Accessibility

Esteetön korkeakouluopiskelu guidebook (www.koulutusnetti.fi --> Koulutusoppaat --> Esteeton korkeakouluopiskelu (pdf), in Finnish), published by the Finnish National Board of Education, provides students with disabilities with information pertaining to easy access in Seinäjoki UAS’s different branches and other institutions of higher education. Foreign students with a disability planning to study at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences should contact the personnel at the International Affairs Office in advance for information about the facilities available for studies and accommodation.

Reading difficulties in language and communications learning

The staff at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences strives to accommodate students with a reading disability, especially in the language and communication subjects. If a student has been diagnosed with a reading disability, which is evident in one or more languages, we recommend that (s)he gives the school’s student counsellor a statement from a specialist. This way the school can provide special arrangements for examinations in language and communication courses.

If a reading disability has not been officially diagnosed, but a student has difficulty in coping with normal examinations in language and communication courses for reasons that indicate a possible reading difficulty, then we recommend that the student take a screening test. If the screening indicates some difficulties, the student may be encouraged to take a reading test. Students who wish to take part in the screening test should contact their student counsellor in their school.

Instead of modifying the assessment of students with a reading disability, teachers strive to facilitate examination arrangements in the following ways: 

• Allowing students extra time to take an examination 
• Offering students the chance to take an examination somewhere where they will not be disturbed 
• Allowing the students to take a break between the different parts of an examination 
• Allowing students to supplement their examination in an oral test (esp. foreign language tests) 
• Allowing students to do their examination on a computer if writing with a pen/pencil proves to be too difficult/tiring

Teachers and students agree together on the special arrangements for taking an examination. To be entitled to these special arrangements, students must provide the school with a statement from a specialist as proof of their reading disability. The statement may be given by a special education teacher or neuro-psychologist.