University students with learning disabilities: Results of a national survey

Abstract

Despite increasing attention to disadvantaged students in Australian universities, data on students with disabilities is sparse. This paper reports the results of a 1996 national survey on students with learning disabilities (LD) in Australian universities. The data collected from disability support staff indicate that in 1996 they supported approximately 1000 students with LD: this group of students comprised 12% of all supported students with disabilities. The gender ratio of supported students with LD did not differ significantly from that of all university students, but the supported students with LD were more likely to be studying part‐time, less likely to be studying for a higher degree, and less likely to be aged under 20 years.     

University faculty attitudes and knowledge about learning disabilities

ABSTRACT

Adults with learning disabilities (LD) constitute one of the fastest growing populations of students attending institutions of higher education. Faculty members play an important role in the adjustment and success of these students. The current study investigated the perceptions towards LD of faculty members at a public university in Israel. Specifically, the study examined the level of contact, attitudes, knowledge, and training of faculty members with respect to students with LD. The results demonstrated that faculty members overall had a significant amount of contact with and held positive attitudes towards students with LD. However, it appeared that faculty members would benefit from information regarding the current definition of LD, related legislation about LD and other disabilities, and training and support services for LD. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.     

LEARNING DISABILITIES PROGRAMS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Students with learning disabilities (LD) from selected Midwest colleges and universities participated in a study to determine the differences between LD programs at community colleges and four-year institutions; the level of satisfaction with college LD programming; and the services most important to students. Focus groups were held at five institutions including two community colleges, two independent institutions, and one public university. Focus group participants included male and female students aged 16 to 56 years and enrolled in freshmen through graduate levels. The literature suggests that the focus of LD programs and the types of services vary between two-year and four-year institutions due to differences in missions and the characteristics of the students served. However, results from the data in the present study reveal that the types of LD services offered among the institutions participating in the research were quite similar, but the quality of services varied. Students at the large public university had difficulty getting note takers, books on tape and tutors, and obtaining adequate assistance from LD staff. Participants from the smaller community colleges and private colleges and universities considered the smallness of their institutions to be a benefit. The LD program was easily accessible and LD staff were always available. Although the participants in the study who had received LD services in high school believed the services at their college or university were comparable or better, existing programs need to be evaluated to identify services in need of improvement.     

Generic skills assessment: A new problem for tertiary students with learning disabilities

Abstract

A simmering controversy has been running in the United States since 1995 over the perceived conflict between the maintenance of academic standards and the rights of disabled university students. Recent developments are set to raise the same issue in Australian universities. The first of these developments is the shift in the emphasis of academic standards with the implementation of the Generic Skills Assessment (GSA) program. The second is the release of draft disability standards for education to streamline enforcement of the Commonwealth's Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

The DDA protects disabled people against discrimination in education. Amongst the many types of disabled people protected are those who are unable to read, write or communicate effectively because of learning disabilities, and others who are unable to concentrate and pay attention properly because of mental disorders. Hitherto, universities have found ways to comply with the DDA without compromising academic standards by providing these types of disabled students with accommodations that take the form of alternative methods of examination, extra exam time, technological assistance, scribes, readers, etc. However, the GSA has been designed for standardised implementation and doesn't allow for this type of flexibility. Further, generic skills testing specifically discriminates against students with learning disabilities and some mental disorders because it is the inability to master particular types of generic skills that defines these types of disabilities.     

Culturally Relevant Assessment and Support of Grade 1 Students with Mild Disabilities in Tanzania: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT

In Tanzania, many people are not aware of the concept of learning disabilities. Parents and teachers often do not realise that children who do poorly in school and do not have visible disabilities, could still have a disability that is causing their poor school performance. This paper presents the results of a research and service project to identify and support students with mild disabilities in an inclusive school in Tanzania during the three-year pilot process. An international NGO implemented a culturally-relevant, curriculum-based assessment for screening grade 1 students with potential delays or disabilities and provided Tier 2 interventions through small group lessons. In this three-year study, 413 students were screened, 108 students received Tier 2 services and six students received Tier 3 services. Students in Tier 2 received small group instruction in mathematics and literacy as a pull-out programme. Students in Tier 3 attended a special school for children with disabilities. Results showed that students who received Tier 2 intervention made statistically significant gains in their assessment scores after six and twelve months of services. This study demonstrated one successful assessment and intervention model in a typical Tanzanian school to support young children with disabilities to improve their academic outcomes.     

