No wheelchairs here please<\/em> here<\/a><\/p>\n\u00bbTo be honest, it\u2019s been an absolute nightmare,\u00ab she admitted. \u00bbI was shocked when I arrived, I thought [accessibility in] Denmark would be better than England.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Like all other international students in Denmark, Tumu is excluded from funding by the Danish State Education Grant and Loan Scheme, or SU in Danish, which also supports Danish students with disabilities.<\/p>\n
Luckily, she receives grant money from the British Council, her home government, through a system of direct payments that enable her to hire two alternating caregivers, who provide 24-hour service, even while she\u2019s studying in Denmark.<\/p>\n
At school<\/h2>\n
But Tumu, who studies at the campuses of CSS and KUA, has to find her own way around.<\/p>\n
Going through the CSS buildings with her, as she skilfully navigated her way through the maze of levels and lifts, it was apparent how limiting the elevator service was to those who require wheelchair access.<\/p>\n
\u00bbThe system of lifts is really confusing,\u00ab she says, explaining that her first semester here was particularly challenging. \u00bbNow that I\u2019ve got my head around it, it\u2019s a lot easier though,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
Conditions are worst at CSS, which used to be a hospital; very few buildings are accessible at the ground level.
\n\u00bbA lot of universities are old, it\u2019s understandable\u2026 but everywhere here has stairs,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
\u00bbEven at the social sciences library, there\u2019s stairs at the front. So I have to go in the back\u2026 it separates you.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Private issue<\/h2>\n
While stairs act as a physical barricade, Tumu pointed out that there were other ways she could be limited from participating.<\/p>\n
She is enrolled in the Danish culture course, where some marks are awarded for attendance, but she was prevented from going on one of the excursions because they couldn\u2019t accommodate her.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI think I\u2019ll get my mark, but I missed out on that whole experience.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Even though the Danish university system is designed to have disability issues as a private, individual concern, Tumu suggests that a more holistic approach should be incorporated at the university for all students.<\/p>\n
She also proposes that the Erasmus programme improve its information for students with disabilities looking to study abroad.<\/p>\n
Public access<\/h2>\n
Alot of Copenhagen\u2019s urban design consists of cobblestone streets and old, elevated buildings, creating barriers to cultural experiences in the city.<\/p>\n
\u00bbThe limited access to public places \u2013 cafes, bars – shocked me the most,\u00ab she says, explaining that she\u2019s made a habit of calling places before visiting them to make sure they have wheelchair access.
\n\u00bbYou end up relying on the kindness of others \u2013 the people here are amazing,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI haven\u2019t felt any discrimination, except for the [public] buses,\u00ab she continues. \u00bbThey\u2019re awful\u2026most drivers refuse to help me with the ramps.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges, Tumu was glad she had chosen to study abroad, though admitted that it raised her appreciation of her home university.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI\u2019m not allowed to be complacent and I can\u2019t take much for granted,\u00ab she states. \u00bbBut this is my Erasmus, and I want to experience everything.\u00ab<\/p>\n
uni-avis@adm.ku.dk
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wheelchair-bound Tumu has to navigate a system of physical barriers on campus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":22912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student \u2014 University Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student \u2014 University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wheelchair-bound Tumu has to navigate a system of physical barriers on campus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uniavis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-04-29T01:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-21T12:30:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2485\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1864\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Uniavisen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Uniavisen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b4df0b22f9be3943039e58e94c400606\"},\"headline\":\"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-04-29T01:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-21T12:30:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":692,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/04\\\/Tumu1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Campus\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/\",\"name\":\"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student \u2014 University Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/04\\\/Tumu1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-04-29T01:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-21T12:30:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b4df0b22f9be3943039e58e94c400606\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/04\\\/Tumu1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/04\\\/Tumu1.jpg\",\"width\":2485,\"height\":1864,\"caption\":\"For British Erasmus student Tumu Johnson, the University of Copenhagen's lack of wheelchair access was an unpleasant surprise\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Post\",\"description\":\"Independent of management\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b4df0b22f9be3943039e58e94c400606\",\"name\":\"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b6c147fc36e92c08c95515aba962dbc89107ed33613c690182f7e243d0c0a2ab?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b6c147fc36e92c08c95515aba962dbc89107ed33613c690182f7e243d0c0a2ab?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b6c147fc36e92c08c95515aba962dbc89107ed33613c690182f7e243d0c0a2ab?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/author\\\/migrated_articles\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student \u2014 University Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student \u2014 University Post","og_description":"Wheelchair-bound Tumu has to navigate a system of physical barriers on campus","og_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/","og_site_name":"University Post","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uniavis","article_published_time":"2010-04-29T01:59:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-02-21T12:30:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2485,"height":1864,"url":"http:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Uniavisen","twitter_site":"@Uniavisen","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/"},"author":{"name":"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/b4df0b22f9be3943039e58e94c400606"},"headline":"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student","datePublished":"2010-04-29T01:59:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-21T12:30:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/"},"wordCount":692,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","articleSection":["Campus"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/","name":"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student \u2014 University Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","datePublished":"2010-04-29T01:59:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-21T12:30:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/b4df0b22f9be3943039e58e94c400606"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","width":2485,"height":1864,"caption":"For British Erasmus student Tumu Johnson, the University of Copenhagen's lack of wheelchair access was an unpleasant surprise"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Copenhagen was a shock for disabled student"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/","name":"University Post","description":"Independent of management","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/b4df0b22f9be3943039e58e94c400606","name":"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6c147fc36e92c08c95515aba962dbc89107ed33613c690182f7e243d0c0a2ab?