How is research conducted?
The research of the Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education (DHR) includes quantitative, qualitative and theoretical project forms. It aims at basic research and theory development as well as application research.

Who does the research?
The DHR includes 27 professorships and five affiliated institutions: FBZ-UK - AAC Research and Consultation Center, Centre for Curative Pedagogical Gerontology, Psychotherapy outpatient clinic for children and adolescents (KiJu), Lernambulanz GaRFIELd and Alexianer Institute for Psychotraumatology Krefeld. Interdisciplinary research projects are conducted at the University of Cologne in cooperation with other institutions and universities in both national and international contexts.

Research content
The research is related to topics and questions of special education and rehabilitation. Due to the close link between practice and research, the different fields mutually enrich each other. Research projects focus on topics relevant to the lives and practice of people with disabilities and people at risk of becoming disabled. Institutional and social conditions and the occurrence of disadvantages of the target groups are always examined with the aim of stimulating or helping to shape socio-political discourses.

The aim is to strengthen the individuals and their environment by developing effective options for action, e.g. in the form of educational, support and counseling services. The guiding principle here is