Disabled Students In Higher Education Research Articles

Considering the sensory and social needs of disabled students in higher education: A call to return to the roots of universal design

Universal Design for Learning is a pedagogical approach that aims ‘to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn’ (CAST website, n.d.). Originating in the context of K12 education in the United States, the core principles involve the provision of multiple means of representation, engagement, and action/expression. Despite high instructor satisfaction with UDL, evidence of effectiveness for students’ learning is insufficient. Effectiveness aside, the purpose of this policy research note is to describe additional issues in UDL specifically relating to disabled students. First, I argue that the core tenet of UDL to meet all learners’ needs by emphasizing variability in approaches to learning (and consequently avoiding reference to ‘disability’) may inadvertently marginalize disabled students. Second, I argue that the focus on instructional design as a panacea to meet the needs of ‘all people’, including disabled students, is insufficient. This potentially distracts well-intentioned educators from more substantive challenges experienced by disabled students, relating to the built environment. Until the sensory and social needs of disabled students are met, instructional approaches like UDL cannot provide an equitable learning experience for many disabled students. Therefore, I argue that higher education leaders should attend to the sensory and social environments of university campuses before retrofitting inclusive pedagogies to the current typical university campus.

Ways of rethinking inclusion for disabled students in Higher Education

The word ‘inclusion’ now frequently appears in the marketing strategies of many UK universities, despite the equivocal ways the term is used across the sector (Koutsouris et al., 2022). For some of us in the field of disability studies, these ambiguities in the ways the concept of inclusion is used are one of the reasons why it has become emptied of meaning. While notionally disclosing the invisible work entailed in being disabled (Wertans and Burch, 2022), inclusion also implies a form of privileging: those on the inside determine who is included and on what grounds. This assimilationist discourse reproduces the socio-political structures and practices that categorise those who are outsiders (Biesta 2010; Biesta, 2019). Moreover, the technocratic nature of the current political context in which performance and its measurement are the main drivers of how higher education (HE) is required to address underrepresented groups and their performance (Peters, 2020; Supiot, 2021), for example, through access and participation plans, not only homogenises disability but inevitably excludes others (Evans and Zhu, 2022). For example, this may happen to postgraduate students, international students or those who, because of the discrimination and stigma they experience, choose not to disclose a disability. This presentation explored the problematic nature of inclusion in relation to disabled students in HE and how it might impact on the work of learning developers. The paper explored Biesta’s concept of ‘transclusion’ as a way of transforming and rethinking how we conceptualise and enact equality of access, participation and social justice and what this could mean for practitioners. It highlighted the extent to which we, as practitioners, could contest and respond to the complex demands of inclusion in ways that might help change institutional cultures and thinking about disability so that disabled students (and staff) remain less invisible.

Fitting and Misfitting in Higher Education: The Experiences of Disabled Youth in the United Arab Emirates

Drawing on Rosemarie Garland-Thomson’s theory of fitting and misfitting, this article analyzes from a critical disability lens the experiences of disabled students in higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Building on evidence collected from three case studies of misfitting/fitting, I argue that advocacy resulted in innovative, hybridized, and localized solutions to misfitting for minority forms of embodiment. The article traces the operationalization of exclusion and inclusion processes through interviews with students, graduates, and higher education staff conducted from 2016 to 2018. The analysis underlines the importance of a rights-based and context-specific advocacy approach to accommodating minority forms of embodiment in higher education.

Evaluating the Role of University Disability Service Support, Family Support, and Friends’ Support in Predicting the Quality of Life among Disabled Students in Higher Education: Physical Self-esteem as a Mediator

This research paper examines the influence of university disability service support, family support, and friends’ support on the quality of life (QoL) experienced by disabled students in higher education, with a particular emphasis on the mediating role of physical self-esteem. By investigating the intricate relationships between these factors, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the various dynamics that contribute to the well-being of disabled students within academic settings. Employing smart partial least squares structural equation modeling as an advanced statistical technique, including mediation analyses, and collecting data from 368 disabled students, the findings reveal the multifaceted nature of the impact of support networks on QoL. The study underscores the crucial role of physical self-esteem in mediating the effects of university disability service support, family support, and friends support on the well-being of disabled students. These insights shed light on the intricate interplay between these factors, providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that underlie their influence. The implications of this research extend to universities, families, friends, and support networks catering to disabled higher education students. Recognizing the significance of physical self-esteem as a mediator emphasizes the importance of fostering positive body image and self-perception among these students. Additionally, this study contributes to the broader discourse on the well-being of disabled individuals within academia, offering insights that can inform strategies and interventions aimed at enhancing their educational experiences and overall QoL.

