Quiet Rooms for Students and Staff with Neurodivergence

Challenge

An estimated 15 to 20 percent of the Austrian population is neurodivergent. Neurodivergence encompasses a wide range of diagnoses, with many affected individuals having difficulty filtering sensory stimuli. This can lead to significant overstimulation.

University life is filled with numerous sensory impressions, which can be overwhelming for neurodivergent people and negatively affect their academic or work performance as well as their well-being.

Our goal is to provide neurodivergent students and staff with the opportunity to make their daily life at the university less stimulating and more comfortable.

Solution

The goal of the quiet rooms at the University of Innsbruck is to provide neurodivergent students and staff with a safe space to regulate overstimulation and to create a low-stimulation retreat. The quiet rooms at the University of Innsbruck aim to further contribute to a more inclusive university environment.

Contact

Also in the summer semester of 2025, we will continue our work on further developing the quiet rooms—with the goal of implementing initial changes already during the summer months. The focus is on the well-being of our neurodivergent students and staff: spaces that allow retreat and provide support in emergency situations.

Your opinion matters! We welcome feedback by email to INNklusion or in person—for example, during the stakeholder tests on May 28, 2025, from 4:00 PM at Café Pippilotta, Heiliggeiststraße 7–9, 6020 Innsbruck.

Access to the quiet rooms is generally open to all students and staff but is granted individually upon request and approval.