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Disability in higher education : a key factor for improving quality and achievement
HIGHER EDUCATION TO 2030:
WHAT FUTURES FOR QUALITY ACCESS IN THE ERA OF GLOBALISATION?
Paris-8-9 December 2008
Serge Ebersold
• Why look at disability in higher education (HE)?
An increasing number of SEN students in Higher Education
• United Kingdom : from 2% of the student population in 1994-95 to 6.5% in 2006
• France : from 695 SWD registered in 1981 to 8 763 (0.4%) in the year 2006-07.
• Sweden : + 125% between 1993 and 1999.
• Germany: from 16% of total student population in 2003 to 18.9% in 2006.
A growth reflecting a diversification of students’ profile at higher education
• Inclusive education policies increased the number of SEN students eligible for HE.
• Democratisation of HE has increased the number of students that may be at higher risk of failure and drop out.
• Internationalisation of trade and career paths has increased the proportion of foreigners in HEI (+8% a year since 1998).
• The spread of lifelong learning opportunities increased the number of students returning to HE to maintain their employability.
A diversification reflecting the role of higher education in development of human capital
• Access to higher education improves access to employment
– In 2003, in Norway, the employement rate of those SWD who accessed tertiary education was 7.8% higher compared with those who only completed secondary education.
– In 2004, in England the employment rate of those SWD who completed their 1st degree was close to that of non-disabled students (57.4% compared to 61.2%)
• Access to higher education allows for maintaining employability through mobility :
– Fosters a dynamic relationship to learning
– Allows for openess to lifelong learning opportunities;
– Improves the ability of individuals to cope with changes and transition periods
A diversification, requiring HEIs to cope with a diversity of needs to be equitable
• Diversity of needs and rhythms behind diversity of profiles – Students from modest backgrounds feel less comfortable
with educational and occupational choices and may require support and/or accommodations.
– Foreigners may lack language skills and require accomodations or supports.
– Older students may require some support and/or accommodations to combine academic requirements with family or professionnal requirements
• There is an increasing access to tertiary education but there are
weaknesses
• Access may not reflect personal choice:- In the USA, PWD are four times less likely than non-
disabled students to be admitted to long courses or enroll in institutions offering a first postgraduate course.
• Programmes of study have weaker links with the employment sector:
- France (2006):languages or humanities (36% SWD compared to 32.3% of non disabled students)
• SWD are more likely to face difficulties in achievement.
– In the Netherlands, 50% of SWD fall behind in their studies, are more likely to drop out, and are twice as prone as their non-disabled peers to discontinue their undergraduate studies
• SWD tend to have more erratic pathways within tertiary education– In Germany : SWD disproportionately change their study
programme (23% compared to 19%) or institution (18% compared to 16%) and drop out (20% compared to 13%).
Receptiveness to diversity depending on the concept of disability that is adopted
A medical approach of disability (France, Switzerland)
• Access to HEI of SWD is low: 0.4% of total student population in France
• Disability is related to an « inability » resulting from an impairment as medically certified.
• Needs assessment is medically or socially based : mainly made by doctors or social workers
A medical approach to disability
• In France, those considered as « disabled » are those having a medically certified disability. Of those with disabilities enrolled: – sensory deficiency (24.7%), physical deficiency (19.8%), – health problems (20.6%), psychological disorder (11.2%), – literacy problems (8.2%) , temporary incapacity (5.3%).
• Diversity is constrained due to a minority of students
• Educational needs approached as a marginal phenomenon
A developmental approach of disability (United kingdom, Canada (Ontario)
• Proportion of SWD in HE is higher : 6.5% of total population in UK in 2006 and 8.9% in Ontario in 2001.
• Disability is viewed to a need to be met in the context of the aims followed by the curriculum
• Those considered as « disabled » includes those having educational needs beyond an existing impairment
– In England : dyslexia 43% of total SEN students in 2006
– In Denmark : difficulties in writing 66% of total, SEN students in 2006
– In Ontario : Learning difficulties in Ontario 47.9% of total SEN students in 2001
A developmental appoach of disability (ctd)
• Diversity is a key issue to be met by institutions, a means for each student’s success
• Diversity is related to the diversity of educational needs
• Accessibility is a means for each student’s success and is part of HEIs strategic plan
A relationship to disability impacting on HEIs relationship to quality and effectiveness
A developmental approach of disability fosters quality and effectiveness
• Includes pedagogical and social issues in accessibility
• Refers quality to the enabling effect of teaching methods and accommodations for all students
• Individualisation is a means for fostering each student’s success (Needs of SEN students are those of many non-disabled students)
• Fosters admission strategiesto tkae needs into account and evaluation procedures allowing for identifying the diversity of needs to be met. In the UK:
– The proportion of students suspected of having a disability fell from 33.9% of enrolled students in 1995 to 2.2% in 2004
– Students with learning difficulties rose in UK from 15% in 1994-1995 to 43% in 2006.
