10.6.8 Disability support services
Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) has a dedicated disability support office, the Disability Support Services (DSS) Center (SWU DSS Center), which provides support services for students with disabilities. The university recognises the importance of higher education for people with disabilities and has a policy that opens opportunities for people with all types of disabilities to study at SWU, in order to widen access and promote educational equality. The Center operates under the Division of Student Affairs and is located on the 1st floor of the Office of the President Building (Building 9), Prasarnmit Campus, 114 Sukhumvit 23, Watthana, Bangkok. It provides ongoing services to students with disabilities, including in 2025 (B.E. 2568), and its services and contact channels are publicly available on the university website.
Figure 1. Web page of the SWU Disability Support Services (DSS) Center, Division of Student Affairs.
Source: SWU DSS Center, Division of Student Affairs – https://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/dsscenter
Services provided by the SWU DSS Center
• Financial support: educational subsidies from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) for undergraduate students with disabilities.
• Academic support and reasonable accommodation: printing, photocopying and scanning of textbooks and course materials, report binding, other assistive equipment according to individual needs, exam reading for students with visual impairments, and coordination with lecturers on teaching and learning arrangements.
• Loan of learning equipment: notebook computers, voice recorders, text magnifiers, Braille printers, Braille note-takers, electric wheelchairs, drafting tables and others.
• Assistive technology: screen-reading software (JAWS), Braille translation software (Duxbury) and screen magnification software (ZoomText).
• Peer support: a BUDDY system that matches students to assist students with disabilities.
• Employment support: promoting work opportunities for students with disabilities during their studies, and preparing students and graduates with disabilities for sustainable employment through work experience with organisations and employers.
Students with disabilities register with the Center through a registration form, and the Center collects user satisfaction feedback on its services.
Figure 2. The SWU DSS Center service area.
Source: SWU DSS Center, Division of Student Affairs – https://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/dsscenter
Figure 3. A student using the computer and assistive technology service at the DSS Center.
Source: SWU DSS Center, Division of Student Affairs – https://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/dsscenter
Figure 4. JAWS screen-reading software provided by the DSS Center for students with visual impairments.
Source: SWU DSS Center, Division of Student Affairs – https://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/dsscenter
Figure 5. DSS Center staff supporting students with visual impairments.
Source: SWU DSS Center, Division of Student Affairs – https://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/dsscenter
Supporting regulations and policies
The services are underpinned by the Srinakharinwirot University Regulation on Educational Provision for Persons with Disabilities and Educational Support for Students with Disabilities B.E. 2561 (2018), and the university announcement on the policy, criteria and procedures for admitting students with disabilities.
Regulation (2018): http://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/Educationalmanagementfordisabledstudents
Admission policy for students with disabilities: http://studentaffairs.op.swu.ac.th/Recruitmentofdisabledstudents
Summary
Through the SWU DSS Center, the university provides a dedicated disability support service offering financial support, academic accommodation, assistive technology, equipment loans, peer support and employment preparation for students with disabilities, supported by formal university regulations. Information on the Center is publicly available on the university website.