International Services takes steps provide equal and inclusive opportunities for international exchange
Haaga-Helia's International Services aims to provide equal and inclusive opportunities for all students and staff to participate in the international exchanges.
In order to reach this objective, we have developed our competencies and focused actions to improve our processes, services and practices.
We have improved our ability to welcome guests with special needs and encourage our staff and students with special needs to go on exchange.
We have continued to develop our services through our participation in the Ulysseus MOB4ALL project.
MOB4ALL
Haaga-Helia's international services have participated in the Ulysseus MOB4ALL project, Mobility for all: Innovative measures to enhance international mobility for special-needs students, aimed at promoting international exchanges of students with special needs through building the capacities of different actors working in the context of international exchanges.
The MOB4ALL project explored four main areas of disabilities and special needs were explored in the project,
Physical disabilities,
Hearing and visual impairment,
Dyslexia
Autism, attention deficit and mental health
The main objectives of the project were to create a report on inclusive mobility at EU level, to organize MOB4ALL specialised training course “Training for better integration of Mobility Participants with disabilities, and to create MOB4ALL guidelines for mobility officers, academic and non-academic staff and tutor students.
Staff exchanges
Our information for visitors webpage now includes information for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility.
Incoming exchange students
International Services has created a special needs webpage for our incoming students, including information about individual study arrangements and other important information related to living in Finland.
We have also improved our competencies related to the Haaga-Helia's individual study arrangements, and we share it with students with special needs.
Outgoing exchange students
We inform new students about the exchange options for those with fewer opportunities and better inform students interested in exchange which locations would best suit them. In our exchange destination database, accessibility and special needs support details have been added. More information has also been added to the webpage and orientation course for outgoing exchange students. In addition, we offer more individual support and guidance.
Grants for those with fewer opportunities
In Erasmus+ exchange, inclusion is supported by additional grants to students who belong to nationally defined groups of fewer opportunities.
These students are entitled to fixed top-ups in addition to their ordinary Erasmus+ grant. International services staff has been trained about different financial supports available for special needs students.
These groups are defined as:
Social obstacles:
students with families (student has an underaged child or children)
students who are family carers (student has an agreement of informal care with the municipality)
Disabilities:
students with an EU disability card or who have a right to the card
disabled students (at least moderate functional deficiency).
Health obstacles:
students having severe and/or chronic health problems (at least moderate functional deficiency).
Migrant background:
students who have received international protection (refugees, asylum seekers, students who have been granted international, subsidiary or temporary protection, or the student has a refugee's passport)
At Haaga-Helia we also recognise that this is a continuous process, and we will work to continue to update our practices and processes, through our special needs working group and regular updates to both our content and inform.