The Challenges of Students with Disabilities Access and Participation in Higher Education in South Africa

Abstract

Visually impairment means partially or completely blind. Students with visual impairments face several structural and attitudinal barriers when entering higher education. External factors have been identified as contributing to the academic success of visually impaired and blind students. These include social support and university student services, family support and faculty support. Emotional support from family members contributes to the academic achievements of visually impaired students. The study’s objective is to investigate the challenges and experiences of students with disabilities with specific reference to blindness and visual impairment at tertiary institutions and find possible solutions. The rationale behind the study is to address self-confidence, the stigma of society and improve society’s understanding of the visually impaired and the blind. The article outlines the role of the theoretical framework in the social inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education institutions. The article aims to use the conceptual approach to investigate the challenges of students visual impairment and blindness. It will rely heavily on secondary data. The main findings presented in this study are the challenges faced by the impaired and blind students, which are financial challenges, social stigma, accessibility, peer acceptance, language challenges of visually impaired students, lack of clear policies on inclusive education and mechanisms that will remedy the challenges of students with disabilities in higher education institutions. The South African government‘s strategic policy framework on people with disability at Higher Education Institutions recommend a critical analysis of current institutional policies that identify gaps regarding people with disabilities. The analysis includes the needs of people with disabilities in their annual action plans. It also comprises institutional infrastructure and programmes to include people with disabilities. The study concludes with the statement of the research problem, the summary of key arguments and findings, a short discussion of the implications of the research and the study’s recommendations.