A spanner in the works: the portrayal of disabled students in assessment adjustment research

ABSTRACT In scholarly research, disabilities are predominantly understood as something that obscures assessment rather than enriches it. In this study, I examine how research on assessment adjustments (e.g. extra time in tests and separate testing rooms) portrays disabled students. I discuss how this area of research plays a role in constructing an image of ‘the ideal student’ and its shadow, the ‘non-ideal student’. I conduct a critical review to analyse how 26 assessment adjustment studies portray their object, disabled students, as being ontologically different from normal and ideal students. The ‘disabled examinee’ is portrayed as ‘a spanner in the works’ that endangers the objectivity of the assessment systems in higher education. Disabled students are framed as ‘Others’ who pose a danger for academic standards and integrity: assessment adjustments are thus seen as safeguarding academia from this danger. I argue that this portrayal contributes to marginalising disabled students in higher education.

Social engagement: Hearing the experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland

Research on the experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland has focused primarily on barriers to their transition and academic experiences post entry. Their wider social engagement experiences have yet to be explored. Early and ongoing social engagement has been found to be particularly beneficial for non-traditional students leading to the creation of sense of belonging and greater student retention. There has been limited consideration of this area within Irish policy or research. As a disabled researcher with a human rights perspective. I adopted a qualitative framework which combined the transformative paradigm with the bio-ecological model. This approach enabled me to place the voice of the student at the center of the research whilst examining the system around them. The research upon which this article draws upon the findings of research carried out by a disabled researcher which brought together data from 65 participants, with representatives from 19 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the Republic of Ireland using a four-phased, sequential, and concurrent qualitative data collection methodology. This paper focuses on the disabled undergraduate student cohort from this research (n = 23) and the theme of social engagement. The key findings under the theme of social engagement included, (i) Social engagement was highly valued and recognized as being vital to the formation of connections that resulted in a sense of belonging. (ii) The majority of disabled students reported being socially engaged, yet almost all reported barriers to their social engagement. (iii) A lack of disability awareness, inaccessible physical infrastructure, peer, and staff attitudes, negatively impact upon students’ sense of value, ability to maintain friendships, and develop a sense of belonging. (iv) There was little evidence of structures or a strategic approach to disabled students’ social engagement. These findings resonate with international research which demonstrated that disabled students face a range of systemic barriers to their social engagement in higher education. The implications of this research point to a failure of national and institutional policy to adequately consider the social engagement opportunities of disabled students within higher education.

INOVASI MODEL DESAIN UNIVERSAL UNTUK PEMBELAJARAN KEBUTUHAN KHUSUS DI PERGURUAN TINGGI

The present study is aimed to describe the development of an innovated learning for the disabled students in higher education. The development of learning innovation was performed by developing a learning model, that is what so-called Universal Design model (DUE). The method implemented to develop the model was Research and Development). This method constitutes several stages, among others: 1) needs analysis, 2) gathering information, 3) designing a product, 4) validating the product, 5) revising the product, 6) trying out the product, 7) revising the product, and 8) consolidating the product. The result of the research shows that the produc, in this case is DUE learning model, has met the criteria after going through several tests from the experts, thus valid.

\u2018Dreaming in colour\u2019: disabled higher education students\u2019 perspectives on improving design practices that would enable them to benefit from their use of technologies

The focus of this paper is the design of technology products and services for disabled students in higher education. It analyses the perspectives of disabled students studying in the US, the UK, Germany, Israel and Canada, regarding their experiences of using technologies to support their learning. The students shared how the functionality of the technologies supported them to study and enabled them to achieve their academic potential. Despite these positive outcomes, the students also reported difficulties associated with: i) the design of the technologies, ii) a lack of technology know-how and iii) a lack of social capital. When identifying potential solutions to these difficulties the disabled students imagined both preferable and possible futures where faculty, higher education institutions, researchers and technology companies are challenged to push the boundaries of their current design practices.

Accessibility, usability, quality performance, and readability evaluation of university websites of Turkey: a comparative study of state and private universities

Today, the web constitutes an essential segment of higher education institutions. Using their websites, universities can effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily provide information and services to their target groups, regardless of disabilities. As the number of disabled students in higher education rises, universities have to make the necessary design modifications to ensure web content accessibility. This paper presents an evaluation of accessibility, usability, quality performance, and readability aspects of all Turkish state and private university websites. The majority did not meet WCAG 2.0 accessibility criteria. Out of 110 state university websites and 69 private university websites, only 10 state and four private university websites attained conformance Level A. These results indicate low usability, quality performance, and readability that highlights the need for Turkish universities to devote more resources for making their websites more accessible, usable, high-quality performance, and readable for all their potential users.

