During your studies
Here’s an overview of the various services which could be relevant for students with a disability or (chronic) illness during their studies.
Information for students in their first semester
If you are starting your studies and have a disability or chronic illness, you can find important information for students in their first semester here (PDF file to download, in German, last updated: winter semester 2023/24).
Workshop "Semester management for students with a disability or chronic illness"
Topics such as e.g. special requirements in organizing your studies, available support services, or the individual adaptation of study conditions in order to prevent disadvantages, will be addressed during the orientation week at the start of the semester in the workshop "Semester management for students with a disability or chronic illness" (in German, with barrier-free access).
Buddy program
The Student Counseling Service (ZSB) organizes a buddy program for students with a disability or (chronic) illness to provide low-threshold support from other students. You can find more information here.
Application for disadvantage compensation
By law (§ 2 and § 32 Landeshochschulgesetz von Baden-Württemberg) the University is obliged to consider the particular needs of students with a disability or chronic illness. We do this by working with you to find adjustments that match your opportunities to study. This is not about "studying light” - it is about giving you equal opportunities to succeed in your studies.
You apply for these adjustments in what’s called an application for disadvantage compensation. This application is to be submitted via this form or informally to the responsible examination office for your subject(s). You explain the reasons why the requested adjustments are necessary for you and confirm these explanations with a certificate from a doctor / specialist / psychotherapist. (Suggestions on what a certificate should contain can be found in the document "Attest-Anforderungen".) It is helpful if the certificate clearly states what kind of compensation for disadvantages is being requested.
The examination office will then inform you in writing as to how your request could be granted. With this letter you inform the lecturers about the necessary adjustments or the changed regulations that apply to your studies. In order to make it easy for all parties involved, please identify and apply for any necessary adjustment as early as possible. You should bear in mind that the examination offices and the lecturers need a certain processing or lead time in order to be able to do justice to your request well.
You can also apply for compensation for disadvantages for church examinations and for Staatsexamen. Please contact your responsible examinations office.
You can find suggestions and information on the topic in this Arbeitshilfe (page 29-33, document page number) and here: https://www.studierendenwerke.de/themen/studieren-mit-behinderung/studium-und-pruefungen
Disadvantage compensation for exchange students
If you are an exchange student and need a disadvantage compensation for courses or examinations due to a disability or chronic illness, you should submit an application early so that adaptation services can be implemented in good time. In case you already have a disadvantage compensation from your home university, you can also submit this existing certificate; the document must be available in either German or English.
Please contact the General Study Counseling Service for specific information regarding the application process. The application will be forwarded to the Examination Office via the General Study Counseling Service.
Study assistance for support in everyday studies
Study assistants can support you in various areas of your daily study routine. If you have a hearing impairment, for example, they can prepare transcripts for you. If you have a visual impairment or dyslexia, the study assistant can support you, for example, in researching specialist literature. Funding for study assistants is usually provided by social services. Since some preparation time is required when organizing a study assistant, you should apply for it early on in the run-up to your studies. The Student Counseling Service will be happy to assist you in your search for a suitable study assistant.
Technical aids
An overview of the various technical aids is available here.
Assistance dog
What exactly is an assistance dog?
An assistance dog is a specially-trained dog that supports people who have a disability or chronic (mental or physical) disease to lead their everyday life. Training an assistance dog takes roughly two years.
Who can have an assistance dog?
Assistance dogs are used to help in a range of disabilities, including but not limited to visual impairments, deafness, living with a wheelchair, restricted mobility, epilepsy, narcolepsy, PTSD (post-traumatic
stress disorder), autism spectrum disorders, or diabetes.
May I bring my assistance dog with me to the University of Tübingen?
It is not normally permitted to bring dogs to the university. However, guide dogs and assistance dogs are deemed to be aids under the German Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities Act
(Section 12 e (3)).
To avoid confusion and difficulties when bringing your guide dog or assistance dog with you, the Student Counseling Service (ZSB) at the University of Tübingen issues a certificate confirming that you are permitted to bring your assistance dog to Tübingen University. To obtain the certificate, please send an e-mail to: zsb@uni-tuebingen.de
Evidence of the following must be provided:
- A certificate from your health insurer or doctor confirming that you need to take your dog with you
- Details of the assistance dog's training
- Public liability insurance
Please ensure that your assistance dog is clearly identified as such on its lead or collar, so that others can recognize its role as assistance dog.
The ZSB certificate permits you to take your assistance dog into University buildings but not the laboratories. The certificate must be carried with you at all times so that you can show it on request.
We recommend that you inform your teachers about the assistance dog well before the start of the semester, in order that reasonable compromises can be reached in any conflicts of interests with fellow students (e.g. because of fear of dogs or a dog allergy), so as to avoid detriment to all sides.
