‘Bringing everyone on the same journey’: revisiting inclusion in higher education

Abstract

This study investigates inclusion in higher education, examining learning environments for students with physical disabilities (SWPD) and the challenges faced in promoting inclusive education, using an Australian university as a case study. Drawing from the social model of disability and interviews with 40 stakeholders, our findings suggest that despite marked progress towards inclusive education through reasonable adjustments for all, learning environments remain largely driven by adjustments for individual students, creating organisational and personal challenges. Four key challenges emerged: (1) staff perception about too many resources creating student dependencies; (2) staff training needs; (3) low representation of students with visible disabilities; and (4) moving inclusion beyond education into employment. Our findings emphasise the need to embed employability and skills development in all aspects of teaching and learning while moving towards inclusive education, to enable all students to develop professionally, and reinforcing calls for an inclusive workplace that values and accepts SWPD.

Training Needs of Academics on Inclusive Education and Disability

“…Some of them are architectural and organizational, whereas others involve the access to the subjects (aspects that hinder the teaching and learning processes). In some studies, students with disabilities identify the academic staff as the main barrier, referring to their negative attitudes and lack of training to meet the students' educational needs (Collins et al, 2018;Garrison-Wade, 2012;Moswela & Mukhopadhyay, 2011;Strnadová et al, 2015). As Hopkins (2011) and Thomas and May (2010) conclude, the curriculum is frequently rigid and non-inclusive, and can exclude certain students.…”

The insider view: tackling disabling practices in higher education institutions

“…The vast majority of writing about disability and the academy centres on the experiences of disabled students (Berggren et al 2016;Cameron 2016;Collins et al 2019;Lourens and Swartz 2016). There is also a whole body of literature about identity and 'disclosure' of disability in higher education (Blockmans 2015;Cunnah 2015), and some of this work is led by disabled students themselves (Griful-Freixenet et al 2017;Blockmans 2015), or centres on their voices.…”

Lecturers’ Teaching Experiences with Invisibly Disabled Students in Higher Education: Connecting and Aiming at Inclusion

“…The collective-focused approaches of Joakim and Evy are in line with a recent shift away from the traditional focus of individually tailored support towards an inclusive learning environment for all in higher education (Collins, Azmat & Rentschler 2019;Fuller et al 2004;Madriaga 2010). When safeguarding the diversity, the need for individual accommodations often becomes redundant as the teaching environment in itself increases accessibility by enabling more students to participate.…”