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Registration to apply for academic accommodations

Dear students with disabilities and chronic health conditions

On this page, you can register to submit an application for academic accommodations if you suffer disadvantages during your studies owing to a disability. If you are unsure whether you are entitled to academic accommodations or you have any other questions on this subject, please contact: barrierefrei@zhaw.ch.

Students with disabilities are legally entitled to differentiated treatment that ensures they have the same access to education as individuals without disabilities. This differentiated treatment can be granted in the form of academic accommodations, which serve to compensate for disadvantages arising from a disability with the aim of ensuring that everyone completing a study programme enjoys equal opportunities. Examples of academic accommodation measures include extended examination times or the right to use certain aids or assistance services.

Four steps to being granted academic accommodations

1. Application for academic accommodations

To claim academic accommodations, you must register with the ZHAW academic accommodations advisory service (BSNTA) (in German).

The application you submit must contain a clear request including the relevant reasons. You are also required to provide a certificate of your disability (a medical certificate from a medical professional or a specialist centre), stating the extent to which your disability disadvantages you in completing your study programme. Ideally, this certificate should already include a description of the possible measures required to compensate for the disability-related disadvantages. We kindly ask that you send us a copy of any academic accommodations you have received in the past.

We recommend that you seek advice from the BSNTA by arranging an advisory consultation regarding the organisation of academic accommodations. If you have already been granted academic accommodations (from past semesters / other degree programmes / other universities), you can also select the option “without consultation” during the registration process. You and the BSNTA advisory service do, however, have the option to initiate a consultation at any time, if required.

2. Review by the BSNTA

Your application and certificates will then be reviewed by the BSNTA. If you selected the option “with consultation,” you will receive an invitation for an advisory consultation from the BSNTA. The measures will be put together by the BSNTA in collaboration with you and in consultation with your School.

3. Submission of application to your School

The BSNTA will submit the definitive application, including the recommendation for academic accommodation measures to the relevant School. You will also be provided with a copy.

4. Decision and information

The School is always responsible for the decision, which is normally made by the programme director. If the recommended measures are approved, you will receive written confirmation of the decision from the School. If the measures are modified or rejected, you will be provided with written preliminary information and given three options with respect to how you wish to proceed:

  1. You can ask for the BSNTA to mediate in an attempt to find an amicable solution with the School. The BSNTA can then submit a revised application. Should the revised application also fail to gain approval, you will receive a ruling from the School including instructions on how to appeal.
  2. You can inform the School that you are in agreement with the announced modification or rejection in accordance with the preliminary information provided to you. The latter measures will then be implemented without further notice.
  3. You can inform the School that you wish to stick with the submitted application. In this case, the School will then decide in the form of a ruling with instructions on how to appeal.

Deadlines

Please note that there are deadlines each semester for submitting an application for academic accommodations. These differ depending on the School and the area of application (admission, assessments during the semester, end-of-module examinations, etc.). These deadlines always refer to the submission of the application by the BSNTA to the relevant School and not to the registration of your application to the BSNTA. It takes time to review your application, advise you and consult with the School. You should therefore register with the BSNTA as early as possible and no later than three weeks prior to the above-stated deadlines. The specific deadlines can be found on the website and intranet of the respective Schools.

The Regulations on Academic Accommodations govern the applicable rights and obligations as well as the associated procedures and responsibilities. We recommend that you read the regulations before submitting your application. You can find the regulations here.

Application form

Personal details

Matriculation

You have not yet been matriculated at the ZHAW and would like to submit an application for academic accommodations for the admissions procedure:*
You are already matriculated at the ZHAW and would like to submit an application for academic accommodations during your study programme:*
You are completing your studies:
I would like advice from the BSNTA to assist me in connection with the possible measures when applying for academic accommodations:*

Please describe your health situation and the disadvantages caused by your disability with respect to study-related activities and assessments. If you have no previous study experience, you can make reference to your experiences at school and in everyday life:

Please describe in as much detail as possible which measures you consider to be necessary in order to compensate for the disadvantages caused by your disability? We are interested in your assessment of the situation and your experience. During the consultation, we will specify the measures together and check them as regards their feasibility.

The application applies:*
The application concerns the following (if you already know: please tick the applicable options. Multiple answers are possible):*
Measure concerns the following: (if you already know: please tick the applicable options.):*

Certificate of disability

In order for academic accommodations to be approved, you must provide a certificate of your disability. The regulations specify which certificates are accepted and what they should include. If possible, please send your certificate at the same time as your registration directly to: barrierefrei@zhaw.ch

If you do not yet have a certificate, please endeavour to submit one as soon as possible.

Have you been granted academic accommodations in the past? If so, please send the relevant details to: barrierefrei@zhaw.ch

Data protection and confidentiality

I acknowledge that the ZHAW generally corresponds via the ZHAW e-mail address (if available).

Data protection

We process your personal data in accordance with the provisions of the law on Information and Data Protection of the Canton of Zurich (LS ZH 170.4; hereinafter referred to as the “IDG”) and, as appropriate, the European General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation 2016/679; hereinafter referred to as the “GDPR”) to the extent that each of the respective regulations are applicable.

The ZHAW is responsible for data processing. Your data is processed exclusively for the purpose described above

and remains with the ZHAW. It is stored on our servers in Switzerland with all due care and attention, and it is protected from being accessed by any third parties. The data you provide is treated as strictly confidential.

Please note that you have different rights depending on the applicable legal framework:

If the IDG is applicable, you have the right to access your own personal data, the right to have incorrect personal data corrected or destroyed, the right to stop the unlawful processing of your data, the right to the rectification of consequences arising from the unlawful processing of your data, the right to determine the unlawful processing of your data and the right to have your data blocked.

If the GDPR is applicable, you have the right of access (in accordance with GDPR Article 15), the right to rectification (in accordance with GDPR Article 16), the right to erasure (in accordance with GDPR Article 17), the right to restriction of processing (in accordance with GDPR Article 18), the right to object (in accordance with GDPR Article 21) and the right to data portability (in accordance with GDPR Article 20). Please contact us if you wish to exercise your rights. The contact information can be found below. In addition, there is a right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority (in accordance with GDPR Article 77).

For further information on data protection, please contact:

ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Gertrudstrasse 15
8401 Winterthur
Telephone: +41 (0)58 934 71 71
E-mail: datenschutz@zhaw.ch