Registration of students with special needs

Summary of the procedure

In order to register a student with special needs and to take advantage of the modifications to studies, the following procedures have been established:

Inform the contact person of your interest in being registered as a student with special needs (SSN);
Arrange a valid confirmation of your health status;
Undergo a functional diagnosis with a specialist;
Deliver the completed functional diagnosis assessment to the student affairs office of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics and provide your consent to have the SSN status entered in the university database.
If needed, agree on additional steps with the contact person.

(More detailed information on the procedures is described below.)

We strongly recommend to complete the registration by October 31 of the current year, but it is also possible to complete the entire process at any time throughout the academic year.

Detailed procedures for registering students with special needs (SSN)

1. Inform the contact person

Please reach the contact person and inform them of your intention to be included in the SSN records. In most cases, you will be invited to a private consultation session at the contact person’s office. You will learn how to proceed or what additional assistance you may be eligible to receive from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.

2. Arrange for valid confirmation of your health status

If possible, bring a confirmation of your health status to the meeting with the contact person. It is needed in particular for the functional diagnosis assessment.

The documents are the same as when applying to study:

Proof of medical disability, in the meaning of Section 67 of Act no. 435/2004 Sb., on employment, or
Proof of disability of any degree, in the meaning of Section 39 of Act no. 155/1995 Sb., on pension insurance, or
ID card for a person with a medical disability of any degree, in the meaning of Section 34 of Act no. 329/2011 Sb., on the provision of benefits to persons with medical disabilities, or
Proof of a specific learning disorder determined on the basis of the results obtained by a generally agreed diagnosis of specific learning disorders (if you have not yet been diagnosed, you can take the DysTest at CU, more information), or
Proof of an autism spectrum disorder determined on the basis of a comprehensive examination by a clinical psychologist, or
Medical report on the results of an expert medical examination in the case of persons who are unable to provide proof as set out in points (a) to (e) above, or
Decision of the Association of Service Providers for Students with Specific Needs at Public Research Institutions (AP3SP) in those cases where, for objective reasons, the student cannot provisionally provide proof as set out in points (a) to (c) above or if they were not recognized as eligible to obtain these documents, nevertheless the AP3SP confirms that the impact of their disability on the financial demands of studying corresponds to the proposed requirement.

If you do not have any medical confirmation, you can provide a confirmation obtained from a general practitioner. Typically, this may be used in cases where your condition has suddenly or unexpectedly worsened and you would have to wait too long for a professional examination or it is inaccessible.

3. Functional diagnosis with a specialist

A functional diagnosis (FD) refers to an approximately one-hour interview with a specialist (usually a special pedagogue). The purpose of the FD is to identify your needs and possible limitations during your studies. The result is an assessment containing a proposal for support measures that you may use during your studies. The assessment is used as a basis for proposing modifications to your studies.

The FD assessment remains valid for the entire duration of your studies, but if your health condition changes during the course of your studies or the adjustments to your studies prove to be insufficient, the FD may be taken again. The new assessment will subsequently expand or change the necessary study modifications. When transitioning, for example, from a bachelor’s degree to a follow-up master’s degree, the original assessment may be used if your health condition has not changed.

Making a FD assessment or updating it is free of charge. The FD may also be carried out in English (with any specialist) and in the Czech sign language (with those diagnosticians who are fluent in it).

A functional diagnosis is made by the providers on this list. You can find any provider according to the diagnosis type. Request a meeting with them by e-mail at the contact address provided for the relevant person. Selection of the most suitable workplace (expert) for performing the functional diagnosis can be consulted with the contact person at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.

Even with a combination of several types (for example: movement restriction + dyslexia), you will only undergo one functional diagnosis. Hence, we recommend addressing those contacts who are able to diagnose “all types of disabilities”.

Bring valid confirmation of your health condition to the functional diagnosis interview. Acceptable documents are the same as when applying for studies – see the list in point 2.

4. Deliver the completed functional diagnosis assessment

The next step is to deliver the completed FD assessment to the student affairs office of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics and then to sign the informed consent form. By doing so, you consent to have your inclusion in the category of students with special needs entered into the “Student” information system.

This information is not publicly accessible. It is used only for the internal records of the faculty, and only employees of the student affairs office have access to it. Hence, you do not need to worry about your diagnosis being disclosed publicly. Neither instructors nor other students have access to it. The GDPR rules are always complied with, and if, for example, your health condition changes and all difficulties and resulting special needs are no longer valid, then you may withdraw your informed consent, and your status of a student with special needs is deleted (it then exists only as archived information and is not duplicated).

You may obtain the informed consent form at the student affairs office. There is no need to print it in advance.

Upon signing the informed consent form, you are immediately entitled to the modification of your studies specified in the FD assessment.

5. Agree on additional steps with the contact person

During this stage, we recommend scheduling a meeting with the contact person. You must arrange the meeting in advance. You should bring another copy of the FD assessment to the meeting, and then you will discuss with the contact person the practical measures resulting from the assessment. You will agree together on future procedures, especially the method of communication with instructors (e.g. will you inform your instructors about your special needs or will the office of the contact person do that for you?) and other measures.

You will communicate with the contact person’s office at the beginning of each subsequent semester or academic year concerning any updates and possible support. However, you may contact them at any time – before the start of your studies, i.e. if you are applying to the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, as well as during your studies – with any difficulties relating to your special needs.