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.
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