This article is based on a previous Spanish study, which aimed to analyze the existence of barriers and aid for 44 students with disabilities enrolled at University. A qualitative methodology was used to collect data. The results analyze both the support and the obstacles provided by new technologies, the opinion students have of technologies in education, and how they affect their academic lives. Some of the training requirements of the faculty members regarding the pedagogical use of these technologies are also described. The conclusions display the university as an institution with potential for improvement, where certain technological limitations persist, thus leading one to believe that as an institution, it must exercise self-criticism and implement measures to facilitate an inclusive education.
The aim of this article is to analyze, from the academic staff’s perspective, the training needs they require to provide an inclusive education to students with disability. Academics from a Spanish university participated in this research. We used a qualitative methodology. We collected the information through semi-structured interviews and open-ended written questionnaires. We analyzed data using an inductive system of categories and codes. Three topics were addressed in the results: profile of academics according to their previous training, the importance of such training for them and the reasons for training, and the contents considered essential for training. In the conclusions section, the need for universities to design and implement training policies was addressed. In addition, the participants stated that they would be more sensitive and better prepared if they received training on disability-related issues. A clear conclusion of this study is that inclusive universities require the involvement of everyone.
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.
9 August 2017 in Education and Information Technologies