The working group consists of committed students, academics and internal and external university counsellors who meet at regular intervals of around six weeks for working discussions. The working group constantly expanding to include interested and committed people with and without hearing impairments. 
Some members of the working group introduce themselves below: 

Mareike Grundmann My BA degree in "Hearing Technology & Audiology" and my MA degree in Education and Educational Sciences have given me a broad perspective on the topic of hearing impairment. 
For me, these two areas are inseparable when it comes to making the University more "hearing-sensitive" and I therefore integrate them into my work as coordinator of the teamand teacher at the University. 
Wiebke Hendeß My name is Wiebke Hendeß and I offer open consultation hours three times a week as a disability counsellor for the Oldenburg Student Union. I studied at the University of Oldenburg as a wheelchair user myself, I am a trained peer counsellor (people with disabilities advise people with disabilities) and sexual counsellor for people with disabilities and provide advice on the broad topic of studying and disabilities. Some keywords are financing of studies and disability-related additional needs, Allowances for special needs, housing, assistance and dealing with one's own limitations. My counselling is open to prospective students, students, graduates, relatives and other people seeking advice/counsellors. Within the University, locally and nationwide, I am very well networked with other counselling centres and interest groups and am actively involved in the political representation of disabled people's interests.
Angela Klee Having trained as a hearing aid acoustician and hearing-impaired teacher, I have specialised in the rehabilitation of people with hearing impairments and bring over 20 years of experience to my counselling work. As a teacher at a special school with a focus on "learning", I use my counselling experience to support children with hearing impairments in schools. I have been a member of the "Hearing-Sensitive University" working group for several years. I help prepare our activities and take part in the events. Since the summer semester 2009, I have also been working in the co-operation and clearing office of the "Hearing-Sensitive University of Oldenburg" working group, where I am available to students and university members free of charge. Martin Podszus Hearing is the basic prerequisite for orientating ourselves in our environment. However, if we can only perceive certain frequencies and hearing ranges with difficulty or not at all, this disturbs our orientation and leads to distraction, irritation and insecurity, which we can only compensate for with a great deal of energy. Every day, we have to filter out the information that is important to us from a mass of acoustic signals; filtering means concentration and concentration is the prerequisite for listening and therefore also for learning or studying. I am well aware that good acoustic conditions are necessary for this, both as a scientist and through my experiences in everyday university life. That's why my involvement in the "Hearing-Sensitive University" working group is an important concern for me, in order to achieve fair participation in studies for all. Prof. Dr Gisela C. Schulze In 2004, I was appointed Professor of General Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation at the University of Oldenburg. Since January 2006, I have been actively involved with students and colleagues in both university and non-university settings in the development of the hearing-sensitive University of Oldenburg. Our aim is to pool Oldenburg's expertise from the fields of science and practice on the subject of "hearing/hearing impairment" and to develop visions of how a hearing-sensitive University can be designed for people with and without hearing impairments. The aim is to improve the study situation for all students of all degree programmes and Schools at the University of Oldenburg. At present, there is no other University in Germany that has addressed the issue of "improving study conditions by improving the hearing situation at Universities" to this extent for students with and without impairments. The University of Oldenburg, with the additional title of "Hearing-Sensitive University of Oldenburg", could therefore take the lead in public relations work and gain in importance, especially in the transition from school to university.

Barbara Corleis Teaching staff for special tasks at the Institute of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, I know how central the conditions of speech production and comprehension are for individual educational success. That is why it is a central concern of mine to help shape the "Hearing-Sensitive University of Oldenburg". Whether you have a hearing impairment or another native language, studying at University is always a very special challenge for those affected. Everyone realises that you can only understand what you have heard. It is just as clear that noises of all kinds and poor acoustic conditions not only make it difficult to hear, but also to concentrate and understand. Gerold Jacobs Since February 2008, I have been supporting the Hearing-Sensitive University as a research assistant at the Institute of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation at the University of Oldenburg. The aim of my work is to improve the acoustic study conditions for all students at our university, with and without hearing impairments. This includes recording the acoustic quality of the lecture rooms at the University of Oldenburg and developing improvement measures. I am also working on information material to make it easier for students and those interested in studying with hearing problems to get started in student life and studying. This includes our homepage. So if you have any suggestions, proposals or criticism, please get in touch with me at hoersensible@uol.de Nadine Goetz As a state-recognised educator, future candidate for the teaching profession for Special Needs Education, advisor in the autonomous department for disabled and chronically ill students in the AStA of the University of Oldenburg, and employee in the co-operation and clearing office of the working group Hearing Sensitive University of Oldenburg, I am familiar with the challenges of everyday life for people who are dependent on good acoustic conditions. Due to my own hearing impairment in particular, I have experience, knowledge and skills that I would like to use for the realisation of a hearing-sensitive university. Iris Kähler My name is Iris Kähler, I am 27 years old and I am in my 12th semester at the University of Bremen, where I am studying for a Diplom degree in educational science, specialising in disability education. I am currently about to complete my degree and am writing my Diplom thesis on the topic of "Studying with a hearing impairment - An analysis of the study conditions of students with a hearing impairment". 
As I am hard of hearing myself - which is why I am very interested in the topic - the "Hearing-sensitive University of Oldenburg" project is ideal for me. As part of my Diplom thesis, I would like to find out, analyse and evaluate the current study conditions for students with hearing impairments on the basis of individual interviews with affected students. I hope to be able to make a small contribution to the overall project through this work. Maik Klose All students benefit from an acoustically optimised working environment, especially people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. That is why, as a Diplom social scientist, I have been campaigning for "hearing sensitivity" within universities since 2008. I also became a member of the Federal Working Group "Behinderung und Studium e. V." in 2002 and currently work there as a member of the board. Since 2006, I have been involved in the autonomous disability department at the University of Oldenburg. There I am responsible for counselling, in particular for administrative and social welfare issues. Dr Wilhelm Koch-Bode, Dipl.-Geront., teacher for the hearing impaired - As a former teacher at schools for the hearing impaired, I am familiar with issues specific to the hearing impaired. During my time as a department head at the Lower Saxony State Office for Teacher Training and School Development (NiLS), I was involved in examination matters. I am currently associated with the University as a lecturer. I am available to the "Hearing-Sensitive University" project for individual counselling of hearing-impaired students and, if required, as a moderator of a student working group.