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.

Fur­ther in­form­a­tion

Dis­ad­vant­age com­pens­a­tion

What you should know as a teacher

Cre­at­ing equal op­por­tun­it­ies in teach­ing

Accessible events, documents, videos

Types of impair­ment

Examples and background knowledge

Links and fur­ther in­form­a­tion

Useful information and links on the subject of studying with disabilities.

Check­listen: Bar­ri­ere­freiheit in der di­gitalen Lehre

Diese Checklisten-Übersicht bietet Lehrenden eine Einführung und praktische Hilfen zur barrierefreien Gestaltung von Materialien und Veranstaltungen in der digitalen Lehre.

Con­tact per­son

business-card image

Kathrin Weber

Student Advice Centre

Service Center Studying with Impairment

Write email +49 5251 60-5498