Access Schemes, Mentoring and Other Support Programs for Students with Disabilities

Thammasat University is regarded as the first higher education institution to establish “Students with Disabilities Project” to expand educational opportunities for people with disabilities to receive equal education. Thammasat has established Disability Support Services (DSS) Center to ensures that Thammasat is an accessible, equitable, and inclusive learning and living environments for all students with disabilities.

The key access schemes for students with disabilities are such as:

  1. pre-university couseling program, admission and course registration
  2. scholarships, internships, and career mentoring
  3. dormitory and assistive devices
  4. tutoring, buddies, mental counseling and volunteer to support on daily life
  5. instructional and online learning materials
  6. other supports on rights, freedom and dignity of people with disabilities

10.6.9-บริการที่นักศึกษาพิการ-–-Access-Schemes-for-Disabled-Student-Services-at-Thammasat-University

1. Pre-university counseling program, admission and course registration

In addition to the key support and services and accessible facilities that the DSS center at Thammasat University provided, the center has organized a mentoring program called “Pre-university Preparation Program for Students with Disabilities” support and access schemes to help students with disabilities to prepare themselves prior to attending the university. The skills require in their daily life such as using all assistive devices and instructional materials, learning equipment, supporting technologies, accessing to all facilities and dormitory are essential. The “Preparation Program for Students with Disabilities” include the orientation on all university’s facilities, coordinate with faculties, courses registration, how to use learning equipment, computers, internet, audiobooks, how to read braille from computer screens and other electronic supports, and most importantly, what are the facilities, support and services available at the Disability Support Services (DSS) Center.

University Preparation Program for Students with Disabilities

2. Scholarships, grants, internships, and career mentoring

The students with disabilities that have the disability identification card will receive up to 60,000 baht from the government and up to 70,000 baht if the student study in science-related fields. The money will be used directly only for study fees that the students registered in each year.

The admission program also provides scholarships to students in need. Each year the service center gives around 25 scholarships with 55,000 baht ( approx. US$ 1,600) per year. The students don’t have to pay back to the university, they only have to check in with the service center at least once a week in the first few months and then once a month for the rest of the study years. These check-in session aims to keep track of the students’ study and any other problems being in the university.
ทุนการศึกษาโครงการนักศึกษาพิการ ปีการศึกษา 2566

The DSS Center organizes a “mentee meet mentor” program to provide career counseling/mentoring and prepare students with disabilities for the workforce. This program is designed to help current students, soon-to-be graduates, and interested students with disabilities develop their potential, skills, and essential knowledge needed for employment. The goal is to ensure that they are well-equipped and ready in various aspects before applying for jobs

Preparation before applying for jobs_students with disabilities (Jun, 2023)

3. Dormitory and assistive devices

Regarding accommodation, every student with disabilities who wants to stay in the campus will be arranged into the dormitory without any exception. Buddy or volunteer staff (by request) as well as assistive devices matching with their disabilities will be allocated to them.

The admission program also provides scholarships to students in need. Each year the service center gives around 25 scholarships with 55,000 baht ( approx. US$ 1,600) per year which could cover the cost of room and board, depending on the type of scholarship and the terms & conditions.

For dormitory applications at the Rangsit Campus, students can apply online and fill out your details through online registration. Disabled students can fill out the dormitory reservation form with the necessary information so that the appropriate dormitories could be allocated for them.

Students can specify their gender (Gender) according to their preference, and this will not affect the selection process. However, the office will assign dormitories based on the student’s biological gender.

Every student with disabilities in Thammasat has the rights to every assistive device they need. Everyone will receive a laptop computer and a voice recorder. Each student also receives the devices according to their needs. For a blind student, they will receive the white cane. For students with visual impairments, they receive an image enlarging devices. For students with mobility impairment, they can borrow both normal and electric wheelchairs to use for the whole time they study in the university and then return when they graduated. For the students with hearing disability, there are hearing and speaking aids and they also can request a class coordinator from the service center to help communicate with the faculty staff and the teachers. The center also takes care of the maintenance cost of all the devices.

4. Tutoring, buddies, mental counseling and volunteer to support on daily life

Currently, there are English tutoring sessions at the language center available for students with disabilities. A group of volunteers (TU Buddy) that aims to help students with disabilities by giving some tutoring in a  specific subject, or any other support such as walking with the students to the building that he or she has never been to, or typing the documents to create the digital version for producing a braille version and even recording for audiobooks. Up until now, there are over 30 volunteers in the program.

The staff of DSS also provides a mental counseling session, talking with the students about their problems, mental, school-related and others.

5. Instructional and online learning materials

Among all students with disabilities, the students with visual impairment are the group that may experience more difficulties comparing to other groups. Hence, the university has organized several groups of volunteers to produce learning materials for visually impaired students as well as to read books for them. The materials include e-books, audio books and braille books for class materials or textbooks. Instructional materials for courses they take will be provided in the forms that match with their types of disabilities, e.g. braille instructional materials for students with vision impairment, audiobooks for those with hearing impairment, textbooks with enlarged text, textbook files that compatible with the voice-over program. There are 4 recording rooms for audiobooks with staff and volunteers help recording the books.

Volunteers are invited and recruited through Facebook, LINE, and banners advertised around the campus area. The volunteers will receive a free lunch, receive the community service hours, and can choose date and time as convenient to them.  Those who are good in typing, will rewrite the class materials or textbook in braille.  Those who are good in reading, will read and produce audio books for the visually impaired students.

6. Other supports on rights, freedom and dignity of people with disabilities

The Office of the Constitutional Court, in collaboration with the Disability Support Center of Thammasat University, has organized a training program titled “Constitutional Law Education for People with Disabilities.” The objective of the program is to ensure that students with disabilities in higher education institutions are made aware of their rights, freedoms, and human dignity as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2560 (2017), with equality. The training was held on Monday, March 13, 2023, at Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus.

โครงการให้ความรู้เกี่ยวกับกฎหมายรัฐธรรมนูญสำหรับผู้พิการ (Jan,2023)

The “May I Have Your Hand” Project (Health Promotion Program for People with Disabilities) led by students from the Sports Training Program, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences offered to all students and staffs with disabilities to join the exercise and various recreational activities designed to promote health and well-being for people with disabilities in campus.

For more information on the on-line learning for students with disabilities, please refer to:
Facebook TU Library – TULIB Audio Books for Visually Impaired Students
Preparation for On-line Learning for Students with Disabilities
Production of Learning Materials for Students with Disabilities
Facebook DSS – Volunteers Invitation

Related articles and websites:
1. Online Learning Preparation for Students with Disabilities during COVID-19
2. Microsoft Office Training Program for Students with Vision Impairment
3. Facebook DSS – MS Office Training
4. Services for Students with Disabilities
5. TU Facebook – Comprehensive Facilities and Preparation for Students with Disabilities
6. Disability Access Scheme – Equipments, Physical & Movement, Information Technology

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