A university open to all: Students with disabilities

There are 600 students with disabilities currently enrolled at Sciences Po. Every day, they prove that disabilities need never pose an obstacle to the smooth and hassle-free completion of one’s studies. To help ensure that, Sciences Po provides solutions tailored to each student’s needs and champions a policy of accessibility across all its entities.

> Read our Letter of Engagement on Accessibility (FR)

Assisting students in their studies & facilitating their access to knowledge

From the admissions procedure to the job market, Sciences Po provides individualised assistance to every disabled student. This can come in the form of adjustments to academic requirements, help from student note-takers, readers, or interpreters, or adapted course material. Our students can make use of accessible digital resources to prepare for classes and follow teaching online via our e-courses… or with the help of our telepresence robots. Little by little we are converting all our websites into fully accessible formats. Finally, students with disabilities are exempted from tuition fees and receive mobility grants during their third year abroad.

> Read our Guide for Students with a Disability (pdf, 2.2 Mb)

Innovations in inclusive pedagogy

Sciences Po has conducted extensive research to produce pedagogical resources and video tutorials that help lecturers compensate for the constraints posed by disabilities, whether visible or invisible. Our research also explores strategies of learning and assessment for disabled students, stress management, and even innovations in classroom design, resulting in the design of a new classroom prototype at the start of 2018.

Incorporating disabled employees

In 2017, 6% of Sciences Po’s employees declared themselves affected by a disability, meeting the French legal minimum employment requirement. A Disability Service provides personalised support to all staff members. We also subcontract important work to specialised businesses, particularly the IT helpdesk.

Ensuring the accessibility of all our sites (including those online)

Sciences Po is committed to ensuring all its sites comply with the legal requirements for accessibility. Work already undertaken has included the renovation of lifts to provide wheelchair access to the lecture halls and cafeteria, the creation of two accessible catering spaces, and the installation of hearing loops in the lecture halls. We are also in the process of fitting out inclusive classrooms and an accessible signage system for the visually impaired. As for our websites, applications, and bureaucratic documents, all are gradually being converted into an accessible format, as per requirements set by the French government.

Raising awareness amongst our community as a whole

The Disability Support Service teaches disabled students to know their rights and define their futures. It also provides training to students assisting them and those directing associations, as well as reception staff, academic supervisors, and the entirety of the administrative community.