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Opportunities for people with disabilities

Welcome to the website dedicated to people with disabilities, run by the staff of the Office of Accessibility and Support
for People with Disabilities.

We invite students, faculty and staff of our university, as well as anyone interested in disability issues, to contact us. We also welcome people with chronic illnesses who do not hold a disability certificate.

We invite you to report specific issues and general problems. We will do our best to help you with individual issues, while signals concerning general problems will help our university to adapt to the needs and abilities of people with disabilities. Don’t hesitate, give us a call, write an e-mail or come and talk to us!

SGH Warsaw School of Economics has specialised equipment and software in place to facilitate education for people with disabilities. These include:

  • Screen magnification software: ZoomText, Lunar and Magic,
  • Jaws – speaking software with various speech synthesisers,
  • MyReader – an electronic magnifier which facilitates reading for people with visual impairments (the magnifier is located in the Library, in the Polish Journals Reading Room),
  • An adapted computer station for people with disabilities in the SGH Library (the station includes: the Multilektor scanning and reading set, Internet access, speaking and zooming software, a special mouse for people with hand disorders).
  • An induction loop in the Main Hall, helps people with hearing impairments to hear the lectures more clearly.

  • Portable FM systems can be lent to people with hearing impairments who use hearing aids.

People with disabilities are welcome to study at SGH

Would you like to obtain a degree from the Warsaw School of Economics (BA, MA or PhD)? Do you have a disability and wonder if you should try it, or wonder if you can manage? Do not hesitate, take action and go for it! Many others have already walked this path with success.

It is also a good idea to know what kind of help you can get from our university. You can find out about it by reading the remaining information on this website. Above all, do make sure to complete all the formalities required for the recruitment process.

If the recruitment procedure involves an entrance exam and you would like to receive assistance during the exam, make sure to contact the staff of our Admissions Office to agree on the details of assistance you may require. Another option is to contact the staff of our Office for People with Disabilities. It is always a good idea and they can help you!

Registration with the Office for People with Disabilities

If you wish to receive support from SGH on account of your disability (e.g. if you apply for a disability grant or if you have a chronic illness but do not have a disability certificate), you should register with the Office for People with Disabilities and complete the following steps:

  1. present the original disability certificate or medical documentation (for candidates without a disability certificate),
  2. complete the registration form,
  3. sign a consent to the processing of your personal data.

Please note!
You may register at the Office for People with Disabilities at any time of the year; however, applications for support are accepted in line with the principles and deadlines specified in the Rules and Regulations for Granting Support to Persons with Special Needs at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.

If the certificate is valid and the degree and type of disability has not changed, you will not need to produce the same certificate again at the Office in connection with subsequent applications for a scholarship for persons with disabilities.

The Rules and Regulations for Granting Support to Persons with Special Needs at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics

People with disabilities, as well as people with other special needs (such as those arising from chronic illnesses) – e.g., candidates, students, doctoral students or postgraduate students – may receive support, e.g., during the course of their education. The School also provides support for employees and associates who have special needs.
The detailed rules for granting support are set forth in Rector’s Regulation No. 45 of 30 August 2023 on the introduction of the Rules and Regulations for Granting Support to Persons with Special Needs at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.

Application for support

If you are a person with special needs and require additional support, e.g., in adapting the educational process to your needs:

  1. Please contact the Office for People with Disabilities and make an appointment. You can do this by e-mail, by writing to bon@sgh.waw.pl, or by phone by calling 22 564 99 02.
  2. Please bring the original copies of documentation confirming your disability or other special needs with you, e.g., valid medical documentation, diagnosis, psychological assessment, etc.
  3. You will also need to fill out the application for support in detail (Appendix No. 1 to Rector’s Regulation No. 45 of 30 August 2023). You may download the application from the website or receive the form at the Office for People with Disabilities and fill it out during the appointment. The application should concern only those special needs that give rise to the necessity for overcoming certain barriers in access to services offered by the School or in the performance of professional duties, as well as in recruitment to be employed at the School. The forms of support for which you may apply are specified in the catalogue of forms of support.
  4. Based on an interview, the documentation presented„ and the information indicated in the application for support, a member of staff of the Office for People with Disabilities will prepare a recommendation concerning the form and scope of necessary support. The recommendation serves as the basis for a potential decision issued by persons referred to in § 4(6) of the Rules and Regulations. In matters related to the organisation and course of study, as well as the rights and responsibilities arising from the Study Regulations applicable at SGH, the person responsible for the decision is the Dean of the relevant type of studies.
  5. Support is granted for the period specified in the application, no more than for the academic year for which the application is submitted.