“I seriously wanted to opt for science, but they said no”: visual impairment and higher education in India

The voice of disabled students in higher education (HE) has been widely explored in the global North but relatively little is known about the experiences of their counterparts in the global South. The paper attempts to address this lacuna by focusing on disabled students in HE in India. A part of the author’s doctoral study in 2013–14 explored the lived experiences and aspirations of 29 students with a visual impairment using phenomenological methodology. Their access to courses and subsequently, career opportunities were found to be restricted by an interplay of systemic exclusion, lack of information, internalised oppression, pedagogy, and employment opportunities. While disability legislation in India focuses on widening participation in HE, the issue of access to courses for students with a visual impairment has received little attention. This paper emphasises the importance of facilitating their access to their desired courses in HE and to this end, provision of support in school. Points of interest This article highlights the experiences of students with a visual impairment regarding enrolling in different courses in higher education (HE) in India. The research found that four main factors prevented many students with a visual impairment from pursuing science-and mathematics-based courses in HE. These were i) exclusion from science and mathematics in early education, ii) inadequate support systems, iii) inaccessible teaching practices, and iv) limited work opportunities. Little or no support and motivation was available for them to study these subjects. The research recommended that HE authorities must recognise the ability of students with a visual impairment to learn visual-based subjects. It also highlighted the need to provide support for learning mathematics and science to these students in school so that they can study mathematics- and science-based courses in HE.

Disability and Higher Education in Palestine

Disability in Palestine and the experiences and practices of professors and administrators on accommodating disabled students in Palestinian higher education institutions are captured through critical ethnography mode. Disability in Palestine is discussed within the context of what I, as the researcher, call “segregating democracy.” The term segregating democracy refers to the political bonds between Israel and the United States of America that often lead to exclusion of the indigenous Palestinian community from the rest of the world. Segregating democracy and its consequences on disability in Palestine are the context in which the experiences of the Palestinian faculty and administrators are analyzed. Using critical disability studies, while also drawing from elements of teacher development theories, this paper identifies transformational ways of thinking about disability as well as the unique role of educators in promoting/adopting inclusive pedagogical practices towards accommodating disabled students in higher education.

Mathematics instructors’ awareness of accessibility barriers for disabled students

Abstract In this paper, we discuss the results of a staff survey on accessibility barriers to participation and success for disabled students in higher education in the UK and Ireland. We focus on the range and complexity of student difficulties encountered by staff involved either in the lecturing of mathematics or the provision of Mathematics Learning Support. We report on the range of supports available to both staff and students in these situations and their varying levels of awareness and implementation of these supports. We close with a brief overview of how we intend to use the results of this survey to both increase awareness of existing appropriate supports and develop additional services to improve student accessibility.

Non-handicapped students’ point of view towards physical disabled students in higher education: case of marmara university

Non-handicapped students’ point of view towards physical disabled students in higher education: case of marmara university

Contemporary Social Theory as a Tool to Understand the Experiences of Disabled Students in Higher Education

This is a conceptual article which seeks to consider the use of contemporary social theory to help understand the experience of disabled students in higher education. The use of social theoretical insights has been criticised by many as demonstrating a lack of engagement with the everyday experiences of disabled people. Work which strives to embed theoretical insights into the study of disability has also been criticised for lacking engagement with the ‘reality’ of impairment. In this article I intend to address some of these criticisms by suggesting some ways in which the use of contemporary social theory may provide an explanatory tool which disentangles confusion regarding the journey undertaken by the disabled student. I will discuss how the writings of several social theorists may be helpful in making sense of disabled student journeys. I will begin by discussing why the work of Jacques Derrida can be useful in this regard. These writings will be considered alongside a debate which draws on the writings of Michel Foucault on the use of power in contemporary higher education institutions. I will critically discuss the theoretical insights of Deleuze and Guattari and their offerings on the notion of ‘becoming’. I will then critically interrogate the work of Rosi Braidotti and apply these to a re-imagining of the disabled student journey. The writings of these important theorists have been used before to explore the experiences of disabled people. However, this article is unique in that it proposes that these writings can be used to demystify the experiences of disabled students in higher education. I suggest some ways the work of Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari and Braidotti enable a greater understanding of my personal student journey. I suggest that they could be used to make sense of a far wider range of student journeys. I conclude the article by offering a model which utilises some important aspects of these theoretical insights.

Inclusão no Ensino Superior pela Lente Omnilética: Um foco na formação docente

The current paper aims to carry out an omnilectical analysis about the Education of teachers towards the inclusion of disabled students in higher education. The discussion will be based especially on the Brazilian’s 2008 National Policy of Special Education in the Perspective of Inclusive Education and its possible impacts on the inclusion of disabled students in the largest State University of Brazil, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and its implications for university teachers’ practices and education.

