What is ISU?

ISU is a support service offered by the University of Vienna for disabled and neurodivergent students as well as for students with chronic and mental illnesses.

Students with impairments can receive individual support from students enrolled on the teacher education programme who are specialising in Inclusive Education (focus on impairments) at the University of Vienna.

What is the goal of ISU?

The big goal of ISU is to ensure equal opportunities in higher education and at the same time, ISU aims at strengthening social interaction and the sense of community at the University. 

ISU-Sujet: Mehrere Hände, die im Kreis einander an den Handgelenken greifen.

ISU-Sujet

Target group

Students of the University of Vienna,

  • who receive personal assistance in everyday life, but it is not sufficient for their studies (content knowledge, time, etc.).

and/or

  • who encounter barriers in their studies despite accessibility measures.

and/or

  • in general, persons who experience a disadvantage in their studies due to e.g.:
    • mental impairments 
    • physical or motor impairments 
    • sensory impairments 
    • chronic illnesses
    • autistic perception
    • reading and spelling difficulties 
    • ADS/ADHS
    • acute, injuries, consequences of accidents 
    • Long-Covid

How can ISU help?

Examples

Study supporters can assist participants in the following areas:

  • Study planning and study organization
  • Development of learning strategies and optimization of one's own time management
  • Coping with everyday life at the university 
  • Communication with teachers, fellow students and other people at the university
  • Preparation of transcripts 
  • Preparation of accessible materials relevant to studies 
  • Support with gross motor and/or fine motor activities 
  • Accompaniment from/at/to courses and exams
  • Orientation assistance at university locations
  • and further individual, study-relevant support activities

 Procedure

  1. Application form:
    Send us the completed application form (see information under "Application") within the application period.

  2. Application check by the ISU coordinator:
    After we have checked the information you provided, we will notify you if you have been accepted to the ISU programme. 

    Please note:
    Due to organisational reasons, we can only give you a final confirmation of the persons providing individual study support after the registration period for courses has ended. The final assignment depends on the demand and on the competence of the persons providing individual study support. 

  3. Participation in the matching event:
    During a joint matching event, you will be assigned to your ISU supporter. You can get to know each other, exchange contact details and arrange a first appointment. This matching event serves the purpose of quality assurance and aims to enable a smooth beginning of the individual study support. Therefore, participation in this matching event is mandatory.

    Exceptions: Depending on the individual needs, this matching procedure is not always necessary (e.g. if you require transcription, visualisation). In addition, persons who cannot participate in the matching event due to their impairment are also exempt (e.g. illness, episode, treatment, etc.). If this applies to you, please notify us as soon as possible by sending an e-mail to isu@univie.ac.at.

    Furthermore, the persons providing ISU support and the persons receiving ISU support must participate in a mandatory face-to-face meeting or alternatively, in exceptional cases and/or depending on individual needs, in a meeting via video and/or telephone call in which they discuss their further cooperation.

    Moreover, students receiving individual study support agree to participate in a joint supervision to evaluate the ISU support and further agree that ISU is accompanied by evaluation research.
    • Please note: If you intend to bring persons providing ISU support to a course, you have to inform the lecturers/examiners about it in advance. This is the only way to guarantee that sufficient seats/workplaces are available in accordance with the maximum capacity of the room and to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations.

Information: If you are interested in providing individual study support, you can find information for (prospective) teacher education students on the Inclusive Education website.

Medical certificate

To participate in the individual study support (ISU) programme, the University of Vienna requires a medical certificate specifying how your impairment manifests and how it affects your studies.

Please note the general information about medical certificates (in German) required by the University of Vienna.

 Application

To apply for ISU support, please take the following steps

  1. Complete the application form.
  2. When completing the form, you are asked to upload at least one medical certificate as proof of your  impairment(s) (see below).
    If you have already submitted a medical certificate to the Accessible Studying Team, you do not have to submit the medical certificate again. In this case, please upload an empty file or a random image. Otherwise, you cannot submit the application form
  3. Optionally and if available, you can also upload information about support services that you have been granted or denied, such as personal assistance by other institutions.

If you have difficulties completing and/or uploading the application form or if you have general questions about ISU, please contact us at isu@univie.ac.at.

 Dates and Deadlines

  • Application period – summer semester of 2023:

          Until 21 February 2023 – 23:59

  • Waiting list:
    You can apply also after the end of the application period.
    In this case, applicants receive a place on the waiting list and are notified as soon as a person providing individual support becomes available.
          • Matching events in the summer semester of 2023:
            • 1st date:

                               Wednesday, 1 March 2023 – 18:30 to 19:45  

              • 2nd date:
                Wednesday, 8 March 2023 – 18:30 to 19:45  

              • You will receive an e-mail containing information about the person assigned to you, the venue and directions. 

            Please note:

            • All participants have to attend the matching event and this is only possible if you have been invited by the ISU coordinator.
            • Exemption: If you are ill, please send us a medical certificate as a confirmation.

             Koordination

            Mag. Christina Lipp
            Team Barrierefrei 
            Koordination Studienservices 
            Mail: isu@univie.ac.at