Inclusive higher education: the perspective of professors. A qualitative survey .

1. Inclusive higher education: the perspective of professors. A qualitativesurvey. Sophie Jackmaert Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Nathalie Heurckmans Steunpunt Inclusief Hoger Onderwijs (SIHO), Belgium 6 July 2011

2. SIHO 'Support Centre for Inclusive Higher Education' Supports institutions for higher education: • in order to realize inclusive higher education • to create equal chances and full participation for students with disabilities

3. SIHO 3 main tasks: • Provision of services to higher education institutions (consultancy, training, ...) • Networking with (inter)national partners in the field of disability studies (which involves several disciplines) • Research

4. The perspective of professors • Insider perspective Good practices Input for further realization of inclusive higher education ‘How do professors experience inclusive higher education?’ • 12 professors in the Flemish higher education system • Semi-structured interviews

5. Insider perspective professors 4 main themes: • Experiences with students with a disability • Influences on their competences as a professor • Knowledge and experience with disability policy and services • Attitude towards (aspects of) inclusion in higher education

6. Conclusions • Broad definition • Diversity • Students with disabilities • Open for inclusion and positive attitudes towards students with disabilities

7. “I find it crucial that a student gets all the opportunities that he or she needs.” “I find it important to consider the differences between people.”

8. Conclusions • But what with more severe disabilities? • No advantage to other students • Not ‘pampering’

9. Experiences • Motivated students • Positive • Open communication • Positive experience • The challenge of trying to adapt the way of teaching and the course content to the needs of the students

10. Experiences • Difficult experiences • Psychiatric disabilities • Students who stop their education before graduating (‘the support couldn’t meet the needs anymore’)

11. Experiences • Some of the professors find it difficult to pay attention to students with disabilities in their lessons because of the large groups of students  Some disabilities are only apparent during tasks, exams , …

12. Aspects of influence • Another function beside teaching • Education • Previous work • Child with disability • Their character, attitude as a person

13. Reasonable accommodations • Willing to make accommodations (also for everyone, UDL) • ‘Little effort’, ‘evident’, ‘part of being a teacher’, ‘can be an extra effort but it is essential’, “We have a policy towards it so it is more then logical that we support these students.”

14. Reasonable accommodations • Sometimes the support is only needed during the exams • More difficult for psychiatric disabilities and less notable disabilities

15. Professors own support • Reflecting with colleges • Study days “It helps me that I can reflect with my colleagues. ‘What kind of support did they offer?’, ‘Did it work?’ ‘What are their experiences?’,…”

16. Influence on competencies • Reflecting on pedagogy • More aware of their lesson “It makes me search for different ways of didactic teaching.” “It makes me reflecting about the way I teach.”

17. Influence on person and attitude “What I personally find enriching is that I always experience, at the end of the road, that those students aren’t any different. I see them more and more as a student and not as a person with a disability. That is an enrichment in itself, because it often opens a lot of possibilities.”

18. Policy • Positive • Communication and information concerning reasonable accommodations • But services are still very recent (sometimes ‘just in time’ info)

19. Needs • Debate/discussion competencies • More than just ‘practical information’ • Feedback, info concerning disabilities • Study days, use of cases, testimonies of students who graduated

20. SIHO: contact SIHO SintJorisstraat 71 8000 Brugge info@siho.be www.siho.be