A deficiência vai à universidade: perspectivas e entraves do processo inclusivo na educação superior brasileira

O texto discute o processo de inclusao de estudantes universitarios com deficiencia no âmbito de uma instituicao de educacao publica superior brasileira, bem como acena para algumas possibilidades de politicas publicas que a universidade expoe nesse processo. Para isso, procedeu-se a remontagem historica em torno da adocao de politicas inclusivas, bem como a utilizacao de questionarios e entrevistas semiestruturadas junto a alguns desses estudantes universitarios. Os resultados apontam que, por vezes, a “inclusao” confunde-se com a garantia de vaga e/ou acesso a universidade, nao avancando para alem disso. Acentua-se tambem o relativo desconhecimento dos participantes a respeito da legislacao, assim como das politicas que regem ou direcionam a inclusao de pessoas com deficiencia. Como conclusoes, constatam-se a incerteza quanto ao lugar reservado aos alunos portadores de deficiencia no ensino superior, bem como o desafio de consolidar o processo de inclusao educacional. Palavras-chave: educacao especial, pessoas com deficiencia, inclusao.

The experience of disabled and non-disabled students on professional practice placements in the United Kingdom

There are limited comparisons between the experience of disabled students in higher education and their non-disabled peers, particularly on practice placements. This article presents the results of such a comparison, across six professional disciplines in one UK university. The results revealed that both disabled and non-disabled students reported positive placement experiences and also similar difficulties. Such difficulties were exacerbated for some disabled students, however, including as a consequence of the attitudes of others to disability. Recommendations for practice are identified that aim to enhance the placement experience of all students and to remove barriers to access.

<b>Legislação para estudantes com deficiência no ensino superior no Brasil e em Portugal: algumas reflexões

Este estudo tem como objetivo efetuar uma análise crítica da legislação que regulamenta a inclusão de estudantes com deficiência no Ensino Superior do Brasil e de Portugal. Com base em um estudo documental, realizado entre setembro e novembro de 2015, foram analisadas as normas jurídicas das últimas décadas. Os resultados apontam para estágios diferentes de construção da política de inclusão nos países investigados. É de assinalar a existência de um leque expressivo de normativos no contexto brasileiro para assegurar a igualdade de oportunidades desses estudantes e uma escassez de normativos em Portugal. Constata-se que a legislação tem sido referenciada como um importante fator para o desenvolvimento da Educação Inclusiva, no entanto importa salientar que a existência de legislação não implica necessariamente o seu cumprimento na prática. A remoção de barreiras para a plena participação e aprendizagem dos estudantes com deficiência no Ensino Superior envolve, para além da legislação, conscientização, investimentos em recursos e conhecimentos científicos por parte dos responsáveis pela elaboração de políticas públicas e gestores para assegurar uma educação de qualidade ao longo da vida para todas as pessoas.

Widening access to higher education for disabled students: the intersection of socio-economic background and impairment

The proportion of disabled students in higher education across the UK has increased over the last 20 years as a result of equalities legislation and widening access measures promoted by the Scottish Government. For monitoring and reporting purposes, disabled students have often been treated as a homogeneous group. Drawing on an analysis of administrative data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), as well as student case studies, this paper identifies important within-group differences, questioning whether certain sub-groups of disabled students have benefitted from systemic expansion more than others. The main finding of the paper is that the increase in participation by disabled students mainly reflects the growth in the number of those with specific learning difficulties, who are disproportionately drawn from middle class backgrounds. By way of contrast, there has been only a very small increase in the proportion of disabled students from less advantaged backgrounds and with severe low incidence disabilities. Despite the fact that disabled students tend to be from more advantaged backgrounds than others, the case studies illustrate the types of barriers they encounter, which may be compounded by socio-economic disadvantage. The paper concludes by suggesting that, in the future, regulatory regimes might encourage institutions to undertake a more fine-grained analysis of the participation of disabled students in higher education, taking account of both type of impairment and social class background.

Disabled students: identity, inclusion and work-based placements

Research about disabled identity reflects diverse perspectives on the merits and challenges associated with such an identity. This paper explores the impact of disabled identity on the inclusion of disabled students in higher education and employment contexts. It considers their experiences of inclusion in a university setting and its associated work-based placements and discusses the extent to which students had to negotiate a range of experiences of disabled identity. The paper suggests that many disabled students, especially those with behaviour-related impairment labels, are subject to continued exclusion in university and, more particularly, work settings, and this contributes to an employment disadvantage compared with their peers. To this end, the paper highlights the importance of enhancing inclusion for disabled students, especially in employment settings, through a focus on reducing destructive identities.