The Intercity Student Consultation (ISO) and the National Student Union (LSVb), together with other advocacy organizations, have outlined four key priorities. They are calling for accessible buildings, a stronger voice for students with disabilities, education that can also be followed online, and national minimum standards for support services.

What do they expect from the House of Representatives? “The House can put pressure on the Ministry of Education to monitor the accessibility of universities of applied sciences and universities,” says incoming ISO president Allis Richardson.

Accessibility should become a permanent part of quality assurance within educational institutions, she argues. “We advocate making accessibility not an option, but a requirement. That way, every student can succeed in their studies.”

Letschert

Minister of Education Letschert appears not to need much encouragement. Last week, she sent a letter to the House of Representatives about studying with a disability. There may be differences between educational institutions when it comes to tailored support and financial provisions, “but differences of this magnitude are hard to justify.”

Universities enjoy considerable administrative autonomy, but Letschert considers it “concerning” that students in comparable circumstances receive such different forms of support. “Ultimately, it is the student who suffers the consequences.”

She announced that she wants to reduce the differences between institutions. Among other things, she is in talks with quality assurance agency NVAO. Accessibility should play a larger role in the six-year program reviews conducted by the organization.

One in five

About one in five students feels “limited” in their program, expertise center ECIO reported last fall. Not all of them inform their program about these challenges.

The issues often involve concentration disorders, anxiety, stress, or mental health conditions. A smaller group experiences problems with the physical accessibility of education or, for example, hearing impairments. Most of these students say their program shows understanding, but a significant group—11 percent—say that is not the case.

Human rights

In a press release accompanying the manifesto, the students refer to the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, which surveyed the experiences of people with disabilities in society.The institute conducted the study as part of the tenth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. TU/e signed this convention in 2020.

In the survey, most respondents with disabilities agreed with the statement: “My school has made sufficient accommodations to enable me to successfully follow my education.” However, one quarter disagreed.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.