Disability in higher education : a key factor for improving quality and achievement

1. Disability in higher education : a key factor for improving quality and achievement Higher Education to 2030: What futures for quality access in the era of globalisation? Paris-8-9 December 2008 Serge Ebersold

2. Why look at disability in higher education (HE)?

3. An increasing number of SEN students in Higher Education • United Kingdom : from 2% of the student population in 1994-95 to 6.5% in 2006 • France : from 695 SWD registered in 1981 to 8 763 (0.4%) in the year 2006-07. • Sweden : + 125% between 1993 and 1999. • Germany: from 16% of total student population in 2003 to 18.9% in 2006.

4. A growth reflecting a diversification of students’ profile at higher education • Inclusive education policies increased the number of SEN students eligible for HE. • Democratisation of HE has increased the number of students that may be at higher risk of failure and drop out. • Internationalisation of trade and career paths has increased the proportion of foreigners in HEI (+8% a year since 1998). • The spread of lifelong learning opportunities increased the number of students returning to HE to maintain their employability.

5. A diversification reflecting the role of higher education in development of human capital • Access to higher education improves access to employment • In 2003, in Norway, the employement rate of those SWD who accessed tertiary education was 7.8% higher compared with those who only completed secondary education. • In 2004, in England the employment rate of those SWD who completed their 1st degree was close to that of non-disabled students (57.4% compared to 61.2%)

6. Access to higher education allows for maintaining employability through mobility : • Fosters a dynamic relationship to learning • Allows for openess to lifelong learning opportunities; • Improves the ability of individuals to cope with changes and transition periods

7. A diversification, requiring HEIs to cope with a diversity of needs to be equitable • Diversity of needs and rhythms behind diversity of profiles • Students from modest backgrounds feel less comfortable with educational and occupational choices and may require support and/or accommodations. • Foreigners may lack language skills and require accomodations or supports. • Older students may require some support and/or accommodations to combine academic requirements with family or professionnal requirements

8. There is an increasing access to tertiary education but there are weaknesses

9. Access may not reflect personal choice: • In the USA, PWD are four times less likely than non-disabled students to be admitted to long courses or enroll in institutions offering a first postgraduate course. • Programmes of study have weaker links with the employment sector: - France (2006):languages or humanities (36% SWD compared to 32.3% of non disabled students)

10. SWD are more likely to face difficulties in achievement. • In the Netherlands, 50% of SWD fall behind in their studies, are more likely to drop out, and are twice as prone as their non-disabled peers to discontinue their undergraduate studies • SWD tend to have more erratic pathways within tertiary education • In Germany : SWD disproportionately change their study programme (23% compared to 19%) or institution (18% compared to 16%) and drop out (20% compared to 13%).

11. Receptiveness to diversity depending on the concept of disability that is adopted

12. A medical approach of disability (France, Switzerland) • Access to HEI of SWD is low: 0.4% of total student population in France • Disability is related to an « inability » resulting from an impairment as medically certified. • Needs assessment is medically or socially based : mainly made by doctors or social workers

13. A medical approach to disability • In France, those considered as « disabled » are those having a medically certified disability. Of those with disabilities enrolled: • sensory deficiency (24.7%), physical deficiency (19.8%), • health problems (20.6%), psychological disorder (11.2%), • literacy problems (8.2%) , temporary incapacity (5.3%). • Diversity is constrained due to a minority of students • Educational needs approached as a marginal phenomenon

14. A developmental approach of disability (United kingdom, Canada (Ontario) • Proportion of SWD in HE is higher : 6.5% of total population in UK in 2006 and 8.9% in Ontario in 2001. • Disability is viewed to a need to be met in the context of the aims followed by the curriculum

15. Those considered as « disabled » includes those having educational needs beyond an existing impairment • In England : dyslexia 43% of total SEN students in 2006 • In Denmark : difficulties in writing 66% of total, SEN students in 2006 • In Ontario : Learning difficulties in Ontario 47.9% of total SEN students in 2001

16. A developmental appoach of disability (ctd) • Diversity is a key issue to be met by institutions, a means for each student’s success • Diversity is related to the diversity of educational needs • Accessibility is a means for each student’s success and is part of HEIs strategic plan

17. A relationship to disability impacting on HEIs relationship to quality and effectiveness

18. A developmental approach of disability fosters quality and effectiveness • Includes pedagogical and social issues in accessibility • Refers quality to the enabling effect of teaching methods and accommodations for all students • Individualisation is a means for fostering each student’s success (Needs of SEN students are those of many non-disabled students)

19. Fosters admission strategiesto tkae needs into account and evaluation procedures allowing for identifying the diversity of needs to be met. In the UK: • The proportion of students suspected of having a disability fell from 33.9% of enrolled students in 1995 to 2.2% in 2004 • Students with learning difficulties rose in UK from 15% in 1994-1995 to 43% in 2006.

