The Student Advisory Service is the first point of contact for students and prospective students with disabilities and will put you in touch with other contact persons if required. The Student Counseling Office offers students advice on questions such as

  • what to study,
  • how to organize your studies,
  • compensation for disadvantages in the admission procedure,
  • compensation for disadvantages relevant to studies and examinations, and
  • if applicable, how to finance living expenses and student assistance services.

Step-free access is available at all our premises. We carry out site visits upon request.

More information on studying with a disability or chronic illness at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences is available here.

Studying with a disability or chronic illness (PDF 678 KB)

Representatives for students with disability or chronic illness

As a student at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, you can also contact the representatives for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses if you are experiencing difficulties or in the event of conflict situations.

Representative at the Wiesbaden Campuses

Professor Rüdiger Pichler

Deputy

Professor Dr. Daniel Lange

Representative at the Rüsselsheim Campus

Professor Dr. Harald Klausmann (in German only)

 

Advisory services offered by RheinMain University's AStA (student union) (websites in German only)

Are you suffering from disadvantages at the university due to a disability or chronic illness or other circumstances? The AStA’s Anti-Discrimination Office offers advice and counseling to all students if they have experienced discrimination and provides information on possible courses of action and where to find support.

The AStA’s Social Counseling Service can advise you on how to finance your studies: Social Counseling Service

The AStA has a cooperative agreement with the law firm Hoffmann Peschkes & Partner. All students at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences are entitled to a free initial consultation with them. Consultations are offered every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm and can be conducted on site or by telephone.

 

Advisory services offered by Studentenwerk Frankfurt (association for student affairs)

Studierendenwerk Frankfurt provides advice on questions of how to finance your studies and the availability of rooms designed for accessibility in the student housing offered by Studentenwerk Frankfurt. They also offer psychosocial counseling and courses for students on topics such as stress management or how to cope with exam nerves.

University application

RheinMain University of Applied Sciences aims to enable people with and without disabilities or a chronic illness to have full and equal access to the university. To this end, under certain conditions, prospective students can apply for compensation for disadvantages (in German only) during the admissions procedure such as an improvement of the average grade or of the waiting period.

Assistive Technology

[Translate to English:] aufgeklapptes Notebook

If, due to an impairment and existing barriers to accessibility, a personal assistant, a sign language interpreter, or a speech-to-text interpreter is required in order to participate in courses and in everyday university life, the assistant may attend the relevant lectures and seminars as an accompanying person. The students are responsible for organizing the assistance services.

Assistance and guide dogs

Students who need to be accompanied by an assistance dog or guide dog for the blind require a certificate issued by the university. For further information, please contact the Student Counseling Office.

Assistance during studies and with communication

The German Association for Student Affairs (Deutsches Studentenwerk) provides answers to important questions about financing, organizing, and applying for study-related additional assistance services and assistive technology in an FAQ. In Hesse, the state welfare association (Landeswohlfahrtsverband) Hessen is responsible for financing higher education assistance services.

FAQ on assistance and assistive technology during studies (Deutsches Studentenwerk) (PDF in German only)

Higher education assistance services (Landeswohlfahrtsverband Hessen) (in German only)

Mikroport systems for hearing assistance

RheinMain University of Applied Sciences currently offers FM/microport hearing amplification systems for students with hearing impairments on loan on all its campuses. These can be used during classes. Students at RheinMain University can borrow the microport systems using a valid library card from the university libraries for a period of three consecutive days. The loan can be renewed repeatedly.

Height-adjustable and wheelchair-accessible desks

At the Bleichstraße / Bertramstraße Campus, students can use electrically height-adjustable, wheelchair-accessible desks in the following PC pools:

  • N-IV-01, N-IV-03, N-IV-05
  • A-D-01, A-U-07
  • Library PC pool (hand crank)

Information about the rooms (in German only)

At the Kurt-Schumacher-Ring Campus, electronically height-adjustable desks are available for use in the following PC pools:

At the Unter den Eichen Campus (DCSM), electrically height-adjustable desks are available for use in the following PC pools:

  • B2 212, B1 117, C Süd 265, C Süd 377, D 12

Further information about access to the PC pools is available from your degree program's office.

In addition to wheelchair users, the tables can also be used by students with other health impairments (e.g. spinal disorders and chronic pain).

If students can provide credible written evidence that they are unable to complete all or part of the examinations or other course work in the scheduled time frame or in the designated form due to a disability or serious illness, the Examination Board may grant compensation for disadvantages upon written application to this effect. Compensation for disadvantages is always granted on an individual basis. Examples are an extension of the time allowed for examinations, the use of assistive technology or the replacement of written examinations by oral examinations and vice versa.

