No abstract

No abstract

The main topic of this article is architectural barriers and infrastructures as identified by university students with disabilities. The data presented is part of a much wider research project, sponsored by Spain's Ministry of Economy and Competition. A biographical-narrative methodology was used for this study. The results presented have been classified based on one of five barrier types: urban (barriers that are outside the actual university campus), transport (public transportation and personal vehicles), building (obstacles inside university buildings), environmental (those elements within the classroom, including furniture, excessive noise or inadequate temperatures) and communication (these are divided into signposting and barriers when accessing information). Lastly, a variety of questions are considered in the conclusions which indicate that universities still need a certain degree of adaptation and readjustment to really be accessible and inclusive, in keeping with the principles of universal design.

This study presents a series of key aspects to achieve inclusive education in Spanish universities, from the viewpoint of students with disabilities and disability support service staff. The study used a qualitative methodology through in-depth semistructured interviews. Data analysis was inductive, through a system of categories and codes. Results revealed various essential aspects to facilitate inclusive education: the positive attitude of the faculty members towards students with disabilities promotes the inclusive education, the need to make reasonable adjustments (methodologies, evaluation systems, and resources) to guarantee the learning of students with disabilities, and the use of technologies to facilitate access to learning. Results allowed us to conclude that the faculty was a key figure in the inclusion of students with disabilities and it´s necessary a universal learning design approach into practice to benefit all students.

The present study provides partial findings from research currently underway at the University of Seville: ‘Hurdles & Help as Perceived by University Students Disabilities’. (Directed by Dr. Anabel Moriña, project funding: MICINN, I+D+I, ref. EDU 2010‐16264). How does the university, as an institution, open doors and/or put hurdles in the way of students with special needs? The present study adopts a qualitative methodological approach. More specifically, biographic‐narrative methods are employed to give shape to a series of life stories. A wide range of data gathering techniques were used, including discussion groups, in‐depth interviews, classroom observation sessions, photographs, biograms, etc. Data analysis was carried out in two phases. In the first, the focus was on individual life stories. The second phase involved applying comparative data analysis methods to transcriptions of documents generated using aforementioned methods, in line with Miles and Huberman (1994). Maxqda10 data analysis software was the tool of choice. Results will be discussed with the following questions as a backdrop: Is the University inclusive? We will analyse institutional barriers and aids, as perceived by the students themselves. Architectural and structural hurdles affecting access to university classrooms, infrastructures and other spaces will be assessed here. Finally, we will take a closer look at student expectations with respect to their conception of the ideal university. Is the University an institution that opens or closes its doors to students with disabilities? Based on the analysis in the previous section, a number of conclusions can be reached. The first and foremost is the fact that the students coincided in their opinions, independently of the disability they might have and the courses studied, both when identifying help and barriers. Having said that, the number of barriers identified surpassed the help.

This article analyzes the functioning of disability support offices and their contribution to inclusive education in seven Spanish universities from the perspective of staff. Using a qualitative methodology, interviews with office staff were conducted, and data were analyzed through an inductive coding system. The results are organized around five themes: characteristics of disability support offices, staff training, functions performed by different services, barriers and opportunities identified by office staff, and proposals to improve attention given to disabled students. Information gathered leads to the conclusion that the work carried out in disability support offices must receive support from universities, as these offices are a key element for the access and retention of students with disabilities in the university and for the successful completion of their studies. Points of interest• Disability support offices in universities contribute to inclusive education in higher education. • The research found that disability support offices may work with a very small number of students. • Some students are not known to disability support offices because they prefer not to disclose their disabilities. • The research concluded that vocational guidance is a key factor leading to access to the university. • Disability support office staff considered they are not sufficiently trained, so more actions are needed in this direction.

The presence of students with disabilities in the universities is increasing. Faculty need to be trained in order to attend these students and with the objective to offer and inclusice education. The aim of this communication is to identify, describe and explain the barriers and aids that students with disabilities experience in university classroom. Forty four students with disabilitis participated in the research. A biographical narrative methodology was used. The university-life histories of the students were complied by making use of in-depth interviews, lifelines and photographs. Results indicate the important of faculty training in matters concerning disabilities and new technologies, informing to the faculty of the presence of students with disabilities in their classroom,  the existence of a specific service to support the faculty and the important of iimproving a positive attitude toward the disability. These results are dicussed in line with other studies. Recommendations are maded according to inclusive education and offering keys to universities to provide training plans leading to inclusive education and learning.

This study presents findings that can pose an advancement in the development of inclusive teaching practices in the university scope. The aim of this work was to understand the methodological strategies that inclusive faculty members use in their classrooms and the difficulties that they find in the implementation of such strategies. A total of 119 faculty members from different fields of knowledge of 10 Spanish universities participated in this study. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and later analysed using an inductive system of categories and codes with computer software MaxQDA 12. The obtained data show the actions that these faculty members take to interact with their students, the methodologies they use to teach, the strategies they implement to promote their learning and the difficulties that hinder their inclusive practice in the classroom. This study concludes that there are faculty members who are committed to designing teaching projects based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning. They developing active methodologies in the classroom and attending to the diversity of the students through the necessary support and adjustments, from the approach of inclusive pedagogy.