at home can take longer than in the classroom, especially for those with concentration difficulties, as there are more distractions.
You can find the guidelines in their entirety through the link below.
Read the Guidelines for online teaching for lecturers – staff.lu.se