According to the Non-discrimination Act (6/2014), an education provider has the duty to take necessary measures to promote the realisation of equality. These measures shall be effective, expedient and proportionate, taking into account the educational institution’s operating environment, resources and other circumstances. The education provider must ensure that the educational institution has a plan for the necessary measures for promotion of equality.
The authority, education provider, employer or provider of goods and services has to make due and appropriate adjustments necessary in each situation for a person with disabilities to be able, equally with others, to deal with the authorities, gain access to education, work and access generally available goods and services, as well as to manage their work tasks and to advance their career.
In assessing the reasonableness of the adjustments, attention shall also be devoted, in addition to the needs of the person with disabilities, to the size, financial position, nature and extent of the operations of an actor, referred to in subsection 1, as well as the estimated costs of the adjustments and the support available for the adjustments. (Non-discrimination Act 15/2014).
This guidance is due to help students to take measures getting individual study arrangements
at the beginning of their studies or in any time during their studies.
A student’s or applicant’s disability or long-term illness may be physical or mental in nature, such as a physical, sensory or cognitive disability. Students may have difficulties related to reading, writing or learning. Students may also have several disabilities or long-term illnesses that affect their opportunities to gain access to education and manage their studies. It is also possible to apply the individual arrangements when the problem caused by the disability or illness is temporary, for example, following an accident. The decision regarding individual arrangements will not be made in cases of regular short-term illnesses (such as the influenza, norovirus or a cold). In such cases, teachers can make arrangements with the student based on the Study Regulations, without a separate decision. The individual arrangements may apply to an entrance examination or suitability testing (including entrance examinations for minor subjects), exams or other teaching situations. In addition to teaching, other teaching situations include study-related guidance and services.
Not all life situations justify individual study arrangements. Individual arrangements are not granted in cases where the student lives elsewhere than in the campus town. In addition, individual arrangements are not granted due to the student's working life tensions, nor for reasons arising from the care of loved ones.
The University of Eastern Finland operates a network operator model. The goal is that people providing guidance for students can work together with students to resolve questions related to accessibility.
Every student at the university has the right to apply for individual study arrangements. In addition to degree students, it is also possible for those pursuing open university studies to request individual arrangements.
Student health meeting
A request for a student health meeting (opens in a new tab) can be made by the student, teaching staff, staff at the welfare services or study administration, or student healthcare staff. The purpose of student health meetings is to allow the student, the institution of higher education and student healthcare staff to find ways to promote studying and improve the student’s ability to study. The meeting will examine the extent to which the student’s ability to study is impaired, how it shows and what the cause is.
FSHS: Student health meetings in institutions of higher education – A guide for students, higher education institutions and student healthcare (pdf) (opens in a new tab)
Students are entitled to individual arrangements if they have been granted individual arrangements for other studies. Need for individual arrangements must be notified at least 14 days prior to the entrance examination for minor subject to the contact person responsible for the individual arrangements of the Philosophical Faculty.
As a rule, students are entitled to individual study arrangements in teaching that are equivalent to those granted to them for the entrance examination. Since teaching situations are pedagogically different from an entrance examination, it is possible to review the need for individual study arrangements.
At the beginning of your studies a one-to-one guidance discussion can be arranged to ensure a smoother transition. You can bring up your need for individual study arrangements at any time during your studies as the need arises. It is also possible to grant temporary individual study arrangements.
A recommendation on individual study arrangements during studies can be made based on an earlier decision/recommendation. The student must attach the required documents to the application. When students apply for individual study arrangements for the first time, they must present a medical report or other expert report regarding the need for individual study arrangements.
You have a duty to inform the university of any changes in your circumstances that affect your need for individual study arrangements (such as recovering from an injury). In your application, you must indicate the type of individual study arrangements you apply for and give grounds for them.
It is recommended that a network discussion is arranged with the student to agree together on reasonable and realistic individual study arrangements. Participants of a network discussion may include people from the accessibility network, any required experts, representatives from the academic subject and, always, the student. It is important to involve a representative from the academic subject in individual study arrangements in order to ensure that any special characteristics of the programme are considered. The student may bring a support person to the network discussion. A memo will be prepared of the discussion to be attached to the student’s application. The memo will include a list of the participants and details of the discussion regarding the individual study arrangements but not any of the student’s medical information.
Please note that you are responsible for informing the teacher in charge of the course of the need for individual study arrangements in good time (at least ten days before an exam or the beginning of the course) by presenting the decision regarding individual study arrangements.
Applications for individual study arrangements or any other documents that include health data will not be entered in the register. Recommendations regarding individual study arrangements are stored in accordance with the university’s regulations on document management.
The person making the recommendation regarding the individual study arrangements will inform the student and other relevant people about the recommendation.
Individual arrangements may include teaching, exams and other teaching-related situations, such as group sessions or the completion of practical training. The arrangements may also concern study-related guidance, and other services included in university studies.
Examples of individual study arrangements:
- The opportunity for additional time or lighting, a separate exam room or other ar-rangements regarding premises.
- The opportunity to use special aids (e.g. computer, braille display, induction, dic-tionary).
- Material arrangements (e.g. exam questions in a larger font size, having lecture materials in advance, audio books, streaming or recording lectures).
- Services (the opportunity to use an assistant or interpreter, NB! The university is not responsible for obtaining an assistant or interpreter, this is the responsibility of the applicant/student).