Information from the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on the rules concerning assistance dogs
You can find more information on the subject in FAQ format on the website of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMFAS).
Pictogramm: https://www.pfotenpiloten.org/broschuere-assistenzhundteams/
Barrier-free room for resting and working
In the University Library Wilhelmstraße 32 (Ammerbau, level 3, room A 321), a barrier-free room for resting and working is available for students with a disability or a (chronic) illness. The room is equipped with a height-adjustable desk, an armchair with stool, and a yoga mat. It offers you the opportunity to recover, medicate, or work in a concentrated manner.
You can obtain the key to the room in the same building at the Ammerbau information desk from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. upon presentation of your handicap ID card and your student ID card.
Students WITHOUT a handicap ID card (as well as users with a companion dog or similar) please contact the Student Counseling Service in advance. After a personal conversation during the open office hours, you can receive a certificate that entitles you to use the room, which you can then present in the library at the Ammerbau information desk.
As a general rule, the need for quiet comes first! Please discuss with your fellow students who needs the room most urgently.
Hours of use for the room A 321:
Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
University Library services
Borrowing in the University Library Reading Room and institute libraries
Students with disabilities can receive special conditions upon presentation of their disabled ID card. Information on this can be obtained from the Loans Desk (phone: 07071 29-72579). If, in urgent cases, literature from the reference collection is needed for borrowing at home, you can contact the information desk of the General Reading Room (Allgemeiner Lesesaal) (phone 07071 29-72849).
The library system can be accessed from the University Library website via the link Bibliothekskatalog and has disabled access. Among other things, it is possible to search the library catalogue, view one's own borrowing account, and access the interlibrary loan portal.
Borrowed works must be actively renewed by the borrower in due time. The contact person at the UB is Ms. Heike Mattheis (heike.mattheis@ub.uni-tuebingen.de).
Further information from the University Library on the topic of accessibility can be found on the web page "Barrierefreiheit".
Literature transfer
For students with visual impairments, the University Library catalog and also the SehkOn (Visually Impaired Catalog - Online - of Dortmund University Library) contain works that have been transferred into other formats.
Online lecture recordings
You will find a large number of lecture recordings from various departments on the Tübingen Internet Multimedia System (timms).
Here you can listen to lectures from home at your own chosen time and at your own pace.
It is also possible to request lecture recordings that are important for you.
Parking spaces
If you regularly need a parking space in case of a physical impairment, you can apply for one through the University of Tübingen's parking administration. The University of Tübingen manages several parking spaces in the Morgenstelle area as well as in the valley area. In the valley area, a disabled person's permit with the symbol G is usually required.
For more information about parking spaces and how to apply for a parking space, please contact the parking administration.
Accommodation
It makes sense to start looking for housing in Tübingen at an early stage. The housing market in Tübingen is tight and rents are comparatively high. Students with disabilities or chronic illnesses have preferential access to dormitory places at the Studierendenwerk. For this, you must apply early and provide meaningful information in the application form and contact the relevant persons. In addition, the usual maximum dormitory duration of 6 semesters can be extended upon application, given sufficient justification and appropriate evidence.
Information and contact for appropriate accommodation:
http://www.my-stuwe.de/wohnen/barrierefreies-wohnen/
Further accommodation options are listed in the brochure "Wohnen in Tübingen" (Updated: March 2020), which is published by the Student Counseling Service.
Support in cases of disadvantage and discrimination
The Diversity Office is the point of contact for all questions related to the topic of diversity. It also advises, supports and mediates in cases of disadvantage and discrimination in studies and at work.
The Diversity Office supports the University of Tübingen in its goal of developing a university culture based on diversity and equal opportunity, in which all its members can develop and contribute their individual abilities regardless of gender, ethnic origin, age, social or religious background, disability or sexual orientation. This is explicitly specified in the university's mission statement.
Questions regarding student employment
In case of legal questions regarding student assistantships or employment at the university, students can contact the university's representative for disabled persons. You can find contact details here.
Sport and leisure time
The University Sports Center Hochschulsport of the Institute of Sports Science offers a wide range of sports opportunities. If you are unsure whether certain courses are suitable for you, please contact Andreas Dietrich directly at the Service Office.
The city of Tübingen’s Stadtverband für Sport e.V. in Tübingen can help you find a suitable sport in Tübingen’s many clubs and may be able to offer other assistance.
At the state level, the Württembergische Behinderten- und Rehabilitationssportverban e.V. offers many sporting opportunities.
The Kultur-Inklusive-Tübingen website offers opportunities to talk with other people both with and without disabilities.
Handbook: "Studium und Behinderung"
The German student services association (Deutsche Studentenwerk) publishes a comprehensive handbook with information for prospective students and students. The handbook is available online and may also be ordered as a print version free of charge if required.