This study aims to determine whether the attitudes of students (and therefore future employers) towards people with physical disabilities can be modified by exposing them to the needs of disabled people, or whether perceptions of the needs of the disabled are too entrenched for education to effect any change. It also evaluates whether attitudinal changes are enduring and therefore continue to influence students’ responses to the disabled after a period of time has elapsed. Respondents were students on the Diploma of Hospitality Management at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), enrolled on an Accommodation Operations paper. A compulsory assessment for this paper was a group assignment that considered facilities offered by accommodation providers for guests with disabilities. Respondents were surveyed before (n = 54) and after (n = 24) the assignment to determine any attitude and knowledge changes. Both surveys were undertaken at the end of lectures. The surveys were distributed in class, so the number of respondents relates to the number of students in class during the particular lecture selected for survey distribution. Respondents were then invited to join a focus group to explore their feelings and opinions about disabled people. Another focus group was undertaken with students who had completed the disability assignment the previous year. The focus group was to assess whether or not the awareness of disability issues was still apparent after a period of time had elapsed. These findings would then prove whether or not exposure to such issues still influenced respondents’ attitudes. The second survey responses and comments made during the subsequent focus groups conclude that awareness of disability issues may be heightened with exposure to barriers, both physical and attitudinal, that are experienced by people with impairments. Understanding of disability issues is the first step in the removal of barriers and will help lead to the creation of a more inclusive environment for staff and guests in the hospitality industry. An inclusive environment is particularly desirable as more hotels are required in response to increases in tourist numbers. With increased visitors’ arrivals, it is reasonable to expect that tourists will have varying abilities, and therefore, modification of facilities to suit their needs will benefit a large number of people. The research also concludes that the knowledge gained in the assignment was still influential after the conclusion of the assignment. Students who have studied issues for people with impairments, as future managers, will have the knowledge and understanding to provide a more inclusive environment for guests that meets both social and legal obligations. Such an environment will be beneficial to both guests and potential employees with physical disabilities.

This study aims to determine whether the attitudes of students (and therefore future employers) towards people with physical disabilities can be modified by exposing them to the needs of disabled people, or whether perceptions of the needs of the disabled are too entrenched for education to effect any change. It also evaluates whether attitudinal changes are enduring and therefore continue to influence students’ responses to the disabled after a period of time has elapsed. Respondents were students on the Diploma of Hospitality Management at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), enrolled on an Accommodation Operations paper. A compulsory assessment for this paper was a group assignment that considered facilities offered by accommodation providers for guests with disabilities. Respondents were surveyed before (n = 54) and after (n = 24) the assignment to determine any attitude and knowledge changes. Both surveys were undertaken at the end of lectures. The surveys were distributed in class, so the number of respondents relates to the number of students in class during the particular lecture selected for survey distribution. Respondents were then invited to join a focus group to explore their feelings and opinions about disabled people. Another focus group was undertaken with students who had completed the disability assignment the previous year. The focus group was to assess whether or not the awareness of disability issues was still apparent after a period of time had elapsed. These findings would then prove whether or not exposure to such issues still influenced respondents’ attitudes. The second survey responses and comments made during the subsequent focus groups conclude that awareness of disability issues may be heightened with exposure to barriers, both physical and attitudinal, that are experienced by people with impairments. Understanding of disability issues is the first step in the removal of barriers and will help lead to the creation of a more inclusive environment for staff and guests in the hospitality industry. An inclusive environment is particularly desirable as more hotels are required in response to increases in tourist numbers. With increased visitors’ arrivals, it is reasonable to expect that tourists will have varying abilities, and therefore, modification of facilities to suit their needs will benefit a large number of people. The research also concludes that the knowledge gained in the assignment was still influential after the conclusion of the assignment. Students who have studied issues for people with impairments, as future managers, will have the knowledge and understanding to provide a more inclusive environment for guests that meets both social and legal obligations. Such an environment will be beneficial to both guests and potential employees with physical disabilities.

