Abstract
In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the number of university students with disabilities in Spain, as in other countries. Access to and completion of studies in higher education has been identified as a factor that improves the educational and labor inclusion of these people. However, this group of students faces difficulties in completing their studies, as they encounter problems in carrying out their internships, which is an obligatory element of many degrees. Our quantitative research study presents the results of the Generating Professional Skills (GPS) program for the development of vocational maturity based on training itineraries, carried out by the University Unit of Attention to People with Disability. The main results show an increase in vocational maturity and position tutoring as a fundamental part of the educational inclusion process, as well as a key role of the support services for those with disabilities to experience a more inclusive and quality education, thus aligning with objective 4 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. SDG. The information collected allows us to conclude that these programs increase the vocational maturity and the knowledge and competencies of students with disabilities and, therefore, are key elements for the success in accessing and obtaining internships and for the successful completion of their studies.
Highlights
Higher Education Area, together with the modification of teacher training methods, students’ ways of working, and incentives for international mobility
All participants met the following inclusion and exclusion criteria: to be in possession of a certificate proving the degree of disability; to be a student in the last years of the degree in a position to carry out the internship component included within the degree; and not having previously been able to access internships through the standard procedures for all students at the university, despite having informed the Disability Support Office of their intention to start their internship
The questionnaire applied was an adaptation of the Vocational Maturity Interview (VMI) [25,26,36], a 10-item structured interview composed of ten open questions
Summary
Higher Education Area, together with the modification of teacher training methods, students’ ways of working, and incentives for international mobility. In Spain, as in other countries [7,8], the number of students with disabilities has recently increased, this group of students still constitutes a relatively low percentage of the total number of students. During the academic year 2005–2006, the figure for this group was 7247 individuals [9], rising to 22,190 in the academic year 2018–2019, according to the guidelines for the support of persons with disabilities in universities introduced by the Universia Foundation in the “IV Study on University and Disability” [10].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