Application for support – deadlines

The application should be submitted sufficiently in advance to ensure that necessary support may be organised, which should be:
 in the case of students or doctoral students:

  • by 31 October of the given year at the latest, if the application concerns support to be granted in the winter semester starting that year;
  • by 31 March of the given year at the latest, if the application concerns support to be granted in the summer semester starting that year;
    or as soon as special needs emerge;
  • in the case of candidates for a degree programme, a programme at the SGH Doctoral School, or a postgraduate programme, course or training – during the recruitment conducted for the given type of programme, course or training;
  • if none of the above cases apply – at least 14 days before the deadline by which support should be granted, or as soon as special needs emerge.
7 Education support principles of the University Accessibility Commission of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland 

Support for people with special needs is provided in compliance with the education support principles of the University Accessibility Commission of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP)
Resolution of the Presidium of CRASP of 2 June 2016 on creating equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities in access to higher education

Individual approach

Adapting the education process of a person with a disability to their individual educational needs, based specifically on their condition and the nature of their classes, including the conditions in which they are conducted.
Depending on the type and degree of disability, and based on other factors, such as the course of previous education or financial capabilities, a student may face different limitations and have various skills and techniques to compensate for their disability. In many cases, it is possible to adopt different solutions for achieving the same goal, i.e. successful adaptation of the educational process without compromising the academic standard. However, depending on the key elements of the classes in question, the suggested adaptations may in some cases be more precautionary, and more far-reaching in others.     

Personhood

Recognising the autonomy and right to self-determination of a person with a disability.
A person with a disability has the best understanding of their own situation and the consequences of their disability, and also take full responsibility for their decisions and personal development. Therefore, all choices, even those that may at first seem unreasonable, should be respected, with feasible steps taken to implement the student’s decision. This does not preclude the option of drawing the student’s attention to factors that may be relevant to their success or failure (for example, requirements related to the curriculum that the student may not be aware of).


Developing the potential of a person with a disability through the process of their education.

Selecting adaptations that would allow the student to acquire knowledge and develop practical skills.
It should be ensured that the adaptations used enable the student to pursue the lessons included in the curriculum to the greatest extent possible. If a choice is given between exempting the student from a task (which in some cases may be an acceptable adaptation) and taking measures so that the student might carry out the task in an altered form, the latter option should be adopted.


Reasonable adaptations

Proposing adaptations that are economically reasonable, effectively level the playing field for a person with a disability, ensuring that academic standards are maintained.
A reasonable adaptation provides the best possible access to the same content and gives the opportunity to carry out practical tasks that people without disabilities have access to. Such adoption might theoretically be possible, but its cost or the effort involved in implementing it would be too great. In such cases it is necessary to look for other solutions.

Maintaining the academic standard

Preparation of adaptations while maintaining substantive criteria applicable to all students.
Achieving the specified learning outcomes is a right of students with disabilities. Therefore, all adaptations should be prepared in such a way as to guarantee that the key elements of the process of carrying out the curriculum are preserved. For this reason, the cooperation of researchers and academic teachers involved in a particular field of knowledge is extremely important. The requirements for classes with the same subject matter in different fields of study sometimes vary, meaning that the proposed solutions might be appropriate in some situations and not in others.

Adaptations closest to the standard course of classes

This refers to classes that are not perceived as a privilege for the person with a disability, but which would reasonably level the playing field in terms of the possibility of pursuing the educational process considered optimal in the given classes.
This principle is intended to make as few changes as possible to the standard form of study. It is also assumed that the originally adopted modes of conducting classes and examinations are relevant to the course of study.
For example, adopting a written form of examination means not only testing the student’s knowledge, but also assumes that the student should have the ability to demonstrate it in writing. Therefore, adaptation of the written exam should first go in the direction of changing the way of writing (e.g. in enlarged print, on a computer, using the Braille alphabet).

Different rights and obligations

Ensuring that equal rights for persons with disabilities are respected and that student obligations are satisfied (by ensuring these rights) at the same level as for students without disabilities.
One of the goals of reasonable adaptations is to strive for an objective view of the student’s abilities and, consequently, the student’s evaluation. A positive assessment only confirms that the student acquired the knowledge and skills defined in the assumptions. Exempting the student from carrying out a certain task could hinder them from achieving the set goal. It would also be perceived by other students as preferential treatment. Assistance to persons with disabilities should ensure that they are treated equally and receive the chance to take responsibility for themselves and their tasks to the same extent as those without disabilities.

