INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION?

Abstract

The present study provides partial findings from research currently underway at the University of Seville: ‘Hurdles & Help as Perceived by University Students Disabilities’. (Directed by Dr. Anabel Moriña, project funding: MICINN, I+D+I, ref. EDU 2010-16264). How does the university, as an institution, open doors and/or put hurdles in the way of students with special needs? The present study adopts a qualitative methodological approach. More specifically, biographic-narrative methods are employed to give shape to a series of life stories. A wide range of data gathering techniques were used, including discussion groups, in-depth interviews, classroom observation sessions, photographs, biograms, etc. Data analysis was carried out in two phases. In the first, the focus was on individual life stories. The second phase involved applying comparative data analysis methods to transcriptions of documents generated using aforementioned methods, in line with Miles and Huberman (1994). Maxqda10 data analysis software was the tool of choice. Results will be discussed with the following questions as a backdrop: Is the University inclusive? We will analyse institutional barriers and aids, as perceived by the students themselves. Architectural and structural hurdles affecting access to university classrooms, infrastructures and other spaces will be assessed here. Finally, we will take a closer look at student expectations with respect to their conception of the ideal university. Is the University an institution that opens or closes its doors to students with disabilities? Based on the analysis in the previous section, a number of conclusions can be reached. The first and foremost is the fact that the students coincided in their opinions, independently of the disability they might have and the courses studied, both when identifying help and barriers. Having said that, the number of barriers identified surpassed the help.