Forms of support for neurodiverse people
BON (Office for Persons with Disabilities) Academic Support Center for students on the autism spectrum
The BON Academic Support Center offers support for students on the autism spectrum (including Asperger’s syndrome or autism) in functioning at the university.
The following information can be found on the BON Academic Support Center website:
- What kind of support can I get?
- How to apply?
- What does the first meeting look like?
- What documents do I need to have to use support?
- Student tutoring program
“Wsparcie na Starcie” (“Starting Support”) by the Office for Persons with Disabilities at the University of Warsaw
If a person on the autism spectrum is just beginning their studies at the University of Warsaw, they can receive assistance in adapting to the new conditions – both in terms of organization and daily functioning in the academic environment.
What does the support involve?
- Individual consultations – a series of approximately 8–10 meetings during the first year of studies, helping to assess current needs and find solutions to emerging difficulties.
- Faculty opinion – specifying recommended forms of support, such as adapting classes and exams, using assistive technology, modifying the exam schedule, or policies for excused absences.
- Meetings with tutors – older students help students navigate the realities of academic life and integrate the community of people on the autism spectrum.
- Additional support for selected faculties (Archaeology, Biology, Physics, History, Modern Languages, Psychology, Sociology, Institute of Polish Culture) – individual tutoring, including: Study planning, understanding formal issues, relationship-building strategies, and orientation within the university’s facilities and services (e.g., the library).
- Quiet Rooms – in the Faculty of History (Main Campus) and the Faculty of Modern Languages, Dobra 55).
Detailed information can be found here.
Student and teachers tutoring programmes
The student tutoring program was created for students on the autism spectrum who need support in functioning at the university. As part of the program, you will regularly meet with another student (tutor) and discuss current matters related to your studies, as well as solve problems.
Some faculties (Archaeology, Biology, Physics, History, Modern Languages, Psychology, Sociology, Institute of Polish Culture) also offer more regular, individual tutor support, focused not only on current university-related issues but also on:
- learning process planning,
- understanding organizational and formal issues,
- networking strategies,
- orientation within the university’s space and services (e.g., library services and spaces).
Tutor contact details can be found here.
Several faculties (Archaeology, Journalism, Information and Bibliology, Geography and Regional Studies, History, Modern Languages) have also established positions to support students with special learning needs – academic teacher in a role of a mentor. Detailed information on this can be found on the individual faculty’s website.