The Dortmund Work Approach
Since the 1970s, at the TU Dortmund University effort has been put to improve the situation of students with disabilities. Established with the help of individual students or the collective self-help, various projects were gradually initiated. From those projects, DoBuS and the so-called Dortmund Work Approach emerged.
Over the years, DoBuS has developed and refined the Dortmund work approach; a practice-oriented method and a prototypical way to realize the set goals for inclusive universities. A distinctive feature of that design is that it takes into consideration both the individual situation of students with disabilities and university system as such (Drolshagen, Klein, Rothenberg & Tillmann, 2002). It aims to find solutions beyond individual cases and ensures that, in addition to the development of appropriate precautions, accessible structures are gradually being set up at the TU Dortmund University. The rationale is that these contribute to a reduction of individual needs and individually necessary adjustments in the long term
The work of DoBuS begins with advising and supporting individuals in the realization of their studies. This includes individualized accommodations that enable the respective students to successfully deal with the barriers they encounter. This implies both assistance in compensating for the particular impairment and support in applying for individually helpful reasonable accommodations for disadvantages
In a second step, DoBuS systematically records the occurred needs and individually designed case solutions and analyzes whether the general framework of the university (e.g. study and examination regulations) or structures (e.g. non-accessible buildings or technical infrastructures) have led to discrimination and exclusion. On the one hand, the results of this analysis may reveal a need for action to modify general university structures with regards to the usability for students with disabilities. On the other hand, it may expose the obligation to provide specific help for students or teachers, which are, in close collaboration with the disability mainstreaming or the diversity management, to be implemented permanently in the university structure.
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Location & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dortmund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dortmund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station (“Dortmund Universität”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station (“Dortmund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 15 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop “Dortmund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dortmund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dortmund Universität S”.
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dortmund Universität S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).