The ZHAW is taking a significant step towards equal opportunities in education by standardising processes regarding academic accommodations for people with disabilities throughout the university.

People with physical or mental disabilities often encounter obstacles when it comes to accessing educational opportunities. To ensure equal opportunities for everyone, the ZHAW implements individual measures that are just as important as structural and didactic adjustments to compensate for any disadvantages people may face. Examples of such measures include extending examination periods, providing aids and resources, or enabling students to complete exams in a low-stimulus environment. The ZHAW’s new academic accommodation regulations have been in force since February 2022. These regulations ensure that processes and general conditions are consistent throughout the university with a legally compliant procedure. This contributes to equal opportunities for students as well as in continuing education.

Centralisation and optimised interaction

Until the end of 2021, consultations on academic accommodations were either carried out by the Institute of Applied Psychology or by the Schools themselves. With the new regulations, the service was centralised. For a year now, Katja Dimitrakoudis from the Diversity Unit has been the first point of contact for students and continuing education participants. She is being supported by the office for an accessible study and work environment (Fachstelle Hindernisfreies Studieren und Arbeiten) at the School of Health Professions, which will remain in place. Katja Dimitrakoudis advises people applying for academic accommodations, working hand in hand with the newly introduced academic accommodations contact person in the Schools as well as the programme director’s offices. This has significantly improved collaboration between the parties involved. Furthermore, the processes have now been fully digitalised, allowing the students to submit their application online. Between transitioning to the new processes in April and the end of the year, a total of 213 online requests were submitted.