Anabel Moriña

Inclusive curricula in Spanish higher education? Students with disabilities speak out

This paper studies barriers and support affecting access, experience and performance as identified by students with disabilities at the University of Seville. Biographical-narrative research methodology is employed and the study is limited to an analysis of the design and development of subjects across the curriculum. Findings, which give voice to the students themselves, are organized in four topic areas: subject structure, methodology, tutorials, and assessment. The paper concludes with a review and discussion of key findings as well as suggestions for improvement and policy-making.

Hidden voices in higher education: inclusive policies and practices in social science and law classrooms

This paper pertains to a broader biographical-narrative research project which studies barriers and support as identified by students with disabilities at a Spanish University (Barriers and Support That Disabled Students Identify in the University. Project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Dir. Dr Anabel Moriña; Ref. EDU 2010–16264, 2010–2014)). The present study focuses specifically on barriers and support identified by students with disabilities enrolled in undergraduate programmes in the Social Sciences and Law. The purpose of this paper is to analyse, from the point of view of disabled students (applying the biographic-narrative methodology), which barriers and which support this group encounters in Higher Education. To this end, findings are organised in the following categories: general institutional data; infrastructure, architectural and accessibility-related data; faculty and teaching-related data; data relating to fellow students; and suggestions for improving the university and/or university classrooms. In the Conclusions section, we return to our earlier discussion of key findings which shed some light on how the University helps or hinders learning among participants in the study. From this perspective, taking as a reference the social model of disability, we conclude that in order to be inclusive, the University needs to commit itself to adopting proactive measures that eliminate the barriers that do not permit the learning and the full participation of the students in question.

Inclusive education in higher education: challenges and opportunities

Abstract Implementing the principles of inclusive education within higher education can be challenging. Inclusive education was originally developed for younger students, prior to its application within higher education. However, as more students with disabilities successfully complete their early schooling, the need to move towards inclusive practices within higher education has increased. The purpose of this article is to offer thoughts on inclusive practices within higher education. The paper is organised into three sections: a description of the current situation of inclusive education in relation to students with disabilities in higher education; a review of the literature focused on students with disabilities and on faculty members within higher education; and a discussion of how moving the university towards an inclusive setting requires designing policies, strategies, processes and actions that contribute to ensuring the success of all the students.

‘We aren’t heroes, we’re survivors’: higher education as an opportunity for students with disabilities to reinvent an identity

Abstract The partial results of ongoing research in the ‘University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities’ Project are presented. This four-year study (2011–2014) was carried out by a University of Seville research team with lecturers from a variety of fields and areas of knowledge (Educational Sciences, Economics, Health Sciences and Experimental Sciences). The general aim was to discover, from listening to the students themselves, barriers and aids they identified as affecting access, academic performance and overall perception of their higher education experience. The biographical narrative method, which allows the participants to talk freely about themselves without silencing their subjectivity, was used. This information was acquired by data collection techniques, such as in-depth interviews, observations, photographs and interviews with key persons in the life of each student. A structural analysis was implemented using an inductive system of categories and codes included in the MaxODA10 data analysis program. This study revealed the most personal and private feelings of the participants as they discussed such things as their perception as students, identification of disabilities or their strategies for facing ‘adversities’. The discourse revealed higher education as a privileged scenario in which they are socially included and able to reinvent an identity that may have deteriorated during other stages of their education.

Faculty training: an unavoidable requirement for approaching more inclusive university classrooms

Adequate policies for faculty training in diversity continue to be pending on the agendas of many universities. This paper presents the recommendations of 44 university students with disabilities not only for adequate faculty training, but also on informing them on both matters of the disability itself and how to respond to the needs derived from it. The data analyzed come from research funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness ‘University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities’, which has been underway since 2011. A biographical-narrative methodology was used. The university life histories of the students were compiled by making use of in-depth interviews, lifelines and photographs. The conclusions of the study discuss the main results along with other previous studies, and recommendations are made so universities can provide training plans leading to inclusive education and learning.

What if we could Imagine an Ideal University? Narratives by Students with Disabilities

Abstract This article presents the results of a project entitled, ‘Analysis of University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities’, carried out in a Spanish University. The study used the biographical–narrative methodology, which emphasises the importance of people talking about themselves without silencing their subjectivity. Different types of data collection instruments, such as biographic interview, timelines and photography, were employed to acquire this information. The Results section presents proposals made by students with disabilities which could contribute to developing a more inclusive university. Some of their suggestions were that students with disabilities should be better informed and oriented, academic staff should be better trained to favour their educational inclusion, the settings and infrastructures should be accessible, and universities should be prepared to deal with people with disabilities. The conclusions discuss the main findings of the analysis, comparing them with other previous studies, and making some proposals that help universities progress towards inclusive education.

University surroundings and infrastructures that are accessible and inclusive for all: listening to students with disabilities

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.

The impact of a faculty training program on inclusive education and disability

This paper describes the knowledge gained by 20 faculty members following their participation in a training program on inclusive education and disability. The study, which was conducted at an university in Spain, aimed to design, implement and evaluate a program for training faculty members to respond in an inclusive manner to the needs of students with disabilities. An initial, formative and summative qualitative evaluation was carried out and four instruments were used for collecting the data: group and individual interviews, written open-ended questionnaires and observations. The data were analyzed inductively, using a category and code system. The results reveal that, after the training program, faculty considered what they had learned to be useful for their professional practice and highlighted that they felt better-informed and better-trained in relation to disability and were more aware of the needs of students with disabilities. Finally, in the conclusions section, the paper discusses the results in relation to those reported by other studies, and offers some recommendations for universities planning to implement training policies designed to build more inclusive learning environments.

Learning from experience: training for faculty members on disability

ABSTRACT Through the opinions expressed by 20 Spanish faculty members, this article describes the key elements of a blended learning training programme on disability. Qualitative evaluation was carried out using semi-structured group interviews and open-ended written questionnaires. Satisfaction with the training programme was analysed and its strengths (such as the suitability of blended learning and the inclusion of face-to-face sessions in which students with disabilities talked about their experiences) and weaknesses (such as the need for more training hours and more face-to-face sessions) were identified. As outlined in the conclusions, both the strengths and the weaknesses detected taught us valuable lessons, prompting us to think about possible actions that could be taken to ensure more effective faculty training.

Inclusive Higher Education in Spain: Students With Disabilities Speak Out

This study examined the barriers and supports to inclusive education identified by university students with disabilities in Spain. A qualitative methodology is used. Students identified several organizational and architectural barriers and supports in completing their degrees. The conclusions go back to the main ideas analyzed to discuss previous works; likewise, proposals for improvements are provided, such as the need to train faculty in inclusive education and universal design for learning and the importance of redesigning learning environments to make them more accessible.