Access constraints experienced by physically disabled students at a South African higher education institution

Abstract

Current developments in government law and policies have created the hope that people living with a disability will enjoy the same rights and privileges as the non-disabled. Unfortunately, only 2.8% of disabled persons have access to higher education. The aim of this study was to determine if a group of students, living with a physical disability, experienced constraints with regard to access to a South African higher education institution. This study, following a two-phase sequential mixed method approach, consisted of a questionnaire survey, a focus group discussion, and individual interviews. It was found that students living with a physical disability experienced constraints relating to the accessibility of the relevant higher education institution. Since access constraints affect the lives of students living with a disability, it is necessary to provide guidelines to universities on how to address these challenges.     

Parental concerns and priorities in the education of disabled students

During a conference organized as part of I.Y.D.P., parents of the disabled from throughout Queensland attempted to identify the primary needs they experienced in coping with a disabled child in the family. Recommendations were made concerning the provision of services which would help to alleviate these needs. Issues and recommendations concerning education, including educational rights, legislative and financial considerations, teacher education, and the adequacy of educational services, are discussed in this paper. The dearth of a range of appropriate post‐school options was of crucial import; provision of continuing education services for disabled school leavers, including minimally handicapped students integrated into regular classes, is seen as an urgent requirement. Co‐operative planning and service provision should be given priority status by special education authorities, tertiary institutions and employment departments and agencies.     

高校艺术类学生的朋辈教育引导探究

目前,我国高校针对于大学生教育主要采用课堂授课方式,形式较为单一,学生学习知识途径也较为狭窄,特别是艺术类专业学生,个性张扬,思想活跃,在对待正规的学校教育,会出现以自我为中心,集体观念淡漠等情况。文章结合高校艺术类专业学生特点,对"朋辈教育"进行探索运用,通过对艺术类学生的自我教育、自我管理、自我服务,引导学生树立正确的世界观、人生观、价值观,提升高校学生管理工作的水平。     

The attainment and experiences of disabled students in distance education

In an earlier study of disabled graduates from campus‐based institutions in the UK, students who had previously declared that they had an unseen disability were less likely to obtain good degrees (with first‐class or upper second‐class honours). The present study investigated the role of disability as a factor in the attainment and experiences of 2351 distance‐learning students awarded first degrees by the UK’s Open University in 2002–2003. In contrast to the earlier study, students who had previously declared that they were dyslexic, were deaf or hard of hearing, or had multiple disabilities were also less likely to obtain good degrees. In a self‐report questionnaire, graduates with multiple disabilities provided lower ratings of the quality of their courses and their personal development. Nevertheless, the attainment and overall experience of graduates who reported disabilities that they had not previously declared to the University were similar to those of graduates with no disability.     

关于我国残疾人高等教育师资培训的构想

本文客观的分析了当前我国高等教育迅速发展 ,而高等教育师资却远远不能满足需要的现象。针对需要与满足之间的矛盾 ,根据高等特殊教育教师资格与基本要求 ,尝试提出高等教育教师的培养目标、内容、途径、与注意事项 ,为规划我国高等特殊教育师资培训提供参考。     

Helping Each Other: Relations between disabled and non-disabled students on Access programmes

his article highlights issues concerned with the nature of relationships between disabled students and their non-disabled peers in further education. An investigation of the relationships between disabled and non-disabled students is undertaken within a critical ethnographic framework. The interaction between students is located within a wider societal context, with a particular emphasis upon identifying the impact of oppressive social forces. Deaf students, and students with dyslexia are the particular focus of this article as a case study within a wider disability debate. The findings point to a lack of contact between disabled and non-disabled children in primary and secondary education as being an important factor in relationships between these two groups in tertiary education. A variation in experience is highlighted between the different colleges and also different Access programmes within the same institution, which raises questions about notions of fairness and equality within the Access system. Recommendations are made for the recruitment and induction of disabled and non-disabled students leading to a more integrated approach.     

Predicting academic success for disabled students in higher education

Research has indicated that disabled and nondisabled persons experience communication strained by high levels of uncertainty for both communicators. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of being disabled on the academic progress of disabled college students. It was felt that academic success will be contingent upon positive communication with faculty, fellow students, and university personnel. A questionnaire assessing the campus' social climate, the quality of its programs and instruction, and the students' academic and career expectations was administered to 100 disabled students. Analyses of the data revealed that the disabled students' motivation was significantly related to their level of social alienation, while the students' perceived competence was most related to their level of social adjustment. The theoretical implications of these findings and avenues for future research are discussed.     

New Labour,social justice and disabled students in higher education

This article draws on findings from an Economic and Social Research Council funded research project entitled ‘Disabled Students and Multiple Policy Innovations in Higher Education’ (R000239069). It begins with a brief review of theories of social justice and their implications for widening access policies for disabled students. Social justice may be conceptualised in relation to the distribution of social goods and cultural recognition. Related to distribution, data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency are used to analyse the progress which has been made in expanding the number of disabled students in higher education and the wider social characteristics of disabled students. Related to recognition, the article considers changes which have been made at the institutional level to make the academic environment more conducive to the inclusion of disabled students. It is noted that new public management has often been used as the vehicle for achieving social justice goals. Whilst progress has been made in relation to redistribution and recognition, the adoption of managerialist strategies has had some negative effects. For example, dyslexic students who tend to be male and middle class have been the greatest beneficiaries of the expansion, whereas poorer disabled students and those with more significant impairments have been less likely to be included. In addition, the adoption of a categorical approach for the purposes of social audit does not fit readily with disabled students' conception of self.     

