scholarly journals There Is More Than Meets the Eye: Success Stories of a Visual Impaired Student and Lecturer

INKLUSI ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Danri Hester Delport
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
South African ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Physical Barriers

Although Higher Education Institutions have come a long way in including students with disabilities, many students still experience exclusion or "otherness" among their abled peers.  Currently, there is a gap in research where the focus is on the abilities and success stories of such individuals rather than their disabilities, the barriers they face, or the adjustments made to meet their needs.  This research aims to share the success stories of a visually impaired student and his visually impaired lecturer at a South African University. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were used as collection instruments where after the data was analyzed. The appreciation for friends outweighed the physical barriers. Through perseverance and hard work, the disabled student proved her teacher wrong by successfully entering university and completing her Ph.D..  Both participants looked beyond their limitations and realized their capabilities.[Meskipun usaha untuk mewujudkan perguruan tinggi inklusif sudah dilakukan sejauh ini, tetapi banyak mahasiswa difabel yang masih merasakan ‘keberbedaan’ dirinya dari mahasiswa lain.  Inklusi penyandang disabilitas harus mengarah pada peningkatan partisipasi dalam tatanan yang menghasilkan siswa, teman, atau guru terbaik. Saat ini, ada kesenjangan dalam penelitian yang fokusnya adalah pada kemampuan dan kisah sukses individu tersebut daripada disabilitas mereka, hambatan yang mereka hadapi, atau penyesuaian yang dilakukan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan mereka. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk berbagi kisah sukses seorang mahasiswa tunanetra sekaligus dosen tunanetranya di Universitas Afrika Selatan. Melalui ketekunan dan kerja keras, para difabel dalam tulisan ini membuktikan apa yang dianggap tidak mungkin. Kedua subyek melampaui keterbatasan mereka dan menyadari kemampuan mereka.]

scholarly journals Designing a Model for Facilitating the Inclusion of Higher Education International Students with Disabilities in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-181
Author(s):  
Nina (HG) Du Toit
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
International Students ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
African Students ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Role Players

Higher education in South Africa is regulated by several policies, and the obligation of increased access and participation of persons with disabilities into higher education is recognized in legislation (Department of Education, 1997; Department of Higher Education and Training, 2013). However, research indicates that the proportion of students with disabilities in higher education and in study programmes abroad is still very low worldwide (Fazekas, 2017; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2011). Study opportunities for these students in higher education institutions abroad, including South Africa, should therefore be increased to provide equal access and experience in an inclusive higher education environment. This study explores possible reasons for the low engagement of South African students with disabilities in international mobility programmes and the function of key role-players in supporting international students with disabilities studying in South Africa (incoming students) and South African students with disabilities studying abroad (outgoing students). This study also explores the ways by which the exchange process could be facilitated more effectively within the context of an inclusive higher education environment. Data on the support services offered to these students was obtained by means of questionnaires sent to the International Relations Offices and Disability Rights Units at higher education institutions in South Africa. The study culminated in the design of a model which specifies the roles of the various role-players in supporting international students with disabilities during their pre-departure, study and return phases.

scholarly journals Internal barriers to supply chain management implementation in a South African traditional university

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamokgadi Z. Masete ◽  
Chengedzai Mafini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Internal Barriers

Background: The demand for higher education in South Africa continues to increase, placing pressure on public higher education institutions to satisfy this demand. Supply chain management is one of the practices that may be implemented to ensure that public universities improve their operations and can, therefore, meet the increased demand for higher education in the country.Objectives: This study aimed to explore the barriers to the implementation of supply chain management practices at a South African public university.Method: The study used a qualitative case study approach using a sample of 17 members of management and staff at a South African traditional university in the Limpopo Province. Data were collected using a combination of a focus group discussion and semi-structured in-depth interviews.Results: The study generated eight themes that embody the barriers to the implementation of supply chain management at the institution. These themes were labelled as stakeholder buy-in, knowledge of supply chain management, supply chain systems and processes, procurement policy and practices, implementation of supply chain management, stakeholder change management, human resource management and organisational culture.Conclusion: Various internal barriers impair the implementation of supply chain management practices at the institution. Administration at the institution has invested limited resources, time and initiatives to ensure the successful implementation of supply chain management. The focus should be directed to finding lasting solutions to each of the barriers identified in this study. Further studies should address the issue of external barriers to supply chain management in public higher education institutions.

