Inclusive University teachers: What characterizes them and how do they think about disability

Abstract

The increase in the number of students with disabilities in Spanish universities implies the need to develop inclusive teaching practices that guarantee the participation and learning of all students. This work is intended: (1) to know the conceptions that the university teaching staff who carry out inclusive teaching practices have about disability; (2) to analyze the reasons that motivate them to attend to the needs of students with disabilities, and (3) to describe the characteristics that define them. The study involved 42 faculty members who were selected as inclusive by students with disabilities from six public universities in different autonomous communities of Spain (Andalusia, Valencia and Madrid). These faculty members belonged to different areas of knowledge and all of them taught in Faculties of Educational Sciences. A biographical-narrative methodology was used by using semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that the majority of the faculty conceived disability from the social, advocating for an inclusive education. Among the reasons that led them to approach to these students were previous experience with people with disabilities, the principle of equality and their responsibility as lecturers. Regarding the characteristics of these inclusive faculty members, empathy, commitment, flexibility and teaching vocation stand out.