Supporting Disabled Students In Higher Education

Places notions of disability at the center of higher education and argues that inclusiveness allows for a better education for everyone

Supporting Disabled Students in Higher Education is a practical and inclusive handbook designed to ensure disabled students are supported in their journey through mainstream higher education. Informed by case studies, this essential guide highlights how this can be achieved through the adoption of practical, reasonable adjustments. Coupled with recommendations for best practice across higher education, this book outlines experiences and barriers to inclusion and provides detailed guidance for inclusive practices including adjustments to accommodation, accessing physical and virtual learning spaces, teaching activities, developing the curriculum and assessment. Written by an experienced dyslexia and disability coordinator within higher education, chapters encourage readers to develop a greater understanding of the impact that disabilities may have on students’ academic progress. Areas explored include: Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) Mental health conditions Visually impaired and blind students Deaf and hearing-impaired students Physical impairments Long-term medical conditions This book lays out the step-by-step process to enable effective communication between disability staff, academic staff and students and is a crucial guide for anyone with an interest in promoting and facilitating accessibility, inclusion and widening participation in higher education.

The book took shape from the work I undertook as part of my doctoral research, which was carried out at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. My experiences in the doctoral programme offered me opportunities to learn and grow both professionally and personally. This programme would not have been possible without the valuable help and guidance of various people to whom I am immensely grateful. I would like to mention some of the people who have contributed to this research, directly and indirectly.

Create campuses inclusive and supportive of disabled students, staff, and faculty Disability in Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach examines how disability is conceptualized in higher education and ways in which students, faculty, and staff with disabilities are viewed and served on college campuses. Drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks, research, and experience creating inclusive campuses, this text offers a new framework for understanding disability using a social justice lens. Many institutions focus solely on legal access and accommodation, enabling a system of exclusion and oppression. However, using principles of universal design, social justice, and other inclusive practices, campus environments can be transformed into more inclusive and equitable settings for all constituents. The authors consider the experiences of students, faculty, and staff with disabilities and offer strategies for addressing ableism within a variety of settings, including classrooms, residence halls, admissions and orientation, student organizations, career development, and counseling. They also expand traditional student affairs understandings of disability issues by including chapters on technology, law, theory, and disability services. Using social justice principles, the discussion spans the entire college experience of individuals with disabilities, and avoids any single-issue focus such as physical accessibility or classroom accommodations. The book will help readers: Consider issues in addition to access and accommodation Use principles of universal design to benefit students and employees in academic, cocurricular, and employment settings Understand how disability interacts with multiple aspects of identity and experience. Despite their best intentions, college personnel frequently approach disability from the singular perspective of access to the exclusion of other important issues. This book provides strategies for addressing ableism in the assumptions, policies and practices, organizational structures, attitudes, and physical structures of higher education.

Addressing disability not as a form of student impairment—as it is typically perceived at the postsecondary level—but rather as an important dimension of student diversity and identity, this book explores how disability can be more effectively incorporated into college environments. Chapters propose new perspectives, empirical research, and case studies to provide the necessary foundation for understanding the role of disability within campus climate and integrating students with disabilities into academic and social settings. Contextualizing disability through the lens of intersectionality, Disability as Diversity in Higher Education illustrates how higher education institutions can use policies and practices to enhance inclusion and student success.

As wider access to higher education becomes a top priority for governments in the UK and around the world, this ground-breaking piece of work raises the challenging questions that policy-makers, vice-chancellors and government officials are reluctant to ask. A highly qualified team of authors have closely analyzed rates of participation and the experiences of disabled students in higher education over a two year period. They compare the responses of eight different universities to the new anti-discriminatory practice, contrasting their social profiles, academic missions, support systems for disabled students and approaches for the implementation of change. Change comes under particular scrutiny, with a close examination of each university’s interpretation of ‘reasonable adjustments’, and the extent to which they have modified their campuses and teaching accordingly. Student case studies are used throughout to illustrate the real impact of institutional responses to the legislation. Disabled Students in Higher Education will make fascinating reading for students of education, social policy, politics, and disability studies, and for those working towards accredited university teacher status.

As wider access to higher education becomes a top priority for governments in the UK and around the world, this ground-breaking piece of work raises the challenging questions that policy-makers, vice-chancellors and government officials are reluctant to ask. A highly qualified team of authors have closely analyzed rates of participation and the experiences of disabled students in higher education over a two year period. They compare the responses of eight different universities to the new anti-discriminatory practice, contrasting their social profiles, academic missions, support systems for disabled students and approaches for the implementation of change. Change comes under particular scrutiny, with a close examination of each university’s interpretation of ‘reasonable adjustments’, and the extent to which they have modified their campuses and teaching accordingly. Student case studies are used throughout to illustrate the real impact of institutional responses to the legislation. Disabled Students in Higher Education will make fascinating reading for students of education, social policy, politics, and disability studies, and for those working towards accredited university teacher status.

First published in 1998, this volume compares disability services and strategies along with students with disabilities across various countries around the world. Its publication followed a series of conferences held at different international locations. These papers have been brought together with the aim to better inform our understanding of approaches to disabled students and their experiences. Focusing on topics such as the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (1992), disability policy and supporting students with disabilities in higher education, this volume will be of use to students, lecturers, researchers and policymakers, whether able-bodied, neurotypical or disabled.