Introductory Notes

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The 2024 Report on the Work of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Croatia (pp. 127–129) indicates that in the academic year 2024/2025, there were 1,185 students with disabilities (SwD). The Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth of the Republic of Croatia reports that, according to data from the Information System of Student Rights (ISSP), 435 students with disabilities were enrolled in the academic year 2024/2025. These are students who submitted proof of inclusion in the Register of Persons with Disabilities in order to exercise the right to enrol outside the approved quota, the right to subsidised housing, the right to financial support for transport, or to a state scholarship.

Higher education institutions collect data on students with disabilities who have requested some form of adaptation in the academic environment, exercised the right to enrol outside the approved quota, requested necessary aids, and so on. The number of students with disabilities, according to data from higher education institutions, is shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Number of Students with Disabilities According to Higher Education Institution Data in the Academic Year 2024/2025.

According to the Ombudsman's Report, the largest number of students have specific learning disabilities, chronic illnesses, motor difficulties, and mental health difficulties. There are also students with visual and hearing impairments, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), multiple difficulties, physical impairments with varying degrees of bodily damage, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and speech and language difficulties.

The Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities proposes a clear definition of students with disabilities (SwD) and recommends mandatory reasonable accommodation in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

1. Students with disabilities are those whose health condition, difficulties, or impairments, in interaction with environmental factors, may prevent their full and effective participation in the academic environment on an equal basis with other students and therefore require appropriate accommodation and support.
2. It is essential to ensure reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities to enable equal participation in the academic environment. Reasonable accommodation refers to necessary and appropriate modifications and adjustments that do not impose a disproportionate or undue burden on the entity required to provide such accommodation.
3. For greater effectiveness, the use of universal design principles in teaching and learning is recommended.

Recommendations for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Higher Education System

1. Education of instructors on human rights and the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as on the meaning of the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion, reasonable accommodation, and universal design.
2. Defining who students with disabilities are and mandating the right to reasonable accommodation in all areas.
3. A unified method for the registration and documentation of students with disabilities.
4. Defining specific rights and support within higher education: an individualised approach during studies, assistance in student accommodation, and the procedures for exercising these rights.
5. Ensuring adapted and accessible transport for students with disabilities.
6. Establishing and/or strengthening a central point for students with disabilities at higher education institutions and providing adequate human resources.
7. Strengthening the control mechanisms of higher education institutions to ensure the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities while respecting institutional autonomy.