Improved Learning Support with Minor Costs and Little Efforts: Students with a Disability in Higher Education and Their Perspectives of the Learning Support
In line with the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030, the higher education institutions strive to achieve the values of an accessible and inclusive higher education for all students. The number of students with disabilities in higher education is rising in several countries. Studies exploring the students’ perspectives of the learning support？are？lacking. This study？explored？the students’ perspectives of the learning support provided for students with disabilities in higher education. Interviews with twelve students with various disabilities studying at a university in Sweden were held between 2018 and 2020. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings resulted in？four categories:？1) A need for specific learning support based on each individual disability,？2) A satisfaction with the given learning support,？3) The student’s disability in relation to their work-based internship,？4) The students’ proposals to ease the study journey. In general, students appreciated having a mentor, a note taker, being able to sit in a smaller room during exams or having extended examination time. The students suggested improvements that could be realized with minor costs and small efforts. To meet the criteria of an inclusive and accessible higher education institution, a good learning support is of great importance.
References
[1]
Adefila, A., Broughan, C., Phimister, D., & Opie, J. (2020). Developing an Autonomous-Support Culture in Higher Education for Disabled Students. Disability and Health Journal, 13, Article ID: 100890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100890
[2]
Anderson, A. H., Carter, M., & Stephenson, J. (2018). Perspectives of University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48, 651-665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3257-3
[3]
Bencini, G. M. L., Garofolo, I., & Arenghi, A. (2018). Implementing Universal Design and the ICF in Higher Education: Towards a Model That Achieves Quality Higher Education for All. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 256, 464-472.
[4]
Bolourian, Y., Zeedyk, S. M., & Blacher, J. (2018). Autism and the University Experience: Narratives from Students with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48, 3330-3343.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3599-5
[5]
D’Alessio, K. A., & Banerjee, M. (2016). Academic Advising as an Intervention for College Students with ADHD. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29, 109-121.
[6]
European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice (2014). Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe: Access, Retention and Employability.
[7]
Evans, W. (2014). I Am Not a Dyslexic Person I’m a Person with Dyslexia: Identity Constructions of Dyslexia among Students in Nurse Education. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70, 360-372. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12199
[8]
Hauschildt, K., Vogtle, E. M., & Gwosc, C. (2018). Eurostudent 2018. Social and Economic Conditions of Student Life in Europe, Eurostudent VI 2015-2018—Synopsis of Indicators. W. Bertelsmann Verlag. https://www.eurostudent.eu/
[9]
Jarkestig Berggren, U., Rowan, D., Bergback, E., & Blomberg, B. (2016). Disabled Students’ Experiences of Higher Education in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States—A Comparative Institutional Analysis. Disability and Society, 31, 339-356.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2016.1174103
[10]
Lindgren, B. M., Lundman, B., & Graneheim, U. H. (2020). Abstraction and Interpretation during the Qualitative Content Analysis Process. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 108, Article ID: 103632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103632
[11]
Majoko, T. (2018). Participation in Higher Education: Voices of Students with Disabilities. Cogent Education, 5, Article ID: 1542761.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1542761
[12]
NVivo, Q. (2020). NVivo 1.1 Qualitative Research Software.
https://www.qsrinternational.com/
[13]
Olofsson, A., Taube, K., & Ahl, A. (2015). Academic Achievement of University Students with Dyslexia. Dyslexia, 21, 338-349. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1517
[14]
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice (9th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
[15]
Redpath, J., Kearney, P., Nicholl, P., Mulvenna, M., Wallace, J., & Martin, S. (2013). A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Disabled Post-Transition Students in Higher Education Institutions in Northern Ireland. Studies in Higher Education, 38, 1334-1350. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.622746
[16]
Richardson, J. T., Long, G. L., & Woodley, A. (2004). Students with an Undisclosed Hearing Loss: A Challenge for Academic Access, Progress, and Success? The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 9, 427-441.
https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enh044
[17]
SFS1992:1434. Hogskolelagen (Higher Education Act). Ministry of Education and Research.
[18]
SFS2008:567. Diskrimineringslagen (Discrimination Act). Ministry of Employment, Sweden.
[19]
Simmeborn Fleischer, A., Adolfsson, M., & Granlund, M. (2013). Students with Disabilities in Higher Education—Perceptions of Support Needs and Received Support: A Pilot Study. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 36, 330-338.
https://doi.org/10.1097/MRR.0b013e328362491c
[20]
Stockholm University (2019). Arsredovisning 2019 (Annual Report 2019).
[21]
Swedish Higher Education Authority (2019). Higher Education Institutions in Sweden—2019 Status Report.
https://english.uka.se/about-us/publications/reports--guidelines/reports--guidelines/2019-08-14-higher-education-institutions-in-sweden---2019-status-report.html
[22]
United Nations (2020). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Goal 4: Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4
