Special Educational Support (SPS)
SPS is a government-funded support programme administered by the Danish Agency for Education and Quality (STUK). Its purpose is to compensate students with mental and physical disabilities, enabling them to study on more equal terms with their fellow students.
To receive SPS, the student must provide medical documentation of their disability or documentation from an assessment of dyslexia or dyscalculia. You can read more about the application process at student.dtu.dk.
Below are a brief description of the different disabilities and the types of support that STUK may grant under the SPS scheme.
Dyslexia is a lifelong disability that makes reading and writing more difficult. It can lead to misunderstandings when reading text and make it more difficult to learn and remember new words, including technical/academic terminology. Depending on how dyslexia affects the individual student, there may be significant differences between their written and oral performance.
Types of support:
- A software package that assists with reading and writing difficulties.
- Digital study materials through the Nota platform.
- A reading and writing adviser who can provide guidance on reading and writing strategies, study techniques, organization and planning
Within the SPS scheme, this category may include long-term depression, personality disorders such as schizophrenia, and developmental disorders such as autism or ADHD.
The difficulties experienced vary considerably. They may include challenges related to concentration, organizing and planning everyday student life, getting started on assignments, exams or a new semester, participating in group work, having a low tolerance for stress, etc.
Types of support:
- Study support from a counsellor at the Student Counselling Service: The counsellor helps the student develop tools for managing the challenges they experience in their studies as a result of their diagnosis.
- Study support from an academic support teacher: The academic support teacher is typically a member of the teaching staff at DTU. They can support the student with organization, planning, and the development of academic strategies.
- Study support from a student mentor: A student mentor is typically a fellow student. The mentor can assist with both practical and social aspects of student life, including course and exam registration and participation in social activities.
Students with visual impairment may experience a range of challenges. In addition to the more apparent difficulties, these may involve concentration, fatigue, and organizing their studies.
Types of support:
- Digital study materials through the Nota platform.
- A software package for reading study materials aloud.
- Physical aids such as whiteboard cameras and lamps.
- Secretarial assistance with taking notes, completing written assignments, registering for exams, searching for information in libraries, and similar tasks.
- An academic support teacher who can help the student develop academic strategies and support their learning.
Students with hearing impairment may experience a range of challenges. In addition to the more apparent difficulties, these may involve concentration, fatigue, and planning their studies.
Types of support:
- Technical aids
- Secretarial assistance with taking notes during teaching.
- An academic support teacher who can help the student develop academic strategies and support their learning.
Types of support:
- Ergonomic equipment such as a chair, desk, mouse, keyboard, or reading stand.
- Digital aids such as a voice recorder for taking notes and an IT starter package.
- A practical assistant who may help the student move around the campus and assist with taking books out of their bag, eating and using the toilet.
- Secretarial assistance with taking notes, completing written assignments, registering for exams, searching for information in libraries, and similar tasks.
Chronic or serious illnesses may have effects that create a need for support in managing student life. For example, the student may experience increased absence due to treatment, difficulties concentrating, or challenges maintaining an overview of semesters and courses.
Types of support:
- Ergonomic equipment such as a chair, desk, mouse, keyboard, or reading stand.
- Digital aids such as a voice recorder for taking notes and an IT starter package.
- Secretarial assistance with taking notes, completing written assignments, registering for exams, searching for information in libraries, and similar tasks.
- An academic support teacher who can help the student develop academic strategies and support their learning.
Dyscalculia is a lifelong disability that makes it difficult to understand relationships between numbers, quantities, and sizes. It may therefore affect skills in mathematics and other scientific subjects.
Type of support:
- An academic support teacher, who can assist in developing methods that help the student approach, plan and understand tasks involving numbers.