Disability accommodation policy

Università IULM is fully committed to having a reasonable accommodation policy or strategy for people with disabilities, ensuring equal access to education and fostering an inclusive environment for all members of our community. Our mission is to support students with disabilities through personalized services and targeted assistance, removing barriers to academic and campus life. The DiversaMENTE office plays a key role in this effort, providing daily support to students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from the moment they apply until they graduate.

In general, the accommodation policy of DiversaMENTE office is:

• Academic accommodation policy:
  • Guidance and support service for admissions:
    • Admission tests: during the test registration procedure, candidates with disabilities and SLD can request compensatory/dispensatory measures;
    • Incoming freshmen orientation: support for students in their choice of the degree course and in the initial phase of attending classes, providing them with useful information and strategies for embarking on their university journey;
  • Support for study:
    • Computer and technological aids: the office provides the students with computer and technological aids when requested for exams and study sessions;
    • Didactic support with Peer Tutors: the DiversaMENTE office implements support activities with peer tutors (Master's degree students) for students with disabilities and SLD to eliminate or reduce obstacles in their university career;
    • Individual interviews: the DiversaMENTE office acts as didactic mediator with faculty in relation to students' needs for attending courses and passing exams;
    • Digital texts for study: Information provided about accessible texts;
    • Courses on study methods: the office organizes courses on study methods in the first semester of the year;
    • International mobility: the Erasmus+ programme for people with disabilities or special needs allocates funds each year to support the mobility of people with special needs, giving particular attention to students and staff whose physical, mental or, more generally, health conditions are such that they cannot participate in the programme without additional funding for the extra costs incurred linked to support, accommodation and pedagogical and technical support services. The following services may be eligible, according to individual needs: specific accommodation, travel assistance, medical presence, support equipment, adaptation of learning materials, accompanying persons, etc.;
  • Assistance with administrative procedures: the DiversaMENTE service offers support for administrative procedures related to university careers, in collaboration with the other university offices;
• Employment-related accommodation policy - Job placement:    
  • Internship: the DiversaMENTE office, in collaboration with the Career Service office, offers assistance in finding companies  suitable for  carrying out the work experience required by the Degree Course, in evaluating offers, in preparing interviews and in defining the contract;
  • Placement: the DiversaMENTE office constantly supports graduates in seeking specific placement opportunities for protected categories. The office also supports students who are orphans, refugees, victims of terrorism in finding placement opportunities;
• Mental and emotional accommodation policy:
  • Psychological support: IULM provides its students with Counseling Services in the form of individual interviews with professional psychologists in order to prevent and manage psychological problems that may be encountered during the university career;
  • Mobility orientation courses for blind students: the office offers mobility orientation courses for blind students who need to memorize routes between buildings on campus to reach classrooms;
• Financial accommodation policy - Fees and financial benefits:
  • Tuition exemption: students with a disability equal to or higher than 66% can request exemption from payment of university fees by submitting an appropriate application to the DiversaMENTE office;
  • Scholarships:
    • 4 degree awards in memory of Antonio and Luigi Goi and Angela De Giacomi Goi and divided as follows: €2,500.00 to 1st place, €1,500.00 to 2nd place; €1,000.00 to 3rd place; €200.00 to 4th place;
    • Macciachini Monti Foundation: 5 annual scholarships amounting to €9,000 each intended for deserving university students, aged up to thirty years, resident in Lombardy, who are in difficult economic conditions aggravated by a situation of disability or neurodiversity. In particular, 2 scholarships are for students with visual or hearing disabilities, 2 scholarships are for students with neurodiversity in the area of specific learning disorders, 1 scholarship is for students with neurodiversity in the area of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD);
    • Fondazione Villa Mirabello Onlus: the Fondazione Villa Mirabello ONLUS intends to honor the memory of Monsignor Edoardo Gilardi by promoting a call for applications reserved for blind or visually impaired young people with the awarding of 4 scholarships worth € 2,000.00 each and 4 scholarships worth € 1,000.00 each;
• Physical accommodation policy:
  • Free-barrier campus: the university is committed to the creation of a free-barrier campus equipped with infrastructures and services dedicated to students with disabilities, such as accessible entrances, dedicated toilets, lifts, and dedicated parking spaces. Even the spaces inside the buildings have been designed with this purpose; dedicated spaces for students in wheelchairs are present both in the classrooms and in the library;
  • University Residence: inside the IULM Residence there are 4 units reserved to disabled students with internet connection and satellite TV: wardrobe, desk, en-suite bathroom and centralized air conditioning.

IULM is proud to share testimony from one of the university students who uses a wheelchair and has thrived at IULM (Link to the video).

IULM’s commitment to accessibility and reasonable accommodation ensures that all students, regardless of their disabilities, can enjoy a fulfilling and successful university experience.