What does ‘reasonable accommodation’ actually mean?
Some students – like me – have long-term health conditions or disabilities.
These can put us at a disadvantage compared with other students.
To help ensure we have the same opportunities as everyone else,
we can apply for reasonable accommodations.
This means individual adjustments to the rules for completing exams and assessments.
And how does that work?
You apply for reasonable accommodation.
For instance, you might apply for more time when completing written exams
or deadline extensions for written papers.
Or you might need to complete written exams in a separate room.
Or you could apply for extra breaks in an exam,
that aren’t counted towards the total time allowed.
You could ask to be allowed to take an exam alone instead of in a group.
If you have attendance requirements for classes,
you could apply for permission to miss more sessions than generally allowed.
You could also ask for access to aids,
an assistant
or a sign language interpreter.
You can combine these adjustments if you need to.
Ah, OK, so I can apply for more than one accommodation at once.
But will there be anything about them in my Certificate of Examinations?
No, your university isn’t allowed to disclose that information.
OK, so when I’m disadvantaged in some way,
I can have accommodations to make sure I have an equal chance.
Yes, that’s it,
but you don’t get them automatically.
You’ll need to make an application on your own initiative.
And how do I do that?
If you want to find out whether you meet the criteria,
it’s best to talk to the advisors for students with disabilities
or long-term health conditions,
Beauftragte für Studierende mit Behinderung,
at your university.
They’ll be happy to help.
And in the next video, I’ll tell you how to make your application.