• Leads HEIs to provide appropriate teaching and effective support for achievement
– Proportion of SEN students attaining a first class honours degree : 5.4% in 1994 to 9.2% in 2003;
– Achievement of upper second class honours : 35.6% in 1994 and 43.4% for 2003-04.
– Numbers of post-graduate SEN students rose from 10.5% in 1994 to 17.2% in 2003-04.
A medical approach restricts ability to focus on quality and effectiveness
• Accessibility, as a means to compensate the disabilities of a few students. – Accessibility is reduced to physical access and additional
time for examination.
• Prevents from developing appropriate supports and accommodations.– Only 7% of french universities make a formal assessment
to define and implement accommodations and support.
A medical approach restricts ability to focus on quality and effectiveness
• Delivery of supports and accommodations can be neither individualised nor evaluated:– Accommodations and support are delivered according to a level
of incapacity instead of an educational need
• Access to HE depends on students’ ability to cope with the requirements.
– One HEI employee is responsible for support and accommodation and not a service and often feels left alone
– SEN students have lower chances to complete undergraduate courses, especially those with a psychological or health problem or a temporary incapacity
A medical approach restricts ability to focus on quality and effectiveness
• Inhibits including success and transition issues in quality assessment.
– No precise and reliable data on students achievement, pathways to higher education and transitions to employment.
– Access to HE depend on students’ ability to cope with the requirements
Disability at higher education, a source of dynamism and innovation for HEIs
Enrolling SWD encourages change in HEIs
• Appropriate admission strategies and continuity of support require links with upper secondary education.
• Procedures allowing a cross-sectoral approach and complementarity between education, employment and welfare provision have to be developed to allow students to meet academic requirements.
Enrolling SWD encourages:
• Procedures to be developed for coordonnating general and vocational education for building appropriate pathways.
• The adaptation of teaching methods to individuals’ needs requiring HEIs to use new technologies and diversify teaching methods (distance learning, ICT).
– Open University in UK
• Develop links with the economic sector:– University of Toronto works with economic sector on
computer accessibility
– HEIs develop links with employers for facilitating access to internship
• Become a resource centres for the community :– University of Grenoble acts as an accessibility resource
center for the city
– University of Leeds develops admission strategies for students from lower socio-economic background
Enrolling SWD encourages:
• Breaking of the barriers between academic and non- teaching staff – Teaching staff may identify educational needs
– Administrative staff identify pedagogical adaptations that may be required
• Rethinking teaching methods used by academic staff – The adaptation made for a SEN student may be available
for all students
Beyond short term constraints, disability at higher education is an added value
• It reveals Higher education institutions’ ability to :– meet diversity issues; – focus on quality and effectiveness,– be innovative and embedded in community
Disability at higher education
• Leads HEIs to define themselves as learning organisations fostering innovation
• Leads HEIs to consider acessibility and receptiveness as a mean for quality and effectiveness
• Requires HEIs to include transition to tertiary education and to employment in quality assessment
Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment : aims
• Develop cost-effective inclusion policies for economic and social well-being.
• Promote effectiveness and quality for full and active participation.
• Promote best practice quality indicators for effective pathways.
10 countries participate to Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to
employment
• Netherlands
• Denmark
• Norway
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Portugal
• Germany
• United States
• Ireland • France
Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment :
methodology• Country reports: Mapping the situation at policy
level.– Quality linked with current policies and persons with
disabilities’ situations in comparison with those of non-disabled people.
• Policies referred to models of inclusion (Educational model, socio-educational model, socio economical model)
• Quality approached by policies ability to combine equity, effectiveness and innovation
Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment : methodology
• Longitudinal study: What works.– Quality linked with the enabling or disabling effect
of policies and practices on individuals’ situations.
• Case studies: How it works.– Quality linked with educational practices and
support strategies and the skills developed.
References
• OECD, (2003), Disability at higher education; OECD, Paris.
• Ebersold, S. Adapting higher education to the needs of disabled students : development, challenges and prospects in OECD (2008) Higher education to 2030, OECD, Paris.
• Ebersold, S, (2007). An affiliating participation for an active citizenship, Scandinavian journal of disability research, 9;3
Thank [email protected]