民间美术与高等美术教育

民间美术是民俗文化的重要组成部分，是民族文化艺术宝藏中的精华。高等美术教育中应补上民间美术这一课。     

论背诵在音体美专业学生口语能力提高中的作用

背诵是一种有效的语言学习活动,也是学习英语的传统方法之一。在中国这样一个特定的语言环境下,要提高音体美专业学生这一特殊群体的英语口语能力,背诵有它的一席之地。     

Motivations for entering and pathways of progression of disabled students in further education

Issues concerning the relevance of the human and social capital theories in further education and particularly in the inclusion of disabled people are highlighted. Data are drawn from an ongoing ethnographic study into the experiences of disabled students in two further education colleges. Extracts from 12 focus group discussions with 70 students as well as fieldnotes from observation of courses and other college activities are used to map out the pathways by which the participants entered and progressed through the college and the courses they undertook. Also explored is the significance of the college experience in the student's lives and the extent it has succeeded in enhancing their degree of social inclusion.     

Access to higher education for rural-poor students in China

China is now facing significant challenges in funding its rapidly expanding higher education systems, though it has experienced enormous economic growth in recent years. Equity has become a serious concern in Chinese higher education system. This article tries to identify the causes and implications of under-representation of the rural-poor students in China’s higher educational institutions: academic and social preparedness, institutional funding arrangements, the admissions policy, and the socioeconomic background are significant factors that determine an individual’s opportunity to access to higher education. Also, a brief discussion of possible policy recommendations is presented.     

自闭症谱系儿童语言干预中的"视觉支持"策略

自闭症谱系障碍儿童的语言理解和运用在很大程度上可能涉及到视觉能力的参与."视觉支持"是根据这一认知加工特点而设计的干预策略.从种类上说,视觉支持工具包括视觉流程表、信息分享栏、组织图等.这些视觉工具既能够单独使用,又能够整合到相关的教育干预方案(如图片兑换沟通系统、结构化教学、社会故事方案)之中.视觉支持策略能够有效提高自闭症谱系障碍的社会交往能力和语言能力,是一种值得提倡和推广的语言干预策略.     

Visual methods in researching the arts and inclusion: possibilities and dilemmas

The use of visual methods has become increasingly significant to ethnographic research. The possibilities and challenges I experienced using visual research methods in the school ethnography are examined. This paper explores some of the ethical, practical and methodological issues that arise from the use of video, photographs, pictures and images developed by participants in a UK, Midlands primary school with resident artists, teachers and primary school aged children. The use of visual methods in school ethnographies open up many possibilities and specific issues with regards to the research process. Visual methods offer distinct insight into researching the arts and inclusion.     

Access and participation in higher education of students with disabilities: access to what?

In 1991, the Australian Government designated students with disabilities as one of the six equity groups that were under-represented in higher education. Since that time, there has been only a modest increase in enrolments of students with disabilities despite government polices and funding of disability support services and programs. People with disabilities comprise 20% of Australia’s population but only account for 4% of university enrolments. Despite the existence of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992) and the introduction of the Disability Standards for Education in 2005, negative attitudes about students with disabilities by university lecturers continue to exist. Research into the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of staff, especially in practice-based courses such as nurse education, reveals that university staff, practicum supervisors and even some disability staff, are unaware of their responsibilities under the legislation and that teaching staff continue to hold negative attitudes towards students with disabilities. This article reports on research that investigated the barriers facing such students in nursing courses, in particular in clinical placements. It shows that a lack of understanding of legislative and institutional requirements underlies negative attitudes about students with disabilities, especially in practicum-based courses.     

Touching the void: arts education research in Australia

This article is an overview of arts education research in Australia. The authors argue that there is an urgent need for key arts organisations to form strategic partnerships with arts educators to provide stronger research in the area of arts education. This research base would enhance the ability of policymakers, arts administrators and arts educators to argue for a stronger presence for arts education in schools. Many arts educators and researchers believe that engagement with the arts has value beyond the specific arts subjects themselves. International studies have indicated that important cognitive and social processes and capabilities are developed in arts-enriched experiences, which can be particularly significant for students who are at risk, disengaged and/or underachieving. While this realisation has stimulated action in other countries such as China, Singapore and Japan, arts education researchers in Australia currently make do with small-scale and often ad hoc research in an attempt to argue their case. The conclusions and recommendations of this article call for a series of strategic partnerships to touch or even fill the current void in arts education research in Australia.     

多元文化教育视野下的大学生语言态度研究

本文在多元文化教育的理论指导下,以语言态度为切入点,探究当代大学生对英语、汉语和方言的态度,进而分析导致这些差异的原因,以期对大学的＂多元文化教育＂有所帮助。