Academic Qualification Phase for People with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses

If you are unsure which office is responsible for your inquiry, you can first contact the PhD/Postdoc Career Center (ZePrOs). ZePrOs offers  individual consultation for prospective doctoral candidates, doctoral candidates, and postdocs, and provides support with general questions regarding the planning of the qualification phase. Challenges that arise during the course of your doctorate or postdoctoral studies can also be discussed. Depending on the nature of your inquiry, ZePrOs can refer you to other relevant points of contact within or outside the university.

General information on requirements, procedures, framework conditions, responsibilities, and interdisciplinary professional development opportunities during the qualification phase can be found on the  Doctorate and Postdoc Phase page.

If you are employed at Osnabrück University during the qualification phase and have questions regarding workplace accommodations, technical or organizational support, working hours, extended periods of illness, or severe disability, please contact the representative for people with disabilities,  Andrea Huck-Weber or her deputies,  Petra Peping and  Jana Rülke. 

You can also find the contact information for the representative for people with severe disabilities and other relevant contacts on the University´s page on   Representatives and Union Representatives.

Regulations governing doctoral procedures at Osnabrück University are established on a school basis. For information on deadlines, examination formats, admission requirements, grading, or procedural steps, please refer to the  respective doctoral regulations of the various schools as well as the decisions of the doctoral committees. 

If you have special needs that should be taken into account—either generally or with regard to specific provisions in the doctorate regulations—in the structuring of your individual doctorate process, it is advisable to reach agreements on this with your advisor and to document them in your  Individual Development Plan (IDP) for Doctorates. In some cases, consultation with the doctoral committee may be necessary. If these needs also pertain to your employment relationship, you should determine whether the representative for persons with disabilities or the Human Resources Department should also be involved. 

Initial information on Disadvantage Compensation, academic organization, and accessibility—which is designed for Bachelor and Master students but is also relevant in some cases for doctoral candidates—can be found on the page  “Studying with a Disability or Chronic Illness.”

The advisors at ZePrOs are also available for confidential,  individual consultation regarding communication with academic advisors.

For information on the university’s institutional approach to diversity, equal opportunities, and an inclusive campus culture, please visit the  Diversity page at Osnabrück University.

The Equal Opportunity Office serves as a point of contact for questions regarding  gender equality,  anti-discrimination, and  family and care work.

For all members of Osnabrück University who have experienced or witnessed discrimination at the university, the office offers confidential counseling, which can be anonymous upon request. The counseling is designed to help those affected assess their experience and inform them about possible next steps. 

Please contact the  counselors at the Equal Opportunity Office for assistance.

For individuals with an employment contract at Osnabrück University: For formal complaints under the General Act on Equal Treatment (”Allgemeine Gleichbehandlungsgesetz” - AGG),  Carsten Niekamp is the contact person for the AGG Complaints Office; the alternate contact person is  Stefanie Bara. 

You can find these and other current contact details on the University’s page for  Representatives and Union Representatives.

For information on the digital access to the Osnabrück University website and on how to contact us if you encounter digital barriers, please see the UOS website’s  accessibility statement.

This page is intended only as a general guide and is not a substitute for legal advice. Specific decisions are governed by the applicable regulations, jurisdictions, and procedures.

The  Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a United Nations treaty aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of people with disabilities. It covers areas of life such as accessibility, personal mobility, health, education, employment, rehabilitation, participation in political life, equality, and non-discrimination.

The  Article 3 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany states, among other things, that no one may be disadvantaged because of a disability. 

The  Lower Saxony State Disability Equality Act (NBGG) (German only) aims to eliminate and prevent discrimination against people with disabilities, to ensure and promote the full realization of equal participation by people with disabilities in all areas of society without any disadvantage due to a disability, and to enable people with disabilities to lead self-determined lives with dignity and to fully develop their personalities. 

 The Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (NHG) (German only) requires higher education institutions in the state to ensure equal opportunities for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses. It regulates the appointment of representatives and requires that special needs be taken into account in examination regulations.  

 SGB IX—Rehabilitation and Participation of People with Disabilities (German only) regulates the rehabilitation and participation of people with disabilities. It covers, among other things, benefits for participation in education and working life, as well as issues related to the rights of people with severe disabilities.

The  General Act on Equal Treatment protects against discrimination on certain grounds, including disability.

If you have questions about participation services, personal assistance, assistive devices, personal budgets, applications, or the responsibilities of service providers, please contact the Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling Service at  Lebenshilfe Osnabrück e. V. (German only). This counseling service is independent and is intended for people with disabilities, people at risk of developing a disability, and their family members.

 PROMI – Promotion inklusive (German only) offers additional resources on pursuing a doctorate with a disability, chronic illness, or health impairment. The  PROMI - Guide on Pursuing a PhD in Germany for Doctoral Students with Health Impairments provides advice on planning and completing a doctorate while living with a health impairment.

For advisors, the  PROMI Guide for Advisors (German only) is available.

Virtual meet-up (German) for “Doctoral students with disabilities/chronic physical/mental health conditions” hosted by the PROMI Network

For more  info about the meet-up.

iXNet - The Federal Employment Agency's Digital Network for Academics with Disabilities 

 iXNet (German only) offers networking opportunities, informational events, and a counseling team to support career planning.

 Osnabrück Inclusion Forum 

 Lebenshilfe Osnabrück (German only)

 HHO Osnabrück (German only)

  Das Bündnis gegen Depression in Stadt und Landkreis Osnabrück e.V. (German only)