20. Leads HEIs to provide appropriate teaching and effective support for achievement • Proportion of SEN students attaining a first class honours degree : 5.4% in 1994 to 9.2% in 2003; • Achievement of upper second class honours : 35.6% in 1994 and 43.4% for 2003-04. • Numbers of post-graduate SEN students rose from 10.5% in 1994 to 17.2% in 2003-04.

21. A medical approach restricts ability to focus on quality and effectiveness • Accessibility, as a means to compensate the disabilities of a few students. • Accessibility is reduced to physical access and additional time for examination. • Prevents from developing appropriate supports and accommodations. • Only 7% of french universities make a formal assessment to define and implement accommodations and support.

22. A medical approach restricts ability to focus on quality and effectiveness • Delivery of supports and accommodations can be neither individualised nor evaluated: • Accommodations and support are delivered according to a level of incapacity instead of an educational need • Access to HE depends on students’ ability to cope with the requirements. • One HEI employee is responsible for support and accommodation and not a service and often feels left alone • SEN students have lower chances to complete undergraduate courses, especially those with a psychological or health problem or a temporary incapacity

23. A medical approach restricts ability to focus on quality and effectiveness • Inhibits including success and transition issues in quality assessment. • No precise and reliable data on students achievement, pathways to higher education and transitions to employment. • Access to HE depend on students’ ability to cope with the requirements

24. Disability at higher education, a source of dynamism and innovation for HEIs

25. Enrolling SWD encourages change in HEIs • Appropriate admission strategies and continuity of support require links with upper secondary education. • Procedures allowing a cross-sectoral approach and complementarity between education, employment and welfare provision have to be developed to allow students to meet academic requirements.

26. Enrolling SWD encourages: • Procedures to be developed for coordonnating general and vocational education for building appropriate pathways. • The adaptation of teaching methods to individuals’ needs requiring HEIs to use new technologies and diversify teaching methods (distance learning, ICT). • Open University in UK

27. Develop links with the economic sector: • University of Toronto works with economic sector on computer accessibility • HEIs develop links with employers for facilitating access to internship • Become a resource centres for the community : • University of Grenoble acts as an accessibility resource center for the city • University of Leeds develops admission strategies for students from lower socio-economic background

28. Enrolling SWD encourages: • Breaking of the barriers between academic and non- teaching staff • Teaching staff may identify educational needs • Administrative staff identify pedagogical adaptations that may be required • Rethinking teaching methods used by academic staff • The adaptation made for a SEN student may be available for all students

29. Beyond short term constraints, disability at higher education is an added value • It reveals Higher education institutions’ ability to : • meet diversity issues; • focus on quality and effectiveness, • be innovative and embedded in community

30. Disability at higher education • Leads HEIs to define themselves as learning organisations fostering innovation • Leads HEIs to consider acessibility and receptiveness as a mean for quality and effectiveness • Requires HEIs to include transition to tertiary education and to employment in quality assessment

31. Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment : aims • Develop cost-effective inclusion policies for economic and social well-being. • Promote effectiveness and quality for full and active participation. • Promote best practice quality indicators for effective pathways.

32. 10 countries participate to Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment Portugal Germany United States Ireland France • Netherlands • Denmark • Norway • Czech Republic • Estonia

33. Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment : methodology • Country reports: Mapping the situation at policy level. • Quality linked with current policies and persons with disabilities’ situations in comparison with those of non-disabled people. • Policies referred to models of inclusion (Educational model, socio-educational model, socio economical model) • Quality approached by policies ability to combine equity, effectiveness and innovation

34. Pathways for students with disabilities to tertiary education and to employment : methodology • Longitudinal study: What works. • Quality linked with the enabling or disabling effect of policies and practices on individuals’ situations. • Case studies: How it works. • Quality linked with educational practices and support strategies and the skills developed.

35. References • OECD, (2003), Disability at higher education; OECD, Paris. • Ebersold, S. Adapting higher education to the needs of disabled students : development, challenges and prospects in OECD (2008) Higher education to 2030, OECD, Paris. • Ebersold, S, (2007). An affiliating participation for an active citizenship, Scandinavian journal of disability research, 9;3

36. Thank you Serge.ebersold@oecd.org