- Alternative way of completing a study module or course exam (such as an oral exam, completing a course with learning assignments, or completing a course in parts).
In practice, study arrangements are individual solutions for courses, teaching and exams, as well as for various ways of completing a course.
The implementation of individual study arrangements does not mean lowering the requirements or learning outcomes of a course. Individual study arrangements guarantee the students equal opportunities to participate in teaching and demonstrate their competence. In the end, the teachers are responsible for maintaining the same learning outcomes for all students on their courses.
- You can bring up your need for individual study arrangements at any time during your studies: either when you start your studies or when the need for individual arrangements arises.
2. Apply for individual arrangements online. Please fill out the Individual Study Arrangements Form: Individual Study Arrangements Form (docx), opens in a new tab.
Please indicate what kind of individual study arrangements you are requesting and on which grounds.
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- You can request individual arrangements for some of your studies only, such as the Language Centre communication and language training. You may also request different arrangements for communication and language training than your other studies.3.
3. Attach the required documents to your application
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- If you are requesting individual study arrangements due to an injury or illness, at-tach a medical certificate to your application.
- To verify the difficulty of reading or writing or other difficulty of learning, a statement from a special education teacher, psychologist or speech therapist is sufficient. The decision of the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board on dyslexia can be accepted as such without a medical certificate or any other statement, if the decision indicates that you have been granted support measures for taking the matriculation examination.
- The validity of an expert’s statement is considered case-by-case, depending on the persistence of the disability, illness or learning disability.
- Do not send original certificates/statements or any other original docu-ments to the university to verify your need for individual study arrangements. The university does not return copies but destroys them after issuing a recommendation.
4. Send your application to the faculty where you are pursuing your major studies. If you are an open university student, submit your application to the faculty whose studies you are pursuing. You can also send your application by traditional mail. Contact information can be found under the heading Actors and contact information in this document.
5. If you need personal assistive devices, a personal assistant or a guide dog in your studies, you can use them in teaching without a separate recommendation. However, it’s a very good idea to inform the teacher in advance to avoid any misunderstandings or inconvenience. A recommendation is necessary if you need a small group room or a separate exam room and use assistive devices or a personal assistant there.
6. If your situation requires or you wish, a network discussion can be arranged to assess the individual study arrangements you may need.
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- The discussion will consider which arrangements are needed and for how long, as well as the prerequisites for the implementation. Possible follow-up will also be agreed.
- In addition to a representative of your academic subject, any necessary expert (e.g., a study psychologist) may attend. You may bring a support person of your choice to the network discussion as well.
- If necessary, a memo will be prepared of the discussion, highlighting the discus-sion and providing advice on how to complete your studies.
7. You will receive a written recommendation on individual arrangements to your UEF e-mail.
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- The recommendation is issued by the Vice Dean responsible for teaching in the Faculty whose studies are in question. The Language Centre does not need to make a separate decision if a Faculty decision already exists, however, the Lan-guage Centre can agree on additional arrangements needed for its own teaching.
- The recommendation may apply to all teaching/courses and be valid for the en-tire duration of your studies. It is also possible to grant temporary individual ar-rangements that apply to certain studies only. Individual arrangements may be re-considered where necessary.
- You must report any changes in your circumstances that affect individual study arrangements (e.g. recovery from injury).
8. To receive individual arrangements, you must request the implementation of individual arrangements no later than 10 days before teaching/study attainment/exam by sending the recommendation to the teacher by UEF e-mail, or by showing the recommendation to the teacher in person.
9. In case you use your own assistive device – such as a computer – the university has the right to inspect the files and software before the exam.
10. In case of any problems, contact your Faculty’s contact person. The contact information is available under "Guidance and contact information" in this document.
Sending the application and attachments (individual study arrangements)
Application and required attachments for individual study arrangements must be submitted electronically via the secure email website to your own Faculty.
Go to the secure email website and type your own email address (and, to prevent junk mail, an alternating code on the form).
To the email address you give, the system will send a message with a link enabling you to send the secure message itself. Click the link and type the email address of you own Faculty to the receiver slot (To:).
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- If you are an open university student, submit your application to the faculty whose studies you are pursuing.
Next, type the message itself on the secure email form and attach the needed enclosures. Finally, press the send button.
You can always ask advice from your faculty
- Philosophical Faculty: Academic Affairs Specialist Erja Vottonen and Head of Academic Affairs Satu Kouki
- Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology: Head of Academic Affairs Maarit Merimaa-Piirainen
- Faculty of Health Sciences: Head of Academic Affairs Susanna Järvelin-Pasanen
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Joensuu Campus: Amanuensis Minna Paronen
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Kuopio Campus: Academic Affairs Specialist Heli Kemppainen
- Language Centre: Head of Academic and Student Affairs Satu Karhapää-Puhakka
If you need further aid or advice regarding individual study arrangement application process, you can also contact the university's special education teacher Tiina Juurela, the accessibility contact person of your campus or your teacher.
The contact persons for accessibility at the campuses are:
- Joensuu Campus: Erja Widgrén-Sallinen, Head of Student Services and Admissions
- Kuopio Campus: Tuija Pasanen, Head of Student Services
E-mail addresses: first name.last name@uef.fi / UEF Connect (opens in a new tab).
