Opening of working and learning spaces for students with disabilities, chronic or mental illnesses

As part of the Open Day - 5 years of ZAB, the student workrooms were ceremoniously opened. Not only the entire ZAB team welcomed guests form the rectorate and the areas of study and teaching but the reader for visually impaired people welcomed everyone and briefly introduced the rooms. Afterwards, a blind student demonstrated the features of the workstation for the blind and visually handicapped.

Some students with disabilities, chronic or mental illness depent on a suitable learning environment in order to be able to complete their studies with equal opportunities. ZAB provides support in this regard and invites students to use ZAB's own workspaces that meet a wide range of needs. All workstations are ergonomically designed and equipped with work lights and storage space for individuel materials.

In addition, the workspaces meet different requirements. The Theresia Degener room (UHG T6-215) offers a visually and olfactorically particularly calm learning environment. Partition walls to reduce noise and specific usage rules reduce allergens and strong sensory stimuli and meet the needs of students from the autism spectrum, with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses or allergies and further more.

Several workstations in the Louis Braille Room (UHG T6-219) are equipped with assistive technologies and provide students and their assistants with a disability-friendly learning environment on campus. A Braille display and Braille printer, large character keyboard, reader, labeler, and screen reader, among others, are available for blind and visually handicapped students. Student Jonas regularly uses the ZAB's services and presents the ZAB workstation for the blind in the video.

Both rooms can also be used for exams within the framework of a disadvantage compensation program and after prior registration.

Interested students and teachers should contact zab@uni-bielefeld.de to register for a workstation or to obtain further information. A detailed description of the rooms, usage and hygiene rules, and registration can be found on ZAB's student portal.