Barrier-free teaching information portal
Welcome to the Paderborn University's Accessible Teaching information portal!
These pages provide information for lecturers on the basic principles of accessible teaching, types of impairments and their impact on learning and examination opportunities, compensation for disadvantages and the specific design of materials, and are continuously being expanded.
Why accessibility?
Students at German universities are becoming increasingly heterogeneous. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been legally binding since 2009; since then at the latest, it has been a central task to enable all people to participate in society by removing barriers. This applies in particular to the right of access to (lifelong) education. Universities are therefore required to remove structural barriers. This also applies to the accessibility of information on the internet. This was formally regulated by the Accessibility Act (WZG or WCAG 2.0) in 2016, which obliges all public institutions to make all information accessible without barriers. In addition to websites, this also affects learning platforms and, consequently, the teaching and learning materials provided there.
Who benefits from accessibility in teaching?
Accessibility measures are essential for students with disabilities. A nationwide survey revealed that at least 11% of students study with an impairment. In purely statistical terms, this means that there are at least three students with a disability in an average-sized seminar. Barriers vary from person to person, but overall, all groups benefit from well-designed and accessible (possibly online) teaching. For example, students with family commitments can work on topics more flexibly in self-study thanks to fully written materials; international students have the opportunity to avoid language disadvantages thanks to additional information channels.
How we support you
The aim of accessible teaching is therefore to ensure that the requirements of students with disabilities are automatically taken into account when designing the course or examination and that structures or specifications are naturally adapted accordingly. Impairments vary from person to person, especially in terms of their impact on learning and being examined. Strict attendance requirements, a lack of accessible teaching materials or the fear of prejudice, for example, can make the course of study more difficult. We would therefore like to assist you with the provision of adapted materials as well as with the accessible design of examination situations, for example, or with questions about diagnosis-specific background knowledge.
We are happy to provide you with the following information and practical support in implementing equal opportunities in your courses and examinations.
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