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。     

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。     

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.     

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。     

把握高职美术生思想特点,加强思想道德教育

高职美术生的思想特点是个性特征比较鲜明,文化素质相对较低,自律意识相对薄弱．在遵守纪律方面存在观念误区。在加强思想道德教育过程中,应提高学生分辨美丑的能力,通过艺术美培养人格美．切实加强日常思想政治教育和管理,加强宿舍文明建设,寓教于乐,开展丰富多彩的校园文化活动,陶冶学生的道德情操。     

Support for teaching the liberal arts: An institutional dilemma

Using data from a random sample of chief liberal arts academic officers in American colleges and universities, the authors examine the support of teaching in the liberal arts (defined as the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities). Information is presented on 15 categories of faculty support for teaching and research, basic teaching conditions, tenure decisions, and merit salary increases. Differences in support are examined among institutions that vary in size, location, sponsorship, and degree level. These findings suggest that liberal arts teaching is in less than excellent health on most American campuses. In addition, the researchers note numerous inconsistencies among resources, standards, and rewards in American institutions of higher learning and urge liberal arts administrators to reduce these inconsistencies where possible.     

Sex bias in the diagnosis of learning disabled students

Studies of special education students consistently indicate a preponderance of males in classrooms for the learning disabled (LD). To determine whether the overrepresentation of males and underrepresentation of females constitutes sexual discrimination, an objective index involving the discrepancy between expected and actual achievement was calculated for each student. Factors such as intelligence, socioeconomic status, and reason for referral also were investigated to help explain the large disparity of boys to girls diagnosed and placed as LD. Data were collected on 235 LD students and 290 students referred for special education who were declared not impaired (NI). No evidence was found to indicate that group membership in a sexual class was related to diagnostic and placement practices. Approximately one half of the students labeled as LD did not show a reliable discrepancy between expected and actual achievement.     

普通高等学校艺术教育的误区与改革

艺术教育在促进大学生全面素质发展中具有重要作用。目前普通高校艺术教育存在着将艺术教育看作特长教育、补丁教育、点缀教育等典型的认识误区,严重影响了普通高校艺术教育的开展。必须正确认识艺术教育对学生素质发展的意义,在体制和机制上落实艺术教育的重要地位;要确立和坚持艺术教育平民化、普及化思想,坚持艺术教育与专业教育相结合,加大艺术教育师资队伍建设力度,探索适合大学生实际的艺术教育课程和教学方法。     

Hi-bye friends and the herd instinct: international and home students in the creative arts

The crucial role of social integration for the academic success of home students is a common theme in pedagogical research, but for international students the emphasis has been much more on cultural factors and the challenges of transition. The findings of the International Students’ Experience Project at the University of the Arts, London suggest that this is far from the whole story. International students come to the UK precisely to make cosmopolitan friendships, but are held back—by language and communication, but also, less obviously, by differences in age, qualifications, experience and expectations, and by the need to adapt rapidly to an environment which is new in every sense. While home students surmount the challenges of social integration with relative ease, international students thus need more support. By coming to understand the needs of these students in all their complexity, institutions can play a key role in facilitating integration.