Anger and Thirst for Change Among Students With Disabilities in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 268-290
Author(s):  
Frederic Fovet
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
The Social ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Radical Transformation

The K-12 sector has sought to develop inclusive provisions for over two decades, but post-secondary education has not shifted as rapidly towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. Inclusion still mostly amounts to retrofitting and the provision of accommodations. This leads to a degree of stigmatization, and rarely leads to a genuine metamorphosis of the higher education classroom, or the transformation of pedagogy. The result is a tangible tension between the expectations of students with disabilities and institutional culture. The chapter examines the power of the current discourse of students with disabilities and their thirst for change. It then seeks to explore how this discourse can be translated into action, and more particularly how the social model of disability can be integrated into higher education. Universal design for learning appears as a promising framework to translate this activism into tangible change. The chapter develops this reflection beyond pedagogy itself and considers how a framework such as UDL can support a radical transformation of leadership.

scholarly journals Dyslexia and Post-Secondary Aural Skills Instruction

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Traditional Education ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Aural Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Cognitive Strengths

Traditional post-secondary aural-skills curricula can create extreme difficulties for music majors with dyslexia. This article places the author’s experience teaching these students into the context of contemporary scientific and educational research on dyslexia, including a potential subtype of dyslexia that may impact the reading of musical notation while reading of text is unaffected. From the standpoint of a social model of disability, the existence of dyslexia is contested. However, new models of dyslexia frame it not as a disability but a byproduct of superior cognitive strengths in forms of reasoning hitherto undervalued in traditional education. Identifying and building on these strengths in students with dyslexia may aid instructors in designing effective pedagogical strategies that help these students improve in typical aural-skills tasks. Such strategies may be equally beneficial for all students. Working closely with dyslexic students and others who struggle with traditional aural-skills tasks leads to more fundamental questions about the assumptions and values implicit in standard aural-skills curricula. The principles of Universal Design for Learning may facilitate the design of courses that allow all students to grow in response to challenges by recognizing and recruiting their individual cognitive strengths.

The Inclusion and Support of Students With Disabilities in the South African Higher Education System

2022 ◽  
pp. 1295-1310
Author(s):  
Sithabile Ntombela ◽  
Vimbi Petrus Mahlangu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
South African ◽  
Education System ◽  
Social Model ◽  
The South ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

The intention of this chapter is to contribute to the scholarship of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in contemporary higher education. Its purpose is to develop an understanding of pedagogical issues concerning the inclusion and support of students with disabilities in the South African higher education system through literature review. The chapter will contribute to debate on policy imperatives and how these have informed practice, the social model of disability and its role in shaping educational provision, access and support constraints as products of intersectionality of disability and disablement, and possible ways to re-culture higher education for support.

scholarly journals Universal Design for Learning in Assessment: Supporting ELLs with Learning Disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Delaney ◽  
Maiko Hata
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
English Language ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
World Population ◽  
Design For Learning

Studying English is challenging and, for many learners, undiagnosed learning disabilities can present a serious threat to their success. Recent studies indicate that up to 10% of the world population has a non-apparent disability, such as autism or dyslexia. At the same time, few English language learner (ELL) instructors in higher education have training in learning disabilities, and they are often unsure of how to support learners who seem to have extra challenges. This is especially true when it comes to assessment, as instructors often rely on traditional tools that could negatively affect the validity of the assessment outcomes. In this brief reflection, the authors share how instructors can apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to their assessment practices to support students with disabilities, regardless of diagnostic status. First, disabilities that affect language learning will be briefly discussed, followed by the explanation of how English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) assessments present specific challenges for students with disabilities. Then, the authors will provide an overview of UDL theory, which proposes that learners with disabilities are often best served by accommodations in representation, expression and engagement that can benefit the entire class. Most of the paper will focus on specific, practical strategies for implementing UDL within assessment in higher education. Such strategies include building executive function, implementing multi-channel assessment, and learning about students through an “evaluation loop.”

scholarly journals Students with Disabilities at Two Higher Education Institutions Selected from South Africa: A Social Model of Disability

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 238
Author(s):  
Mogomme Alpheus Masoga
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Academic Life ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Physically Challenged ◽  
User Friendly

Learners with disabilities are faced with unprecedented challenges in their pursuit of integration in the institutionalized higher education system in South Africa. The aim of this paper is to explore the recruitment and integration of students with disabilities (SWDs) at selected rural universities in South Africa in terms of facilities for physically challenged students. Personal conversations and informal discussions and desk and documentary research have collectively informed the present discourse. By utilizing a social model of disability, this study proposes that both institutions need to accelerate the provision of user-friendly facilities to accommodate various categories of SWDs either currently enrolled or those aspiring to study at the institutions. Considering the evaluations and observations explored in this opinion paper, the academic community of both institutions will need to pay attention to the special needs of SWDs because the absence of this attention will negatively impact the outcome of the academic life of learners.

scholarly journals Inclusive, multi-partner co-creation for the teaching of special educational needs and disabilities in higher education

2021 ◽  
pp. 25-40
Author(s):  
Emma Wright ◽  
◽  
Rosi Smith ◽  
Melissa Vernon ◽  
Robyn Wall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
The Social ◽  
Joint Research Project ◽  
Market Benefits

Co-creation of curriculum content is a growing priority across Higher Education and, while many projects stress the market benefits to institutions and students, this research instead focussed on promoting inclusion, social justice and anti-oppressive practice, with theoretical underpinnings in the social model of disability. This joint research project between staff and students at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, led to the co-creation of a Level 6 SEND module on the BA Education Studies programme. The co-designed research explores how the experiences of neurodivergent people, those with SEND, their families and practitioners, can inform teaching practices and module specifications at undergraduate level in Education Studies. Qualitative data, collected via questionnaires, focus groups and interviews with students, parents, practitioners and academics, revealed rich, diverse perspectives on the knowledge and understanding that future educators need, as well as the most inclusive methods for teaching and assessing that knowledge. The practice-based implications of the research included co-creation of a Level 6 SEND module which recognises value in ‘non-professional’ voices and embeds anti-oppressive practice in its design, delivery and assessment.

The Inclusion and Support of Students With Disabilities in the South African Higher Education System

2019 ◽  
pp. 195-210
Author(s):  
Sithabile Ntombela ◽  
Vimbi Petrus Mahlangu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
South African ◽  
Education System ◽  
Social Model ◽  
The South ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

The intention of this chapter is to contribute to the scholarship of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in contemporary higher education. Its purpose is to develop an understanding of pedagogical issues concerning the inclusion and support of students with disabilities in the South African higher education system through literature review. The chapter will contribute to debate on policy imperatives and how these have informed practice, the social model of disability and its role in shaping educational provision, access and support constraints as products of intersectionality of disability and disablement, and possible ways to re-culture higher education for support.

Technology and Design for Inclusion

2014 ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Mary Lou Duffy ◽  
Valerie C. Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Technology Trends

The inclusion of individuals with disabilities in concept and practice is not new to education. However, the attainment of inclusion has been a struggle in most Western countries since the 1980s. The application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to classroom practices has the promise of making the goal of inclusion more attainable. In this chapter, the authors outline a definition of inclusion as a foundation for the need for Universal Design. Then a description of the important principles of UDL is described, with attention to the research that supports its use and application. Lastly, the authors describe the technology trends that, along with UDL principles, have the greatest impact on education in K-12 classrooms, higher education, virtual settings, and in community settings with adults and seniors.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document