Is it accessible; the classes, the computer rooms, the library, the canteen, the sports hall? Can I have the special diet I need? Who can I ask for technical assistance within the university? Can someone take notes for me? If not, who pays for photocopying? Can I have special conditions for my examinations? Who will explain my differences to the lecturers? Can I have a special parking space? Can I have extra lectures?
etc... And I skip over all the moral problems that could come after.
What do you do if you want to study in another country?
Erasmus is willing to help you (theoretically) but may not practically. The person who may help you is the Mobility office from your university but mostly the one from the host university. For example I choose my university (for the Erasmus year) according to the positive answer I received from their Erasmus-co-ordinator (I sent many mail to many co-ordinators). Besides that, many mobility offices don't know that there is a chapter in the Erasmus annual Directory that says which university is accessible or not (but there are some mistakes...).
What's possible in some countries?
Germany:
Germany is certainly the best place to study because of the existence of a National Advice Centre aware of all facilities AND difficulties from handicapped students. It helps the students, publishes a 240-pages book with all kind of informations and makes the link between the politics, the administration and the public. It also organises seminars for the coordinators and even the disabled students are present in the committee the centre.
The book will provide you with many various informations such as; the contact persons and which university has its own special advice centre (!), the housing, the transports, the help care and assistance, the financial possibilities, the problems and tips for specific handicaps, the moral support, the sport, etc. You will also find a bibliography and a complete index; you can order it this address.
France:
Together with Germany, they have made a big effort by publishing a book describing all the french universities with contact persons, possible accessibility, adapted menus, housing, transports, examinations, etc. in a very detailed way. For examples, I learnt that in a university they used conscientious objectors to welcome the handicapped students, in another they had a special commission for handicapped people (!) or a organised system of to write the lectures. This book is also available for blind people and you can obtain it here. A special issue of the review "Réadaptation" - No 407 from February 1994 - has a complete dossier about the french scholar system with practical information here.
Belgium:
They have made a list of contact persons for the universities with some precision concerning the housing, the access, etc. You can obtain this list at this address.
Conclusion
A student even with a severe handicap should be able to attend a foreign university. Depending of the handicap you may choose either Germany or another but the fact is that those countries have made an effort in opening the universities for "students with special needs".
I would add to this the importance of the handicapped student in the development of these facilities. If there is no demand, nothing will be done; if there is no demand, is it because there are no facilities? That question is a vicious circle. Unfortunately, the first to move won't be - except rare cases - the universities; the student has the responsibility to make aware people of his difficulties because nobody will ask him what they are if he is the first to enter the university. Also the families have the task to support him - even if it is hard. Finally, the associations working in the field of handicapped people have the task to support and investigate all the possibilities more than ever .
Remember, education is a right.
S.Kessler - EYO Committee member
gprior@di.epfl.ch
Addresses mentioned above:
1) Conseil Interuniversitaire de la Communauté Française Rue d'Egemont 5 1050 Bruxels Phone: + 32 2 504 92 11 Fax: + 32 2 502 27 68 2) Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Direction Générale des Enseignements Supérieurs Sous-direction de la vie etudiante et de l'insertion professionnelle DGES 12 61 - 65 Rue Dutot 75015 Paris Phone: + (1) 40 65 60 87 Fax: + (1) 40 65 65 65 3) Revue Réadaptation 10, rue de Sèvres 75007 Paris Phone: + (1) 42 22 22 73 4) Deutsches Studentenwerk Weberstr.55 53113 Bonn Phone: + (0228) 26 90 60 Fax: + (0228) 26 40 62