Inclusive education

Inclusive Higher Education:

We commit to offering inclusive higher education as provided by the decree of 30 January 2014 (cf. Belgian Official Gazette 09.04.2014).

The decree sets out the legal framework for the organisation of inclusive higher education and deals with the reasonable adjustments that student(s) in situations of handicap, illness or difficulties can expect during their courses.

Inclusive education is defined by the decree as:

(Art.1, point 4) “Education that implements systems aimed at eliminating or reducing the material, pedagogical, cultural, social and psychological barriers encountered during access to studies, during studies and upon socio-professional insertion for beneficiary students.”

Who is affected?

Students with a proven disability, a specific learning difficulty or a disabling illness, for whom interaction with various barriers (social or physical) could obstruct their full and effective participation in academic life, on the basis of equality with others.

How to enter a request for assistance?

1.  The student must first enter a request through the coordinators of the SAA (Reception and Assistance Service) of the Academy and after this, he/she will receive the status of beneficiary student.

- The student must provide a detailed report about the requester’s degree of autonomy within the institute of higher education, established by a specialist in the medical field or by a multi-disciplinary team and dated from less than one year prior to the time of the request.

The details of the report must cover the recommendations linked to the difficulties or obstacles encountered by the student in their ability to follow their studies autonomously.

For each academic year, the request form for reasonable accommodation, along with all supporting documents, should be introduced as early as possible and at the latest on 15 November for the first four months or 15 March for the second four months.

Requests introduced after these dates will only be taken into consideration upon sufficient justification for the late introduction.

2.  Once the student obtains the status of beneficiary student, the Reception and Assistance Service can draw up an Individual Plan of Assistance that will be valid for the current academic year.

The Individual Plan of Assistance must include at least the following:

• The study plan

• The methods of assistance and the reasonable accommodations to be foreseen in material, educational, cultural or social terms

• The choice of assistance staff

• The possible designation of one or more student assistants.

The methods of assistance and the reasonable accommodations will be decided in consultation with the management, the beneficiary student and the Reception and Assistance Service.

The document will be evaluated and if necessary, modifications can be applied.

To contact the SAA (Reception and Assistance Service):

Service Coordinators

The Reception and Assistance Service is available to help and advise you or to provide any further information.