GOOD PRACTICES OF ACCESSIBILITY ASSURANCE IN EUROPEAN AND US. UNIVERSITIES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Authors

  • Carmen Maria Ţîru
  • LaurenÈ›iu Gabriel Ţîru PhD, Lecturer Sociology Department West University of TimiÈ™oara

Keywords:

students with disabilities, support institution, accessibility modalities

Abstract

The facilitation of the access of students with
disabilities  to  different  activities  from  university  is
actually  a  common  and  an  important  issue.  The
modalities for assurance of this principle are various
and   adapted   to   the   general   policies   or   specific
procedures in each university, but more important to the
students’ needs. In this article, we want to identify the
types of accessibilities for students with disabilities
form US. and European universities. We analyse the
information available on the sites of universities (32
support centres for students with disabilities from US.
and 26 from Europe) from the same content analysis
indicators.  Also,  we  made  a  comparative  analyse
between the results of the two selected samples. The
content analyse reveals the similarities and differences
between   the   support   centres   for   students   with
disabilities from the two samples. The analysed good
practices models of accessibility assurance for students
with disabilities could be optimised on a particular
dimension in each university case. Only a few support
institutions, mostly from US. universities, make visible
on their web sites all the modalities for accessibility
presented in this article.

The facilitation of the access of students with
disabilities  to  different  activities  from  university  is
actually  a  common  and  an  important  issue.  The
modalities for assurance of this principle are various
and   adapted   to   the   general   policies   or   specific
procedures in each university, but more important to the
students’ needs. In this article, we want to identify the
types of accessibilities for students with disabilities
form US. and European universities. We analyse the
information available on the sites of universities (32
support centres for students with disabilities from US.
and 26 from Europe) from the same content analysis
indicators.  Also,  we  made  a  comparative  analyse
between the results of the two selected samples. The
content analyse reveals the similarities and differences
between   the   support   centres   for   students   with
disabilities from the two samples. The analysed good
practices models of accessibility assurance for students
with disabilities could be optimised on a particular
dimension in each university case. Only a few support
institutions, mostly from US. universities, make visible
on their web sites all the modalities for accessibility
presented in this article.

References

Agran, M., Alper, S., Wehmeyer, M. (2002). Access to the general curriculum

for students with significant disabilities: What it means to teachers.

Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 37(2), 123-133.

ASHE Higher Education Report. (2013). Disability of College Campuses: An

Overview, 2013, Vol. 39 Issue 5, p31-48. 18p.

Balaș, E., Chițu, E. (2013). The role of assessing and the self-assessing in the

development of students' evaluative and self-evaluative skills: Journal

Plus Education Vol. X (2013), No. 1, p202-207, available at the following

link: http://www.uav.ro/jour/index.php/jpe/article/view/70/71

Braga, L., Tracy, J., F., Taliaferro, A., R. (2015). Physical Activity Programs in

Higher Education: Modifying Net/Wall Games to Include Individuals

with Disabilities, in JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education,

Recreation & Dance. Jan2015, Vol. 86 Issue 1, pp.16-22.

Griffiths, S. (2010). Teaching for Inclusion in Higher Education: A Guide to

Practice The Higher Education Authority, available at the following link:

http://wwwnew1.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/inclusion/Framewo

rk.pdf

Kelepouris, Ch., (2014). Transitioning Students with Disabilities into Higher

Education. BYU Educ. & L.J. 27 (2014), p27-39, available at the

following link: http://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/elj/vol2014/iss1/3

Koch, L. C., Mamiseishvili1, K., Higgins, K. (2014). Persistence to degree

completion: A profile of students with psychiatric disabilities in higher

education, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Volume 40, Number 1 /

, p73-82.

Myers, K.A., Jenkins Lindburg, J., Nied, D., M. (2014), Understanding Campus

Complexity: Problems, Challenges, and Marginalizationin in Allies for

Inclusion: Disability and Equity in Higher Education: ASHE Volume 39,

Number 5 Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, California.

Schreuer, N., Sachs, D.,(2014),Efficacy of accommodations for students with

disabilities in higher education. In Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

, Vol. 40 Issue 1, p27-40. 14p. 4 Charts.

World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE). (1998). Higher Education in

the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action. World Declaration on

Higher Education for the Twenty-first Century; Framework for Priority

Action for Change and Development in Higher Education. Paris:

UNESCO.

Downloads

Published

2015-04-14