Studying with a disability

If you are registered or admitted as a student at Linnaeus University and have a permanent disability, you can apply for study support via the Nais website.

If you plan to study at Linnaeus University, you can submit an application via the Nais website when you receive your admission letter or after you are registered as a student at Linnaeus University.

We can plan your support even if you are not yet registered for your course or program, but the decision on study support will only be made once you are registered for the program.

You can apply at any time during your ongoing studies. However, it is advisable to apply well in advance, as processing times may be longer during certain periods.

You must be able to verify your disability in the application with a certificate/documentation from, for example, a doctor, psychologist, speech therapist, or another professional with expertise in the area.

The documentation/certificate must include:

• Your name and personal identification number
• Date of the assessment or healthcare contact
• Name and title of the person issuing the documentation
• Assessment or description of the disability

The disability must be permanent. In some cases, the documentation must specify how long the disability is expected to persist and how long you have had the disability or been in contact with healthcare.

A permanent disability is defined as one that has existed for at least 6 months and is expected to continue for at least another 6 months.

Here you can read more about the most common forms of study support available for students with disabilities. If you need other forms of support, such as a home aids or personal assistance, it is the municipality and/or county that you should contact.

Examples of study support measures

• Adapted/alternative examination. A customized/alternative examination may be, for example, to get longer time during the exam, the opportunity to write the answers on a computer or to take an exam individually. The examiner decides on  support for examinations, based on the coordinator's recommendations. 

• Note-taking Support Teams. Starting from the autumn semester of 2025, note-taking support will be offered in the form of Teams. If you are already a student with us and currently receive physical note-taking support, you now have the option to switch to Teams instead. Please contact your coordinator if you wish to make this change.

• Note-taking Support SmartPen. As an alternative form of note-taking support, you may borrow a SmartPen from the Student Services Office during your studies with us. The SmartPen allows you to write notes while simultaneously recording what is said during the lecture. Afterwards, you can go back, point to a specific word, and have the audio played back from the exact moment you wrote that word during the lecture. Loaning of SmartPens is subject to availability.

• Mentor. Mentor support is given to students with neuropsychiatric and mental impairments. The mentors provide support in planning, structuring and organizing the studies. The mentors are recruited by our mentor coordinator and receive a salary from the Office of Student Affairs.

• Interpreter. If you need sign language or writing interpreters during your studies, you can get this. However, this is a long process, so please contact a coordinator as soon as possible, preferably already when you apply at Linnaeus University.

If you have a disability, you can receive support during your studies at the university. These may include reading and writing difficulties/dyslexia, mental illness, neuropsychiatric disabilities, hearing loss, visual impairment, movement impairment or chronic diseases. You should be able to prove your disability with certificates from, for example, a doctor, psychologist or speech therapist. 

Disability is according to the Discrimination Act (SFS 2008:567):

'permanent physical, mental or endowmental limitations on a person's ability to function which, as a result of an injury or illness, existed from birth, have arisen thereafter or are likely to arise.'

What support you need depends on what limitations you experience and how you handle the different study situations. The pedagogical support is planned and designed in consultation with you as a student.

If you have a temporary injury or illness, you are not covered by this support because it is not permanent. If you need temporary support, you should instead contact the course coordinator or study counsellor at your department.