Accessibility Ambassadors

In 2024, a team of Accessibility Ambassadors was established under the decision of the Rector of SGH. The Accessibility Ambassadors are tasked with assisting: 
1.    people with special needs – informing them about the forms of assistance and ensuring accessibility at SGH, and the procedures in force at SGH;
2.    SGH employees to the extent necessary to build awareness of the needs of people with special needs and the forms of support offered by SGH in this regard.
The team of ambassadors consists of representatives of the academic and administrative staff of the school, who support candidates, students, doctoral students and employees of the school in accordance with the competencies of the unit they represent. Feel free to contact them directly:

Accessibility Ambassadors in administrative units of SGH:

Residence rooms for people with disabilities

Student Residence Hall No. 1 “Sabinki” has two single rooms adapted to the needs of persons with motor disabilities. The rooms have a shared bathroom and each room is equipped with a kitchenette.

Applications for rooms for people with disabilities can be submitted by any students (incl. doctoral students) with disabilities (regardless of the type of disability), but priority will be given to applicants with severe motor disabilities. 

Student Residence Halls – information for students

Rehabilitation classes

The Physical Education and Sport Centre runs rehabilitation classes for students. SGH students with various kinds of disabilities who are interested in participating in such classes should contact the Centre (room 046 in the basement of building G by the connector to building A).

Disability access to buildings

Some SGH buildings are well-adapted, others are only partially adapted while the remaining ones are not yet accessible for people with motor disabilities. The best disability access is offered in the Main Building and building C located at al. Niepodległości 128.  Further renovation work is underway to adapt the buildings and make them accessible for people with disabilities.

Social Assistant for a person with ASD

The SGH Warsaw School of Economics has joined the project Student Assistant for a person with ASD, implemented under Measure 4.1 Social Innovation, Priority axis IV of the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development 2014–2020 Social innovation and transnational cooperation.

The aim of the project is to implement the social innovation Interpreter/Social Advocate – an assistant to a person with ASD at SGH. This is one of the forms of support that our School offers to neurodiverse people. It is an innovative solution aimed at providing support in the process of communication with the academic staff, offered to students with ASD by their assistants – people who are trusted and competent enough to provide real support tailored to the specific needs arising from the specific characteristics of a particular student and the situation they are currently in.

The idea behind the innovation is to improve communication between the student and the School in such a way that the interaction between them can bring the greatest advantage in the form of benefiting from the provision of educational “services” characterised by high efficiency.

We invite Students and Doctoral Students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or Asperger’s syndrome (ASD) – from first-cycle and second-cycle studies, either full-time or part-time, as well as from the Doctoral School – to take advantage of this form of support.

Support for Students and Doctoral Students with ASD

If you are a student with autism spectrum disorder who is facing difficulties in studying due to this condition, you may benefit from the support provided by an assistant.

If you are having difficulties:

  • with adapting the forms of classes or credits/exams to your needs,
  • with communication with lecturers or the Dean’s Office staff,
  • with planning and managing your learning,
  • with establishing contacts in the student community.

We encourage you to get in touch with us and take advantage of the support provided by the Social Assistant.

Who are the assistants for students with ASD?

They are part of the School staff or students prepared to provide individual assistance in overcoming the difficulties you face during your studies.

The assistants are trusted people who have the right skills to provide support tailored to your individual needs and the situation you are currently in.

How to get support?

  • Send an e-mail to: asystentasd@sgh.waw.pl
  • Please write in the title: “Assistant for a student with ASD”.
  • In your e-mail, ask for a consultation date with your assistant.
  • Remember to use your university address when sending the e-mail.
  • During the consultation you will be provided with all the necessary information.
  • Subsequently, review the documents and fill out an application form for Social Assistant’s support.
  • The final stage is to enter into a contract with the assistant, in which you will establish the rules of cooperation.

The rules and regulations for ensuring accessibility for persons with special needs at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics

Working hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Office of Accessibility and Support
for People with Disabilities
al. Niepodległości 162,
Building G, room 223
02-554 Warszawa
e-mail: bon@sgh.waw.pl
phone.: +48 22 564 94 63, 665 995 512

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