Supporting students with special needs

20.12.2021
#teaching

Students with special needs are students of the University of Tartu, whose physical or psycho-social special needs create the necessity to adapt the organisation of work or study environment in order to guarantee an opportunity for maximum participation in the study process and individual development.

Guidebook on how to support special needs students

The counselling center has put together a guidebook on how to support special needs students. The goal is to give the teaching staff information on different special needs, and recommendations on which adjustments can be offered and when to offer them. 


Adaptations for students with special needs

Information and guidelines on how to make adaptations for students with special needs can be found in the pamphlet put together by the counselling center. The pamphlet can be found here. 

Support services

The objective of providing support services is to help students with special needs to cope independently, support their social integration and equal opportunities and promote efficient involvement in studies. University of Tartu supports students with special needs upon entering the university, participating in studies, making exams and tests, providing study materials as well as creating a suitable social and physical environment.

  • Students can make an appointment with the special needs adviser
  • The University of Tartu Library offers home service for members with special needs. UT Library has audio files of literature for students with visual disabilities. For partially sighted persons, the library also has a video magnifier MLX Reader – MLX Split, which can enlarge the text up to 46 times.
  • For visually impaired and blind students and also for those students who experience writing or typing difficulties due to coordination disorder, it is possible to lend speech recognition device which can be used for converting speech to text.
  • There are rooms adjusted for persons with reduced mobility in the dormitory of the Student Village located at Raatuse 22.
  • Support students are volunteer students who are willing to support other students with special needs. If you want to become a support student please contact Special Needs Adviser.

What to consider, when there is a special needs student in the classroom?

The European Union Social fund along with Primus, supported six small films on special needs students (the films are in Estonian)

Special needs student: aspergers 

Special needs student: visually impaired 

Special needs student: chronic illness

Special needs student: hearing impaired 

Special needs student: physically impaired

Special needs student: mental illness