Impairments, chronic and mental health conditions
To raise your awareness of disabilities and health conditions, and the associated needs of your students, comprehensive information on disabilities, chronic and mental health conditions, potential barriers and the support available are provided. The aim is to enhance your understanding and, through our recommendations for practical action, to show you effective ways of creating an accessible, inclusive teaching and learning environment.
Note: The content is taken from the project “SHUFFLE – Hochschulinitiative digitale Barrierefreiheit für Alle” and has been adapted.
Chronic Diseases
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of chronic diseases.
1. General information on chronic diseases
Contents: General information, examples of chronic diseases, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, chron...
2. Potential barriers and user requirements
Contents: Potential barriers, individual needs and accessibility, examples of support measures. P...
3. Assistive technologies and adaption strategies
Contents: Assistive technologies, the Spoon Theory, students’ coping strategies. Some students wi...
4. Recommendations for you as a teacher
Contents: Recommendations. Chronic illnesses often occur in flare-ups and may involve prolonged p...
Bibliography
Potential barriers and user requirements Dannenbeck, C., Dorrance, C., Moldenhauer, A., Oehme, A....
Epilepsy
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of epilepsy.
1. General information on epileptic disorders
Contents: Distinguishing between an epileptic seizure and epilepsy; symptoms of an epileptic seiz...
2. Potential barriers and user requirements
Contents: Participation and environmental factors, recommended adaptations, strategies and aids. ...
3. Assistive technologies and adaptation strategies
Contents: Introduction to the Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (PEAT). Photosensitive Epilep...
4. Recommendations for you as a teacher
Contents: Recommendations. Please avoid … … dramatic effects such as flashing or flickering light...
Bibliography
General information on epilepsy Schaudwet, A. (2009). Epilepsy in children and young people at sc...
Hearing Impairments
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of hearing impairments.
1. General information on hearing impairments
Contents: General information, degrees of hearing loss, hearing impairment, deafness, temporary a...
2. Potential barriers and user requirements
Contents: Environmental barriers, communication at events and in conversations, perception of sig...
3. Assistive technologies and adaptation strategies
Contents: Sign language and lip-reading, written interpretation, live subtitling and speech recog...
4. Recommendations for you as a teacher
Contents: Recommendations. If students are using a hearing aid, ask them to explain how to use th...
Bibliography
General information on hearing impairments Barrierefreie IT Hessen. (o. D.). Zielgruppe Hören. Ab...
Mobility, Agility and Physical Impairment
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of mobility, movement and ph...
1. General Information on Mobility, Movement and Physical Impairments
Contents: General information, Types of physical impairments, Examples of conditions and impairme...
2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements
Contents: Potential barriers, requirements. Potential barriers for people with mobility, movement...
3. Assistive Technologies and Adaptation Strategies
Contents: Mouth stick, head stick, adaptive switches, sip-and-puff switches, oversized trackball ...
4. Recommendations for you as Teaching Staff
Contents: Recommendations for action. Your event will take place in an accessible venue. Please e...
Bibliography
General information on mobility, movement and physical impairments Bosse, I. & Feichtinger, M. (2...
Neurodiversity
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of neurodiversity.
1. General Information on Neurodivergence
Contents: General information, summary and conclusion. Demonstrations are available of selected b...
2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements
Contents: Potential barriers, memory, attention, reading, language and word comprehension, visual...
3. Assistive Technologies and Adaptation Strategies
Contents: Assistive technologies tailored to individual needs. Depending on their individual need...
4. Recommendations for you as teaching staff
Contents: Recommendations for action. Allow students sufficient time to complete tasks. Ensure a ...
Bibliography
General Information on Neurodivergence Sievers, I. (2020). Diversitätsgerechte Lehre, Handreichun...
Mental Health Conditions
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of mental health conditions.
1. General Information on Mental Health Conditions
Contents: General information, examples of mental health conditions. Demonstrations are available...
2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements
Contents: Participation and environmental factors, strategies and support tools. Participation an...
3. Assistive Technologies and Adaptation Strategies
Contents: Assistive technologies, strategies for managing university studies. People with mental ...
4. Recommendations for you as teaching staff
Contents: Recommendations for action. Around 65 % of students with an impairment that impedes the...
Bibliography
Potential Barriers and User Requirements Dech, H. (2013). Stressbelastung und psychische Gesundhe...
Visual impairments
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of visual impairments.
1. General Information on Visual Impairments
Contents: Definition, forms of visual impairment, types of visual impairment, summary and conclus...
2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements
Contents: Potential barriers, user requirements broken down by design element. People with visual...
3. Assistive Technologies and Adaptation Strategies
Contents: Screen readers, updatable Braille displays, screen magnifiers and zoom tools, mobile ap...
4. Recommendations for you as teaching staff
Contents: Recommendations. Verbalise your actions, e.g. “I’m now placing the form on the table in...
Bibliography
General information on visual impairments German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired ...
Speech and language impairments
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of speech and language impairments.
1. General Information on Speech and Language Impairments
Contents: Definition of speech and language impairments, causes, types of speech and language imp...
2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements
Contents: Potential barriers, requirements/needs. The greatest barrier for people with speech and...
3. Assistive Technologies and Adaptation Strategies
Contents: Electronic communication aids. Electronic communication aids featuring speech synthesis...
4. Recommendations for you as teaching staff
Contents: Recommendations for action. Give students plenty of time to formulate what they want to...
Bibliography
General Information on Speech and Language Impairments University of Rostock. (n.d.). Speech and ...
Deafblindness
The following section provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of deafblindness.
1. General Information on Deafblindness
Contents: Definition, types of impairment, causes. The term ‘deafblindness’ is used to describe a...
2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements
Contents: Potential barriers, requirements, forms of communication and support, conclusion. Peopl...
3. Assistive Technologies and Adaptation Strategies
Contents: Overview, tactile sign language, Lorm, reference objects and picture cards. There are v...
4. Recommendations for you as teaching staff
Contents: Recommendations for action. People with deafblindness often rely on touch to be sure th...
Bibliography
Potential Barriers and User Requirements Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband e. V. (DSBV...