International students with disabilities at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences

The International Office offers information and advice to international students on the options available to them when studying at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and on existing support programs. The International Office can be contacted by the ERASMUS coordinators of the partner universities.

The German Association for Student Affairs (Deutsches Studentenwerk) provides information on your rights under social law:

Information for students from EU/EEA countries (PDF in German only)

Information for students from outside Europe (PDF in German only)

Accessible housing in Wiesbaden

Various providers offer rooms designed for accessibility in and around Wiesbaden:

  • The Housing Office of the city of Wiesbaden (in German only) acts as an intermediary between the housing cooperatives and the students looking for accommodation. Subject to certain conditions, students can apply for an accessible apartment.
  • The Gesellschaft zur Unterstützung der IFB-Stiftung offers its own accessible apartments for rent in various districts in Wiesbaden and, on request, also acts as an intermediary to help students access assistance services and other services: IFB-Stiftung (in German only).
  • Some rooms designed for accessibility are also available in the student housing in and around Wiesbaden (PDF).
  • You can find more housing providers on the website Wiesbaden Barrierefrei (in German only).

Accessible housing in Rüsselsheim

  • No fully accessible rooms are available in the student housing in Rüsselsheim.
  • GEWOBAU Rüsselsheim and Baugenossenschaft Ried eG  offer accessible apartments in and around Rüsselsheim:
    GEWOBAU Rüsselsheim (in German only)
    Baugenossenschaft Ried eG (in German only)

 

Inclusive leisure activities for people with disabilities

Personal assistants

In order to be able to participate in courses, exams, etc. as independently as possible in everyday university life, a personal assistant can be very useful. With the help of your assistant, you can organize your everyday life individually and flexibly according to your needs. Funding may be possible via your Personal Budget.

Wiesbaden

In Wiesbaden, the Gemeinnützige Zuhause Mobil GmbH, for example, arranges assistance services for academic and everyday life. During the application process, the agency service also advises on cost coverage, coordination, and invoicing of the assistance services:

Gemeinnützige Zuhause Mobil GmbH (in German only)

Rüsselsheim

The long-term care support center in the district of Groß-Gerau provides advice on assistance and care services:
Pflegestützpunkt Kreis Groß-Gerau (in German only)

The local authorities in Groß-Gerau provide advice on your Personal Budget:
Beratungsstelle der Kreisverwaltung (in German only)

Rhein Assistenz in Mainz also provides assistants to Rüsselsheim for a range of requirements:
Rhein Assistenz (in German only)

Support for students who are deaf or hearing impaired

For translation into German Sign Language (Deutsche Gebärdensprache) during lectures, in oral examinations or during consultations, trained sign language interpreters are available to help:
Sign language interpreter agency service in the Rhine-Main area (in German only)

Speech-to-text interpreters are another option for translating spoken words into text that enables people with a hearing impairment to participate more fully. A number of organizations throughout Germany provide assistance with finding interpreters:

Compilation of support organizations of the German Economic Institute in Cologne (Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V) (in German only)

Services for visually impaired and blind students

There are a range of counseling and support services available for blind and visually impaired students:

Mobility training after moving to the university location (in German only)

SekKon online catalog for the blind and visually impaired

Advice on assistive technologies and training services for the blind and visually impaired (in German only)

Services for students with mental health problems

The association irrsinnig menschlich e.V. provides tips on how to deal with mental crises during your studies:
Programm: association irrsinnig menschlich e.V.

The Mental Health Action Alliance ("Aktionsbündnis Seelische Gesundheit") provides initial information and educational resources about mental illness, as well as where to find support services:
Dein Kopf voller Fragen (in German only)

Werkgemeinschaft Wiesbaden offers counseling for affected persons and their relatives, crisis support as well as various groups:
Psychosoziale Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle Mitte (in German only)

Stiftung Lebensraum in the Rheingau-Taunus district also offers support and assistance in crisis situations:
Psychosoziale Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle (in German only)

Stiftung für Seelische Gesundheit in Rüsselsheim offers counseling and support services:
Stiftung für Seelische Gesundheit (in German only)

Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling (Ergänzende Unabhängige Teilhabeberatung - EUTB)

The EUTB counseling centers offer advice given by people who are themselves affected by an impairment on all issues relating to living with an impairment, applying for rehabilitation measures, the Personal Budget, assistive technologies, and much more.

In Wiesbaden and the surrounding area, as well as in Rüsselsheim, the following organizations offer participation counseling:

IFB Stiftung (in German only)

EUTB Rüsselsheim (in German only)