Many needy students do not know their rights

Many needy students do not know their rights

Many students with support needs due to, for example, illness, disability, informal care or top-level sports still do not know their rights. Some institutions have their facilities and information in order better than others. TU Delft finishes in the middle of a study (in Dutch) by Expertise Centre Inclusive Education (ECOI).

The study is based on the National Student Survey, which was completed by 252 thousand students this spring. Of all respondents, 15 per cent were found to have a support need.

Profiling fund

Of this group, 85 per cent experienced at least ‘a little’ hindrance in their studies and 45 per cent ‘(very) much’. Students with mental disorders, ADHD and special circumstances are over-represented in the latter group. According to the researchers, they are least familiar with the facilities offered.

About 33 per cent of all students with a support need do not know about the special examination facilities intended for them, such as extra time, smoother deadlines or medical aids.

Less than half of these students know about the special educational facilities offered by their university, such as transport, special software, interpreters or watching back lectures. As many as 74 per cent do not know that they can get money from their institution’s profiling fund and from DUO (in Dutch). (HOP/HC)