Access to assistance

What is a disability?

According to Swedish law, a disability is defined as a permanent physical, mental or intellectual limitation of a person’s functional capacity. This could include having a visual, hearing or mobility impairment, having a learning disability like dyslexia, or another long-term condition.

In Swedish, the word for disability is funktionsnedsättning.

Sweden has a national disability policy to ensure equality for all.

Find out more by reading the national disability policy

What support is available?

If you're a student with a disability, you can receive support from your university. Some examples of support available are:

• course literature options like audio books, electronic textbooks or braille
• special arrangements for examinations
• note-taking support
• mentor or extra supervision
• study skills assistance
• sign language interpreters
• access to computers on campus with accessible software, and other technology-based support

Contact a coordinator

As early as possible - we suggest the same time as you apply to university studies - contact the university's disability coordinator for more information. This is especially important if you need a sign language interpretor as this can take some time to arrange.

Find contact information for Swedish universities

Access to facilities and transportation

University campuses in Sweden are required by law to be accessible to students with physical disabilities whenever possible. Public buildings like shopping centres and office buildings usually have accommodation in place for visitors with physical disabilities, including:

• Ramps
• Elevators/lifts
• Wheelchair-accessible restrooms
• Wide doorways and hallways
• Public transportation like buses, subways and trains are designed with passengers with physical disabilities in mind, including elevators/lifts to train platforms, and ramps between the ground and trains/buses.