Accessibility Services

With the start of a study program, many move away from home for the first time. Some move to a new city.

Such big moves come with a lot of considerations. How would you like to live? In a shared apartment, prefer to live alone, in a privately rented apartment or in a student dormitory?

Students with disabilities, chronic or mental illness, in particular, often need housing with specific amenities or must consider other needs when choosing between living arrangements. Examples may include:

• People who use wheelchairs, for example, need housing that is accessible at ground level or has an elevator in the stairwell.
• People who live with assistance or guide dogs need an apartment where animals are allowed.
• People with pronounced allergies may need to avoid certain plants in the immediate vicinity or pets and maintain a particularly high level of hygiene.
• For some people it is important to live in a low-stimulus environment, perhaps alone and particularly quiet.
• Some people need, even without being dependent on a wheelchair, short distances and prefer not to live higher than on the 1st floor.
• People who are deaf often need signal systems for doorbells or smoke detectors. These must be requested from the health insurance company, for example.

The barrier-free accommodations of the Studierendenwerk Bielefeld have, for example, some shared rooms and single apartments that are wheelchair accessible. There are also larger barrier-free single apartments to allow freedom of movement for wheelchair users as well.

In addition, the Studierendenwerk can also support you in finding a suitable apartment during your studies if you have other needs.

We recommend that you contact the Studierendenwerk staff before applying for accommodation in order to find suitable accommodation that takes your individual needs into account as much as possible.