International Education of
Students (IES) – Berlin
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Program Web Site

For information on this program, visit the web site.

Attitudinal

In general, people with disabilities are largely accepted and integrated into the culture. There are laws and regulations in place to ensure integration into the society and unhindered participation in professional and social life.

Classroom and Academics

Humboldt University and the Student Services Organization are improving access to university buildings and dorms, as well as enhancing equipment for students with disabilities. There are several societies, clubs, and self-help groups on campus along with health insurance and charitable organizations that provide disability services on campus and in the community. Previously, the University has hosted students with vision disabilities, attentional disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. Best practices are to be decided on a case-by-case basis in order to minimize the impact on general program proceedings as well as maximizing learning outcomes for students with disabilities.

Students typically spend 4 to 6 hours a day in class. Hours for assignments vary, but typically the  University expects 4 hours outside of class for every 2-hour class period (2 hours preparing and 2 hours debriefing). Classrooms are wheelchair accessible. Learning activities include lectures, readings, video, independent research, language lab, seminars and site visits. Learning is typically assessed through exams, presentations, papers, and classroom participation. Homework is typically typed, but handwritten is also acceptable if legible. Lab courses may need to be completed in a specific location and/or with specific technology.

Accommodations such as note taking, recording lectures, separate testing facilities, extra time on assignments and exams, and allowing service dogs into classrooms could be made available.

The University has no previous experience with sign language interpreters but one could probably be arranged. However, there are virtually no ASL interpreters in all of Berlin, so a student would need to know German Sign Language (GSL).

There are some internship sites that could provide accommodations to students with disabilities.

Excursions and Field Trips

Course related site visits or field study may include walking short distances. There are no mandatory excursions. Optional excursions (weekend or weeklong trips) may include city tours requiring some walking. The optional excursions to Poland and Eastern Europe are not recommended to students in wheelchairs.

Housing and Food Services

There is a service that could assist students in finding accessible housing. Humboldt University has few wheelchair accessible apartments in the university dorms for students enrolled in semester or full year programs (not to students in summer or custom programs). It is critical that students apply for wheelchair accessible apartments well in advance. Arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis and again, informing the staff in Berlin well in advance (i.e. a few months before a program begins) is extremely important. It may be difficult to find housing that would allow service dogs.

Other accommodations could include access to kitchen facilities, accommodating special dietary needs, and identifying a student volunteer to assist in carrying trays, cutting food, or reading menus.

Technology

Assistive technology (such as a Braille printer, screen magnification software, and Kuzweil 3000) is available at the University. Also, wheelchair accessible computer labs with Internet access are available to students.

Library Services

Students have access to the University’s library. The library facilities are (or could be made) wheelchair accessible, and assistance could be available to help access library materials.

Transportation

Students travel 30-45 minutes between housing and classes, depending on where they live. Public transportation, (trams, buses, subway, city trains with wheelchair access and visual as well as audio stop announcements), runs between dorms and study centers. Not all stations or buses/trams are wheelchair accessible. However, almost all stations for the city train (S-Bahn) are barrier-free. 

Visit http://www.bvg.de/index.php/de/Bvg/Index/folder/320 to view a list of all barrier free buses, trams, and subway stations.

Relevant Links for Students with Disabilities

 
Last modified on November 21, 2008