scholarly journals Wheelchair users, access and exclusion in South African higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desire Chiwandire ◽  
Louise Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
South African ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
The Right

Background: South Africa’s Constitution guarantees everyone, including persons with disabilities, the right to education. A variety of laws are in place obliging higher education institutions to provide appropriate physical access to education sites for all. In practice, however, many buildings remain inaccessible to people with physical disabilities.Objectives: To describe what measures South African universities are taking to make their built environments more accessible to students with diverse types of disabilities, and to assess the adequacy of such measures.Method: We conducted semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews with disability unit staff members (DUSMs) based at 10 different public universities in South Africa.Results: Challenges with promoting higher education accessibility for wheelchair users include the preservation and heritage justification for failing to modify older buildings, ad hoc approaches to creating accessible environments and failure to address access to toilets, libraries and transport facilities for wheelchair users.Conclusion: South African universities are still not places where all students are equally able to integrate socially. DUSMs know what ought to be done to make campuses more accessible and welcoming to students with disabilities and should be empowered to play a leading role in sensitising non-disabled members of universities, to create greater awareness of, and appreciation for, the multiple ways in which wheelchair user students continue to be excluded from full participation in university life. South African universities need to adopt a systemic approach to inclusion, which fosters an understanding of inclusion as a fundamental right rather than as a luxury.

scholarly journals Attitudinal Barriers Encountered by Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nageswara Rao Ambati
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Higher Education Curriculum ◽  
Attitudinal Barriers

The present study is an exploratory in nature. The papers aims to understand the attitudinal barriers encountered by students with disabilities in higher education institutions and its impact on their learning experiences. The study was conducted in the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh (now bifurcated in to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), India. For this study, the researcher selected three universities in different parts of Andhra Pradesh by using purposive sampling. In the second phase the researcher interviewed 100 students with disabilities from the selected universities by using snowball sampling. For this study, quantitative and qualitative data analyses were used and in most cases quotes of real text for each theme were maintained and used extensively. The findings of the paper covered characteristics of students with disabilities, attitudinal barriers faced by them. The findings of the study suggests that changes are needed to be made, not only in the physical environment in which teaching and learning takes place, but also in the way in which higher education curriculum is organised, delivered and assessed and changes should also come in attitudes of teachers, university administration, peer group and public at large.

scholarly journals Funding and inclusion in higher education institutions for students with disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desire Chiwandire ◽  
Louise Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
The United States ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Funding Policies ◽  
Funding Mechanisms ◽  
Test Requirements

Background: Historically, challenges faced by students with disabilities (SWDs) in accessing higher education institutions (HEIs) were attributed to limited public funding. The introduction of progressive funding models such as disability scholarships served to widen access to, and participation in, higher education for SWDs. However, recent years have seen these advances threatened by funding cuts and privatisation in higher education.Objectives: In this article, the funding mechanisms of selected developed and developing democratic countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and India are described in order to gain an insight into how such mechanisms enhance access, equal participation, retention, success and equality of outcome for SWDs. The countries selected are often spoken about as exemplars of best practices in relation to widening access and opportunities for SWDs through government mandated funding mechanisms. Method: A critical literature review of the sample countries’ funding mechanisms governing SWDs in higher education and other relevant government documents; secondary academic literature on disability funding; online sources including University World News, University Affairs, newspaper articles, newsletters, literature from bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Disabled World and Parliamentary Monitoring Group. Data were analysed using a theoretically derived directed qualitative content analysis.Results: Barriers which place SWDs at a substantial educational disadvantage compared to their non-disabled peers include bureaucratisation of application processes, cuts in disability funding, means-test requirements, minimal scholarships for supporting part-time and distance learning for SWDs and inadequate financial support to meet the day-to-day costs that arise as a result of disability.Conclusion: Although the steady increase of SWDs accessing HEIs of the sampled countries have been attributed to supportive disability funding policies, notable is the fact that these students are still confronted by insurmountable disability funding-oriented barriers. Thus, we recommend the need for these HEIs to address these challenges as a matter of urgency if they are to respect the rights of SWDs as well as provide them with an enabling environment to succeed academically.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document