UNIVERSITY OF MACEDONIA

1. UNIVERSITY OF MACEDONIA Support and Inclusion of students with disabilities at higher education institutions in Montenegro

2. Overview Assessing the piloting year: recording the aspects of SwDs at HEIs in MNE Investigate the perceptions & experiences of SwDs Group interviews Teaching, learning, assessment

3. Context of the Study Participation of students with disabilities in HE is an issue both of equal opportunities and of empowerment. Few references in the perceptions of SwD in HE. Evidence suggests that SwDs tend to encounter more barriers to learning at university and to achieve poorer outcomes in terms of final degree classification, despite having comparable qualifications to other students when entering the same university

4. Context of the Study The needs and rights of SwDs as learners in HE have been officially recognized in many countries Principal points: - achieving positive support for disabled students requires more than legislative change - many staff report feeling limited in terms of training to support SwDs, knowledge or resources, skills for making adjustments and unfamiliarity with disability laws - physical adjustments for SwDs are easier to achieve than attitudinal change in staff

5. Methodology Aim: Investigate the perceptions and experiences of SwDs in HE. Articulate the barriers and opportunities they experience in the university Show the connection between structural conditions and the lived reality Make recommendations about the current practices Form or modify policies and practices in order to enhance participation and inclusion

6. Sample It is important to explore the whole range of impairments rather than focusing on one type only. Specific Learning Difficulties i.e. Dyslexia Visual impairment/ disability Deaf or hearing impairment/ disability Physical disability Mental health problems

7. Sample In order to study the range of possible student experiences we select students from four distinct areas. Art Education Environment Sport and leisure

8. Sample We select these areas because: They have different proportions of students with disabilities, with art and sport attracting more disabled students than environment and education. Each subject area is characterized by different forms of teaching, learning and assessment.

9. Instrument Group interviews with SwDs. Each group of four to six students with disability. Team member in each group as a facilitator with a brief to encourage discussion and ensure that the ground rules were adhered to. Team member responsible for note taking, maintenance of recording equipment.

10. Aspects of investigation Experiences of teaching Experiences of assessment Importance of information

11. Experiences of teaching Note taking Participation and interaction in class Experiences in good practice in teaching

12. Experiences in assessment Forms of assessment and possible alternatives Experiences in good practice in assessment

13. Importance of information Access to information prior to applying to specific universities Access to information once at university Dissemination of information within the university

14. Conclusion Investigating the experiencesof SwDsQQ: Provide the stakeholders with perspectives on the development of institution’s policies and practices for inclusive education. Reveal gap between policy and practice but also the barriers that students encounter to multiple aspects (teaching, assessment, physical environment) Promote strategic institutional changes, with the emphasis on providing individual support to get round institutional barriers rather than on more fundamental institutional change.

15. It is important…. Move beyond single institution studies and to focus on specific impairment towards a more extensive and integrated approach. Investigate and compare the culture of the institutions, the nature of teaching and assessment in different disciplines and the experiences of students with a range of impairment. In order to Meet the inclusive curriculum goals