Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / People with disabilities do not face the same circumstances, in their journey through tertiary
education, as do people without disabilities. Studies have revealed that learning disabilities
are often invisible and not identified at an early stage. Generally, the move to university
could be challenging for students with disabilities, but very stressful to the students with
learning disabilities, in particular. The principles of inclusive education, where people with
disabilities and those without disabilities are educated in the same setting, have been the main
focus for policy makers in this era. However, scant research has been conducted on the
experiences of students with disabilities in accessing tertiary education, particularly, students
with learning disabilities.
The focus of this current research was to explore the accessibility of tertiary education to
students with learning disabilities, in all the faculties at the University of the Western Cape.
The researcher aimed to explore and describe the experiences of students with learning
disabilities, to inform recommendations for policy and practice. The study was guided by the
anti-discriminatory practice and social inclusion theory. The research methodology involved
a qualitative approach, using an exploratory descriptive design, with nine students and three
staff members, sampled purposively and through snowball sampling. The researcher
employed in-depth interviews and email interviewing to gather data, which were transcribed
and analyzed qualitatively. All research ethics were considered and adhered to. The students
with learning disabilities disclosed how their disability was diagnosed and how they
experienced schooling. These experiences influenced the way they coped with teaching and
learning at university. Most of them acknowledged that the university was supportive, in
various ways, such as, assistive technology, support staff, extra time, as well as a separate
examinations and testing area. However, they had difficulty disclosing their disability to
lecturers, which made learning more challenging. They were of the opinion that, in order for
learning to be inclusive, the university needed to do more to make this a reality. For example,
the training of lecturers and staff on the realities of learning disabilities, as well as employing
holistic approaches to educate students with learning disabilities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/6539 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Mhona, Walter |
| Contributors | Henderson, Neil |
| Publisher | University of the Western Cape |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | University of the Western Cape |
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