Let us know what your needs are
We strive for equal opportunities and diversity among our students, therefore we offer students with special needs the option to request a reflex statute.
Reflex?
Reflex stands for reasonable flexibility. It involves making necessary adjustments to the teaching and examination regulations, to give you an equal chance during evaluations. For example: more time to complete an exam, tolerance for spelling errors, etc.
These flexibility measures will be considered reasonable when they meet the following three criteria: feasible for the student in question, justifiable for the other students and acceptable for the professor.
Who qualifies for Reflex?
Any student in need of extra facilities, changes in timetables and different evaluation methods can request a Reflex statute. We basically distinguish the following 4 categories:
Students with a disability
Visual/auditory/motoric disability - Coordination disorder - Chronic disease - Learning disorder - Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Autism spectrum disorder - Tic disorder - Psychiatric disability
VUB student-entrepreneurs
Students who are owning a business or who or planning to start their own business in combination with their studies.
Working students
Students who work full time or part time in combination with their studies
Student representatives
Students with the authorisation of student representative inside the VUB
Student athlete?
Are you a student athlete? You may need special facilities and flexibility in your classes, too. For this, you can contact Topsport and Study.
Request a Reflex statute
A few necessary steps
Schedule an appointment
First, you need to schedule an appointment with one of our student psychologists. You can do this by
- Scheduling an appointment in the events calendar: appointment Etterbeek/ appointment Jette
- Sending an email to reflex@vub.be
VUB student-entrepreneurs can schedule an appointment by sending an email to start@vub.be
Intake
The student psychologist will discuss your needs during an individual intake. After that, we will process your request and check the validity of your attestation. As soon as your request is approved, you will be notified and acknowledged as a Reflex-student.
To receive special facilities, your request should be accompanied with a correct professional certificate. Don't forget to bring your diagnostic report, work certificate or student authorization to your appointment.
Under the tab ‘Administration’ you can find an overview of those documents needed to become acknowledged as a Reflex-student.
Inter-University Program
If you’re following an inter-university program, the undermentioned steps are necessary to get acknowledged and receive accommodations as a student with a disability:
- The registration and the certification of the disability have to be done in your main institution. This is the institution where you first registered. You don’t have to go through the admission procedure again in your secondary institution.
- The accommodations and their arrangements may differ per institution. Make an appointment at the partner institution after your admission at the primary institution to discuss the accommodations. Please, note that this request has to be submitted before 1 November for the first semester and before 1 March for the second semester.
- If you contact the partner institution, please include the documentations regarding your reasonable accommodations from your main institution (e.g. the certification of the allowed accommodations for courses or exams, or your disability certification). It makes it easier to help along with your case. You will be informed if a personal appointment is needed.
Contact details per institution:
- For UGent: aanspreekpunten Universiteit Gent
- For VUB: reflex@vub.be
- For UHasselt: faciliteiten@uhasselt.be
- For Leuven: functiebeperking@kuleuven.be
- For UAntwerpen: BijzondereFaciliteiten@uantwerpen.be
Request accommodations
Once acknowledged as a Reflex-student, there are some additional things you need to follow up when you request reasonable accommodations for a course or an exam.
Required information
You must pass on the following information to the study guidance via reflex@vub.be:
- Your student number
- The course(s) for which you request reasonable accommodations
- The titular of the course
- The reasonable accommodations you want to request
The student psychologist will pass on your request to your professors through an online tool. You will be notified by email about the status of each request. Please read these emails very carefully. It's an additional step to take, but this will allow the faculty staff to organize your evaluation to suit your needs.
Important deadlines for the application:
- 1st semester: 1 December
- 2nd semester: 1 May
- 2nd session: 15 July
- Mid-term evaluations: 1 week before the evaluation
Requests that are send after these dates or that are not sent to ‘reflex@’ will not be considered.
Students facing an exceptional situation after these deadlines can contact the Study Guidance to consider their request.
Documents needed as certification:
Students with a disability: a diagnostic report (for learning disorders) or a certificate of your doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist
Working students: a certificate of your employer
Student-entrepreneurs with an existing business: business number, description of your business, most recent annual accounts, if possible a certificate of business management
Student-entrepreneurs planning to start a business: description of your business, business plan for the next 12 months, if possible a certificate business management
Student representatives: proof of authorization as representative inside the VUB
Documentation for attestation for students with a disability
- Documentation for attestation for an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Documentation for attestation for a hearing impairment
- Documentation for attestation for an Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Documentation for attestation for a chronic disease
- Documentation for attestation for a developmental coordination disorder
- Documentation for attestation for developmental dysphasia
- Documentation for attestation for a physical disability
- Documentation for attestation for developmental stuttering
- Documentation for attestation for a psychiatric disability
- Documentation for attestation for a tic disorder
- Documentation for attestation for a visual impairment
- Documentation for attestation for other disabilities
Discretion
Your Reflex file will be followed up by a student psychologist and will be treated strictly confidential. Information will only be shared with others with your permission.
When requesting your student facilities, we will never share the reason for your request.