The Student’s Column
Reply from Prorector Helle Waagepetersen
Reply from Prorector Helle Waagepetersen to Sebastian Møller Larsen's column ‘The university is a world not yet able to accommodate neurodiversity’ from February 2024.
Reading Sebastian Møller Larsen’s column ‘The university is a world not yet able to accommodate neurodiversity’ has made an impression on me. I am sorry to hear that this is his experience of the University, since we strive to be an inclusive university which can accommodate everyone’s needs. It is crucial that we are a university where we meet each other openly and without prejudice, whether it be in a teaching situation or participating in the University’s student life in general.
If you have a disability, there are various options for special educational support while you are studying on a higher education programme. The purpose of the support is to ensure that students who have a disability can get an education on the same terms as others.
The different types of support depend on the student’s disability – whether it is dyslexia, dyscalculia, students with neurological disorders, physical impairments or students with mental health diagnoses.
For students who have a mental health diagnosis or neurological disorder, for example, it is possible to apply for a clarification process and study support. The clarification process will identify the student’s need for support and may result in the granting of study support where the student can, among other things:
- get help to strengthen and develop structure, learn how to systematise their work and other study skills
- strengthen their involvement in the study programme, thereby supporting their well-being on the programme
- develop tools for dealing with emotional challenges
For students with other disabilities, it is possible to apply for other types of support, such as assistive technologies for reading and writing.
It is always possible to contact the SPS administration at SDU if you have questions or need help. The SPS administration can be contacted via SPOC (spoc.sdu.dk), by phone on +45 65 50 18 00 or physically at the Odense campus between 10.00 and 14.00 Monday to Friday.
I also recommend that you contact your student counsellor if you experience challenges similar to those described in the student’s column.