This study aims to determine whether the attitudes of students (and therefore future employers) towards people with physical disabilities can be modified by exposing them to the needs of disabled people, or whether perceptions of the needs of the disabled are too entrenched for education to effect any change. It also evaluates whether attitudinal changes are enduring and therefore continue to influence students’ responses to the disabled after a period of time has elapsed. Respondents were students on the Diploma of Hospitality Management at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), enrolled on an Accommodation Operations paper. A compulsory assessment for this paper was a group assignment that considered facilities offered by accommodation providers for guests with disabilities. Respondents were surveyed before (n = 54) and after (n = 24) the assignment to determine any attitude and knowledge changes. Both surveys were undertaken at the end of lectures. The surveys were distributed in class, so the number of respondents relates to the number of students in class during the particular lecture selected for survey distribution. Respondents were then invited to join a focus group to explore their feelings and opinions about disabled people. Another focus group was undertaken with students who had completed the disability assignment the previous year. The focus group was to assess whether or not the awareness of disability issues was still apparent after a period of time had elapsed. These findings would then prove whether or not exposure to such issues still influenced respondents’ attitudes. The second survey responses and comments made during the subsequent focus groups conclude that awareness of disability issues may be heightened with exposure to barriers, both physical and attitudinal, that are experienced by people with impairments. Understanding of disability issues is the first step in the removal of barriers and will help lead to the creation of a more inclusive environment for staff and guests in the hospitality industry. An inclusive environment is particularly desirable as more hotels are required in response to increases in tourist numbers. With increased visitors’ arrivals, it is reasonable to expect that tourists will have varying abilities, and therefore, modification of facilities to suit their needs will benefit a large number of people. The research also concludes that the knowledge gained in the assignment was still influential after the conclusion of the assignment. Students who have studied issues for people with impairments, as future managers, will have the knowledge and understanding to provide a more inclusive environment for guests that meets both social and legal obligations. Such an environment will be beneficial to both guests and potential employees with physical disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe registered nurse's perceptions with regard to continuing formal education. A quantitative descriptive, explorative research design was used to study registered nurses views with regard to continuing formal education and to identify the barriers to continuing formal education as experienced by registered nurses. Convenience sampling was used to select the research sample of registered nurses working at four state health institutions in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Descriptive statistics, based on calculations using the Microsoft (MS) Excel (for Windows 2000) programme, were used to summarise and describe the research results obtained from the questions completed by the registered nurses. The research results indicated that most registered nurses perceive continuing formal education as beneficial to their personal and professional growth and to improve the quality of patient/client care, but barriers exist which prevent or deter them from undertaking continuing formal education programmes. The main barriers were identified as structural barriers, including lack of funding, job and family responsibilities and lack of coherent staff development planning. / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe registered nurse's perceptions with regard to continuing formal education. A quantitative descriptive, explorative research design was used to study registered nurses views with regard to continuing formal education and to identify the barriers to continuing formal education as experienced by registered nurses. Convenience sampling was used to select the research sample of registered nurses working at four state health institutions in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Descriptive statistics, based on calculations using the Microsoft (MS) Excel (for Windows 2000) programme, were used to summarise and describe the research results obtained from the questions completed by the registered nurses. The research results indicated that most registered nurses perceive continuing formal education as beneficial to their personal and professional growth and to improve the quality of patient/client care, but barriers exist which prevent or deter them from undertaking continuing formal education programmes. The main barriers were identified as structural barriers, including lack of funding, job and family responsibilities and lack of coherent staff development planning. / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The study aimed at investigating the Admittance, Access and Permanence of Students with Special Educational Needs in the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. To identify the research individuals, it was first necessary to interview the fifty-eight coordinators of the undergraduate courses offered by the institution at eight different campus facilities. Thereafter, the research individuals were selected, that is, the students with Special Educational Needs duly enrolled in undergraduate courses within the institution. The empirical field was the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). This research was based upon the inclusion principle, which considers everybody is entitled to the right to Education, no matter the difficulties, conditions or differences. From the political and social point of view, all educational institutions elementary, secondary or university need to adjust to, recognize and meet these students needs. The qualitative research has used semi-structured interviews, breaking itself of micronsystem until reaching macrosystem, what it was characterized for the methodology of the concentrically circles, being with this gotten the results that show the existing architectural and attitudinal barriers within the institution context. Final considerations highlight the importance of awareness, changes and reforms to eliminate architectural barriers and environmental adverse factors, as well as attitudinal barriers impairing the inclusion of students with Special Educational Needs. We could also highlight the need to increase the scarce mapping studies on these students, in order to locate them and supply them with the deserved conditions to remain in the institution, as well as developing institutional actions to meet their expectations, thus assuring Education for All. Respect for diversity makes us thinking about the importance of understanding the different special conditions that will determine the performance of the school activities by those students with special educational needs within their setting. All school environments are linked to knowledge production and spread; for this reason, awareness, knowledge and respect of these special conditions are essential within this context. / O presente estudo teve por objetivo investigar o Ingresso, Acesso e Permanência dos Alunos com Necessidades Educacionais Especiais na Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - RS. Para identificar os sujeitos pesquisados foi necessário, inicialmente, entrevistar os cinqüenta e oito coordenadores dos cursos de graduação da instituição, dentro de suas respectivas unidades de ensino, que totalizam oito unidades. Desta análise surgiram, então, os sujeitos da pesquisa, que foram os alunos com Necessidades Educacionais Especiais que estivessem devidamente matriculados nos cursos de graduação desta instituição. Como campo empírico elegeu se a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria UFSM - RS. Embasouse este trabalho no princípio da inclusão, que todos têm direito à educação, independente das dificuldades, condições e das diferenças. Logo, do ponto de vista político e social, todas as instituições de ensino sejam de ensino fundamental, médio ou superior precisam adaptarse, reconhecer e satisfazer as necessidades destes alunos. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida com metodologia qualitativa e, como instrumento de coleta de dados utilizou-se a entrevista semiestruturada, partindo-se do microssistema até alcançarmos o macrossistema, o que se caracterizou pela metodologia dos círculos concêntricos, sendo com isso obtidos os resultados que mostram as barreiras arquitetônicas e atitudinais presentes no contexto da instituição. As considerações finais apontam para a importância da conscientização, transformação e reformas para eliminar as barreiras arquitetônicas e fatores ambientais adversos, assim como as barreiras atitudinais que impedem a inclusão dos alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais. Podemos destacar, também, a necessidade de incrementar os escassos estudos de mapeamento destes alunos, no sentido de localizá-los e poder oferecer-lhes condições dignas de permanência na instituição, juntamente com ações institucionais que venham ao encontro das suas expectativas, de forma a garantir uma educação para todos. O respeito à diversidade nos faz pensar na importância de compreender as diferentes condições especiais, que determinarão o desempenho das atividades acadêmicas dos alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais no seu meio. Todos os ambientes acadêmicos estão ligados à produção de conhecimento e a disseminação deste, logo, a informação e conhecimento destas condições especiais e o respeito a elas, tornam-se relevante neste contexto.