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6c147fc36e92c08c95515aba962dbc89107ed33613c690182f7e243d0c0a2ab?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6c147fc36e92c08c95515aba962dbc89107ed33613c690182f7e243d0c0a2ab?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"MIGRATED_ARTICLES FROM_OLD_SITE"},"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/author\/migrated_articles\/"}]}},"advancedCustomFields":{"enable_comments":true,"expression":{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11487,"filter":"raw"},"align_content":"alignleft","layout_group":[{"acf_fc_layout":"Headline","use_post_title":true,"headline":"","style":"default","highlighted_words":"","text_size":"medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":22912,"id":22912,"title":"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA","filename":"Tumu1.jpg","filesize":386856,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/copenhagen-was-a-shock-for-disabled-student\/olympus-digital-camera-77\/","alt":"","author":"0","description":"For British Erasmus student Tumu Johnson, the University of Copenhagen's lack of wheelchair access was an unpleasant surprise","caption":"For British Erasmus student Tumu Johnson, the University of Copenhagen's lack of wheelchair access was an unpleasant surprise","name":"olympus-digital-camera-77","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22911,"date":"2017-01-19 22:01:50","modified":"2017-01-19 22:01:52","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2485,"height":1864,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-480x360.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":360,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-1280x960.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":960,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1152,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1536,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-290x218.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":218,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-700x525.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":525,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-990x743.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":743}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":false,"alternative_caption":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"","text":"Wheelchair-bound Tumu has to navigate a system of physical barriers on campus","use_post_excerpt":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":false,"contributors":[{"use_registered_user":false,"user":false,"contributor_name":"Alison Withers","contributor_title":" ","contributor_image":false}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>For most international students, studying abroad in Copenhagen is a no holds barred opportunity to experience the city and university to its fullest.<\/p>\n<p>But for Tumu Johnson, a British exchange student studying psychology, such things cannot be taken for granted.<\/p>\n<p>Tumu has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease leading to the degeneration of her nervous system. At nine, her motor skills had drastically slowed and she moved to her first electric wheelchair.<\/p>\n<p>Now twenty-one, Tumu is not one to let her physical condition slow her down. She\u2019s upbeat and optimistic, and was determined to make her Erasmus experience a success.<\/p>\n<p>Her university in England, Leeds University, recommended Denmark for exchange, based on its reputation for progressive social services.<\/p>\n<h2>An absolute nightmare<\/h2>\n<p>The Leeds Disability Office, however, was unable to get a full profile on access at the University of Copenhagen, and lacking full information about accessibility, Tumu wasn\u2019t prepared for the conditions awaiting her.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"node\/5355\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the article <em>No wheelchairs here please<\/em> here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbTo be honest, it\u2019s been an absolute nightmare,\u00ab she admitted. \u00bbI was shocked when I arrived, I thought [accessibility in] Denmark would be better than England.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Like all other international students in Denmark, Tumu is excluded from funding by the Danish State Education Grant and Loan Scheme, or SU in Danish, which also supports Danish students with disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, she receives grant money from the British Council, her home government, through a system of direct payments that enable her to hire two alternating caregivers, who provide 24-hour service, even while she\u2019s studying in Denmark.<\/p>\n<h2>At school<\/h2>\n<p>But Tumu, who studies at the campuses of CSS and KUA, has to find her own way around.<\/p>\n<p>Going through the CSS buildings with her, as she skilfully navigated her way through the maze of levels and lifts, it was apparent how limiting the elevator service was to those who require wheelchair access.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe system of lifts is really confusing,\u00ab she says, explaining that her first semester here was particularly challenging. \u00bbNow that I\u2019ve got my head around it, it\u2019s a lot easier though,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>Conditions are worst at CSS, which used to be a hospital; very few buildings are accessible at the ground level.<br \/>\n\u00bbA lot of universities are old, it\u2019s understandable\u2026 but everywhere here has stairs,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbEven at the social sciences library, there\u2019s stairs at the front. So I have to go in the back\u2026 it separates you.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h2>Private issue<\/h2>\n<p>While stairs act as a physical barricade, Tumu pointed out that there were other ways she could be limited from participating.<\/p>\n<p>She is enrolled in the Danish culture course, where some marks are awarded for attendance, but she was prevented from going on one of the excursions because they couldn\u2019t accommodate her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI think I\u2019ll get my mark, but I missed out on that whole experience.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Even though the Danish university system is designed to have disability issues as a private, individual concern, Tumu suggests that a more holistic approach should be incorporated at the university for all students.<\/p>\n<p>She also proposes that the Erasmus programme improve its information for students with disabilities looking to study abroad.<\/p>\n<h2>Public access<\/h2>\n<p>Alot of Copenhagen\u2019s urban design consists of cobblestone streets and old, elevated buildings, creating barriers to cultural experiences in the city.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe limited access to public places \u2013 cafes, bars – shocked me the most,\u00ab she says, explaining that she\u2019s made a habit of calling places before visiting them to make sure they have wheelchair access.<br \/>\n\u00bbYou end up relying on the kindness of others \u2013 the people here are amazing,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI haven\u2019t felt any discrimination, except for the [public] buses,\u00ab she continues. \u00bbThey\u2019re awful\u2026most drivers refuse to help me with the ramps.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges, Tumu was glad she had chosen to study abroad, though admitted that it raised her appreciation of her home university.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI\u2019m not allowed to be complacent and I can\u2019t take much for granted,\u00ab she states. \u00bbBut this is my Erasmus, and I want to experience everything.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>uni-avis@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}],"feature_color":"","article_updated":""},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":44,"name":"Campus","slug":"campus","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":44,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1547,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11487,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Tumu1-1280x960.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22911"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130388,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22911\/revisions\/130388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}