Disability- higher education, libraries, teaching and learning.

Bibliography- November 2016

Identity and stigma

Disabled students : identity, inclusion and work-based placements Cunnah, W.Disability and Society - 2015 ; vol 30, issue 2 ; pages 213-226

Abstract: This paper explores the impact of disabled identity on the inclusion of disabled students in higher education and employment contexts. It considers their experiences of inclusion in a university setting and its associated work-based placements and discusses the extent to which students had to negotiate a range of experiences of disabled identity. The paper suggests that many disabled students, especially those with behaviour-related impairment labels, are subject to continued exclusion in university and, more particularly, work settings, and this contributes to an employment disadvantage compared with their peershttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2014.996282

Disabled students’ experiences of higher education in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States – a comparative institutional analysis Järkestig Berggren, Ulrika ; Rowan, Diana ; Bergbäck, Ewa ; Blomberg, BarbroDisability & society - 2016 ; VOL 31, No 3 ;pp 339-356Abstract: Students with disabilities face obstacles in their encounters with higher education. The aim of this study is to investigate how the institutional context shapes students’ experiences of unequal opportunities in higher education. In comparing disabled students’ experiences from universities in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States, the study makes visible the kind of experiences that students share and how experiences differ between these countries within the global context of higher education. The study has shown that students’ possibilities for equal participation are shaped by the institutional context that is based on medical diagnosis and compensation for an inaccessible education.

URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2016.1174103

Disabled international students in British higher education. Experiences andexpectations, by Armineh Soorenian, Rotterdam, Sense Publishers, 2013, 217 pp.,£26.60 (paperback), 978-9-46-209411-6https://www.sensepublishers.com/catalogs/bookseries/studies-in-inclusive-education/disabled-international-students-in-british-higher-education/abstract from publisher website

“Armineh Soorenian comments on the relevance of inclusive educational theories and policies within an increasingly internationalised HE system, with reference to disabled international students’ experiences in England. The project is both timely and appropriate as there is an acute shortage of documentation on the application of policies for the inclusion of disabled students and disabled international students specifically in English universities. The findings identify key barriers in the four broad categories of (1) Information, Access and Funding; (2) Disability Services; (3) Learning and Teaching; and (4) Non-Disability Support Services such as accommodation and social life. The study provides an up-to-date snapshot of disabled international students’ accounts and the multiple disadvantages they experience in their universities based on their identities as ‘disabled’, ‘international’ and sometimes ‘mature’ students.”

Disabled students' narratives about their schooling experiences Vlachou, A. ; Papananou, I.Disability and 2015 ; vol. 30, issue no.1 ;p73-86Abstract:An ongoing interest in disabled learners’ voices has been reflected in a number of studies that explore students’ experiences of schooling, as part of the quest to understand how inclusive education can be achieved. These studies, however, have been conducted mainly in industrially developed countries, while very few studies exist from industrially developing countries such as Greece in which disabled people’s voices are under-represented not only in political processes but in research as well. The aim of this study was to investigate disabled students’ educational experience, their social interactions with peers and teachers, the choice of school and the support they received for responding to curricular demands and complexities. The results of the study confirmed that disabled students can provide invaluable information on matters involving their education, and showed how personal experiences of disability are influenced by the socio-cultural experiences lived in different social arenas, such as that of educationhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2014.982787

Policy

Autumn Statement brings little joy for disabled peopleDisability Rights UKhttp://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2016/november/autumn-statement-2016-brings-little-joy-disabled-people

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Report of the Inquiry Concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland carried out by the Committee under article 6 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention

CRPD/C/15/R.2/Rev.1http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/TBSearch.aspx?Lang=en&TreatyID=4&DocTypeCategoryID=7

Observations of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the report of the Inquiry carried out by the Committee under article 6 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention-Advance Unedited VersionCRPD/C/17/R.3http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/TBSearch.aspx?Lang=en&TreatyID=4&DocTypeCategoryID=7

Disabled People Against Cuts responsehttp://dpac.uk.net/2016/11/the-united-nations-report-into-the-uk-government-maltreatment-of-disabled-people-has-been-published/

Work, health and disability: improving livesDepartment for Work and Pensions consultation paper‘We are seeking views on what it will take to transform employment prospects for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions. Closes Feb 2017’

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-health-and-disability-improving-lives

Teaching and Learning

Accessible examinationsArticle from Jisc accessibility and inclusion November 28, 2016https://accessibility.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2016/11/28/accessible-exam/

Assistive technology/ accessibility

Web text reading : what satisfy both dyslexic and normal learners? Chen, C. J. ; Keong, M. W. ; Teh, C. S. ; Chuah, K. M.Journal of Computers in education 2016 ; vol.3 no.1 ; p 47-58Abstract: The study employs an exploratory approach to examine the satisfaction of normal and dyslexic learners toward different web text modes. As an average of 10 % of the population shows some traits of dyslexia, presenting web text solely based on the guidelines for normal web users will put users with dyslexia at disadvantage. Due to the ubiquitous use of the web for online learning purposes and the availability of tremendous amount of text on the web, this investigation intends to derive appropriate guidelines for presenting web text that could accommodate both groups of learners. This qualitative study uses a multiple case study design and data are mainly collected via observations and guided interviews. The study reveals that existing dyslexia-friendly text guidelines are also appropriate for normal learners and the use of screen reader, an assistive technology that reads text aloud, does not fit every dyslexic and normal learner.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40692-015-0046-x

Ebook Audit 2016

The e-book accessibility audit, which launched in August 2016 and was completed in November 2016 was a joint project between several UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) disability and library services, Jisc and representatives from the book supply industry. The audit supports a mainstreaming approach by seeking to introduce a benchmark for accessibility in e-book platforms by focussing on key areas of practical user experience to measure basic accessibility functionality and guide targeted platform improvement.   The audit itself was a "non-technical" accessibility survey restricted to things that can be quickly and easily checked by a non-specialist with responses crowd-sourced by the UK university library and disability community.The testing was done by 33 universities and 5 suppliers with 44 platforms tested, covering 65 publishers with nearly 280 ebooks tested.URL : https://sites.google.com/site/ebookaudit2016/home