Support for mobility

What kind of support exists? What support can you bring abroad out of disability reasons (i.e. technical aids), and what can you expect from the receiving country? This are important questions asked by the project, and answered by the NNDC expert group through the country reports and out from experience of the work area.

All countries report that it is possible to bring technical aids abroad for study reasons, and there are good solutions for extra support (like a disability allowance) to go abroad. This is confirmed by several organizations, like the Norwegian NAV system.

More interesting is the fact that according to the “Nordic Convention on Social Assistance and Social Services” , students from other countries are included in the solutions offered through the LAB and LOS regulations:

A person who is covered by this Convention and who, during a lawful sojourn in a Nordic country, requires immediate social assistance and social services shall obtain such assistance from the country where he or she is sojourning which under the country's legislation is in keeping with the need for assistance.

Information on what to do is crucial to ensure high quality in services provided for the students. The Finnish representatives state this clearly:

Incoming students are advised to contact their host university that applies for accessibility grants. The students’ experiences of this are positive . For incoming students, the challenges are that Finnish HEIs do not provide assistance, such as devices, equipment, interpretation and personal assistants, and countries differ significantly in ways of organizing and providing support for studies abroad; some countries offer no support for outgoing students. 

It is important to be aware of the fact that there are several sources of extra funding for students with disability going abroad:

• Erasmus+ Students on an exchange on an Erasmus+ program students can apply for accessibility grants in their home university before they start mobility. The number reported in this project is very low, with an exception from the University of Iceland where a considerable number of students has used this opportunity. Even though, it is an understatement that this is arrangements which is hardly in use at a Nordic level, and the reasons for this should be investigated closer. The ESMHE project recommends better information through the international offices of this opportunity, perhaps as a campaign or similar promotion. 
  
• NORDPLUS HIGHER EDUCATION: Participants with special needs can be funded and have extra support.  Costs involving participants with special needs can be covered by 100 per cent. In the event of participants with special needs requiring additional help and support, the coordinator may apply for further funds also after the ordinary application deadline. The application should be addressed directly to CIMO. Additional funds may be provided to cover the cost of escorts, interpreters or similar. The applicants are requested to contact CIMO well in advance.
  
• SPS: Support through the SPS programme in Denmark is possible to bring abroad. The only limitation is that the students has to be participating in a full programme, also during their stay abroad.
  
• THE NORWEGIAN STATE LOAN FUNDING: Students with disabilities can ask for extra funding due to disability reasons. Studying abroad is no limitation for receiving the extra funding. 
  

Organizations like CIMO (Finland and Sweden) and SIU (Norway) work for promoting these systems and arrangements. Their support and services seems to be, with exceptions, not very well known by the disability experts in the HEIs and the students themselves. Clearly, there is a need for better cooperation between all stakeholders to provide better knowledge to the students. Both the national organizations, the international offices at the HEIs and the disability experts must be responsible for better cooperation in the future.