Support for students with a disability or chronic illness

If you are already studying at FH Vorarlberg or want to start studying soon and feel that your studies are or will be negatively affected by your disability or illness, you should contact the Disability Officer. She is your person to contact if you experience:

• Physical handicaps such as limited mobility
• Sensory handicaps such as limited sight/blindness or hearing loss
• Psychological handicaps such as depression or burnout
• Partial performance handicaps such as dyslexia or ADD
• Chronic illnesses such as allergies/asthma or other long-lasting illnesses

• Advice when selecting the right course of study
• Negotiating special arrangements for admission if you cannot participate in the regular admission procedure or would be disadvantaged as a result of your disability or chronic illness
• ·Assistance and support during studies: this includes anything that helps assure your everyday studies are as unimpaired as possible, starting with the installation of your technological aids on campus through to negotiating special arrangements for examinations
• Further advice, e.g. about scholarships
• The team at the International Office can inform you about special grants for study abroad through the Erasmus+ programme

You need to plan well if your studies are going to get off to a good start!

For this reason you should inform the Disability Officer or your head of programme of your disability or illness in good time. This is very important if your handicap is not easily noticed, and you should give the head of programme and your teaching staff the chance to learn about your special needs. Only by doing this can you get the special support you need. The information you provide is treated confidentially as nothing happens against your will.

If you find it difficult to talk openly about your disability or chronic illness despite this, you can obtain information from the Disability Officer about the support options for your special case anonymously. You can seek anonymous advice by telephone or email.

Disabled students have the right to an alternative examination method if they cannot sit a regular examination due to their disability. For example, it is possible to take an oral examination instead of a written one if a student is unable to write by hand. More time can also be granted for assessment if need be. If you cannot attend an examination due to an illness, you must inform the programme administration about this immediately. It is important you do this so that the examination can be repeated later without you being penalised.

Having a disability or chronic illness requires a lot of energy and strength. It can often be impossible to keep up with the taxing pace set by other students. In these cases, studying part-time may be an attractive solution to adapt your academic progress to your own needs. Part-time study means that you consult with your head of programme to decide which classes you attend in one semester and which classes you will make up during another semester. However, this lengthens the duration of your study.