Non-visible disabilities

People with non-visible disabilities or illnesses often conceal their impairment as they are often met with little understanding. These impairments include dyslexia, autism, MS, tinnitus, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, kidney disease, heart defects and mental illness.
What many people don't realise: At university, they are just as entitled to help and compensation for disadvantages as fellow students with visible disabilities.

This article on studying with ADHD at Emden University of Applied Sciences from summer 2024 provides a good insight into the topic.

An overview of tips, contacts and contact points follows:

• Newly founded self-help group for women with autism in Oldenburg - information is available from Bekos.
• In adiscussion group for students with non-visible impairments , there is the opportunity to exchange information and experiences with other affected people as well as to motivate and support each other. Ideas for further projects can also be collected here. The best way to contact the "anders normal studieren" group is directly via the e-mail address: behindertenreferat(at)uni-oldenburg.de
  The next meeting of the self-help group can be found on the homepage of the Autonomous Department for Disabled and Chronically Ill Students in the AStA.
• Many different self-help groups can be found at the BeKos in Oldenburg, the Wittmund-Wilhelmshaven self-help contact centre, Kiss Friesland, Kiss Emden, the self-help contact centre for the district of Oldenburg and the nationwide NAKOS.
• There is currently a new brochure from REHADAT-Wissen on the topic of professional participation with Long Covid - the contents are also very transferable to everyday student life.
• Good information on studying with autism is available from the German Autism Association in the form of a flyer for download and in more detail in a brochure (Guidelines and recommendations for action on autism and studying), which must be ordered. Best practice examples are available for download in three very good brochures for university lecturers and tutors, support staff and university management. Students themselves can also find lots of good tips there.

• On this page of the German Student Union you can find further information on studying with autism, dyslexia, mental illness and visual impairments.
• In Bremen, the Studierendenwerk has its own group for students with ADHD.
• Nationwide there is an interest group for students withhearing impairments, for visually impaired and blind students and for students with dyslexia/dyscalculia: the interest group Junge Aktive im BVL (download flyer).
  
  

Inclusion tutors at the University of Münster have developed three projects that can be advertised and used beyond Münster.

• Podcast "Uni inclusive - different together": Interviews and contributions on the topic of studying with disabilities, not only in Münster. Available from the usual podcast providers and on the WWU homepage.
• Instagram account "@wwu_muenster_inklusion": Social media account of the Inclusion Tutor Programme - with topics outside of Münster University. The team is looking forward to outreach and networking (suggestions for topics are also welcome)
• Open discussion group "Studying with autism": Open exchange with the aim of pointing out and discussing barriers, naming and breaking down prejudices and simply organising a pleasant discussion group. Open to all interested people. Appointment (currently) always on the last Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. c.t. via Zoom. Registration at inkltut(at)uni-muenster.de.