Studying with a chronic illness or disability

Not "healthy" – So what?

At the end of 2020, more than 36,000 students were enrolled at HHU in addition to you... and you all bring diversity to our campus or to the Webex meeting.... This does not only refer to your origin, worldview or gender identity, but also to your state of health. In addition to many students who have no physical, psychological or cognitive complaints, many students with a chronic illness or disability study at HHU.

How many students there are exactly, we can currently only estimate. However, we know from the last graduate survey that 18% of students who graduated in the winter semester 2018/19 were affected by a chronic illness or disability. The majority of respondents, more than 10% of students, have stated that they suffer from a mental illness. However, these statistics do not cover those students who had to interrupt or even drop out of their studies due to their state of health.

You can't see health ...

If these numbers seem surprisingly high to you, it is certainly also due to the fact that the vast majority of chronic diseases or disabilities – at least at first glance – are not visible. In its study „beeinträchtigt studieren - best2“, the Student services comes to the conclusion that only 4% of the restrictions are immediately recognizable.

"When are you actually healthy?" ...

... this question is not so easy to answer. However, it is clear that being healthy or not being healthy does not describe an absolute or fixed state: "the" health does not exist, just as little as "the" students with chronic illness or disability. On the contrary, this term covers a very heterogeneous spectrum of students. These include:

Students with limitations of mobility and sensory perception, such as paralysis, dysmelia, reduced vision or hearing,

Students with chronic somatic diseases, i.e. primarily physical diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatism or epilepsy,

Students with mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety disorders, personality disorders but also ADHD and

Students with partial conduction disorders, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia

I can do it that way... but you don't have to!

Not all students who, by definition, have a chronic illness or disability find studying difficult due to their illness. However, many also notice a burden in their everyday student life and often want more information on support offers, especially on disadvantage compensation, and the opportunity to exchange ideas with other affected persons.

If you belong to this group, we have put together some advisory services for you on our page "Contact points and committees".