Supporting students with disabilities within a UK university: Lecturer perspectives

Abstract

Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency shows an increase in the number of UK students with disabilities entering Higher Education. This small-scale qualitative study within a UK university led to the identification of five main themes. Participants expressed concern that there were students who chose not to disclose a range of disabilities resulting in inadequate levels of support. Students who declared a disability were provided with Learning Support Plans, however, these were found to be needing improvement. The role of the writing support tutors and their varied approaches to supporting students raised concerns. Participants were amenable to making 'reasonable adjustments' for students with disabilities, it was unclear as to what these adjustments should be. Participants acknowledged the need for training especially in the area of mental health. This study may be used to inform university policy and practice and if necessary support the implementation of change.

Additional support services and the utilisation of teaching assistants in university settings: dissuading inclusive practice or improving academic outcomes?

“…Teaching staff in the HE sector are often ambivalent towards the support provided by central services (Kendall, 2018). For example, Learning Support Plans which outline recommended support mechanisms and are usually written by centrally located staff, are seen as inadequate and may lead to misconceptions on the part of the student (Kendall, 2018).…”

Fagansattes erfaringer med å undervise studenter med funksjonsnedsettelser: underviserrollens potensial for å øke tilgangen til høyere utdanning

“…I lys av studentenes erfaringer aktualiseres behovet for å forstå og utfylle bildet ved å utforske fagansattes erfaringer med å undervise studenter med funksjonsnedsettelser. Internasjonalt er det med noen unntak (se for eksempel Cameron & Nunkoosing, 2012;Kendall, 2018;Moriña & Orozco, 2020) forsket lite på dette. Studier som foreligger underbygger at tilrettelegging er avhengig av enkeltindividers holdninger til annerledeshet og kunnskap om inkludering, og derfor blir tilfeldig.…”

“…I teorien er de fleste fagansatte positive til å tilrettelegge. I praksis opplever de at lavt kunnskapsnivå om tilrettelegging, manglende opplaering, utydelige retningslinjer og stort arbeidspress skaper frustrasjon og usikkerhet og gjør det utfordrende for dem å ivareta enkeltstudenters behov (Cameron & Nunkoosing, 2012;Kendall, 2018;Mutanga & Walker, 2017).…”

Construyendo una universidad intercultural inclusiva

“…Lo que lleva a concluir a los investigadores que las adaptaciones que se realizan en el aula son escasas. Esto concuerda con otras investigaciones como la de Kendall (2018) donde, además, se apunta a la necesidad de formación, pues el profesorado tiene dudas y miedos a la hora de realizar los ajustes razonables.…”

“…Por otro lado, Carballo (2018), a través de una propuesta de formación en educación inclusiva del profesorado de la Universidad de Sevilla, evidencia cómo la sensibilidad de los participantes hacia situaciones de desigualdad, suponen una motivación y compromiso para mejorar su formación. Otro aspecto de esta tesis que también aparece en otros estudios (Carballo, 2018;Grace & Gravestock, 2009;Kendall, 2018;Shaw, 2009) es que los docentes consideran que cuando se forman en atención a la diversidad, no solo benefician a un grupo de estudiantes, sino a todo el grupo-aula.…”