The transition from high school to postsecondary education for students with learning disabilities: a survey of college service coordinators

Federal legislation requires that students with disabilities receive services to assist them in the transition from high school to post-secondary life. Transition services must address students' understanding of their disability, learning strengths and weaknesses, career decision-making skills, and preparation for the increased demands of postsecondary education. This study surveyed coordinators of special services for students with disabilities at 74 colleges and universities in New York state. Respondents provided their perceptions of how well the students they served had been prepared by the transition services they had received in high school. Overall, little satisfaction with transition services was expressed. Respondents were most satisfied with high schools' provision of updated evaluations for students prior to enrollment in college, and they rated students' preparation for self-advocacy as the greatest weakness of current transition services.     

Access and participation in higher education of students with disabilities: access to what?

In 1991, the Australian Government designated students with disabilities as one of the six equity groups that were under-represented in higher education. Since that time, there has been only a modest increase in enrolments of students with disabilities despite government polices and funding of disability support services and programs. People with disabilities comprise 20% of Australia’s population but only account for 4% of university enrolments. Despite the existence of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992) and the introduction of the Disability Standards for Education in 2005, negative attitudes about students with disabilities by university lecturers continue to exist. Research into the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of staff, especially in practice-based courses such as nurse education, reveals that university staff, practicum supervisors and even some disability staff, are unaware of their responsibilities under the legislation and that teaching staff continue to hold negative attitudes towards students with disabilities. This article reports on research that investigated the barriers facing such students in nursing courses, in particular in clinical placements. It shows that a lack of understanding of legislative and institutional requirements underlies negative attitudes about students with disabilities, especially in practicum-based courses.     

Higher education inclusivity: when the disability enriches the university

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the perspectives of faculty members on disability in higher education. Their testimonies give value to the attitudes and qualities of university students with disabilities and show how they influence their professional and personal development. We carried out a qualitative study, through interviews with 119 faculty members of different fields from 10 Spanish universities, who were nominated by students with disabilities for developing inclusive pedagogy. We conducted a progressive analysis of the data using a system of categories and codes. The results describe the motivations that drove the participants to respond to the needs of students with disabilities, the personal and professional impact posed by the challenge of adjusting the teaching and learning processes, and the perceptions of the faculty members toward the contributions of these students to the university. In the conclusions section, we delve into the need of universities to embrace inclusivity. The data provided by this study reveal that disability can be a valuable asset in a university context that dissociates from the deficit lens and acknowledges that all students are important and able to learn when the attitudes and conditions are appropriate.     

Differences in transitional needs of high school students with and without learning disabilities

Studies investigating the post-high-school vocational status of individuals with disabilities have frequently found that these individuals are more likely to be unemployed, underemployed, or employed part-time, when compared to nondisabled peers. Transition programs are needed for adolescents with disabilities to facilitate their vocational success. The current study surveyed 80 high school students with learning disabilities (LD) and 80 nondisabled (NLD) peers to determine their transitional needs. Results indicated that (a) more students with LD than NLD students are involved in transition programs; (b) career goals were established by the majority of both groups; (c) parents provided most of the assistance in making career decisions; and (d) twice as many NLD students as students with LD wanted to go to college, while twice as many students with LD as NLD students wanted to enter the job market. More students with LD than NLD students were aware of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, but the number was still below 50%. The majority of the information about VR services came from the school.     

Training Research Workers

ABSTRACT

The authors investigated and compared Brunei trainee teachers’ attitudes to specific disabilities and students with high support needs. The random sample consisted of 89 participants of both genders on 2 teacher education programs. Data were collected using a 3-part self-report instrument constructed by the researchers. Overall, the participants supported inclusion but were not in favor of accommodating students with sensory, mental, challenging behaviors, and multiple disabilities. Such students tend to have high support needs. Moreover, there were no significant differences in attitudes to inclusion and specific disabilities between the genders and types of programs. Future teacher training programs should develop and foster more positive attitudes toward the integration of students with less favorable disabilities and high support needs.     

“As Long As You Are Willing To Wait”: Access and Equity in Universities for Students With Disabilities

The demand by people with disabilities to university education has been growing in recent years. A pilot study of five universities reviews their equity profiles and on‐the‐ground practices in relation to students with disabilities. Particular attention is paid to departments of Social Work which are postulated to contain the conditions under which disability issues in education might be recognised. The research suggests that there are major resource problems in meeting needs, exacerbated by bureaucratic conflict in government, and a limited willingness by resource‐pressed universities to plan effectively the recruitment and support of students with disabilities. Greatest progress has occurred where student action is most sustained and senior staff have a personal commitment to change     

University education for all? Barriers to full inclusion of students with disabilities in Australian universities

In Australia, anti-discrimination legislation and government policies have been introduced which aim to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in employment and education. However in the area of nursing, attitudinal barriers persist that effectively hinder the full participation of people with disabilities in nurse education programs. These attitudinal barriers prevail despite such legislative and policy changes, and run counter to changing community views about disability. Normative assumptions about the ideal attributes of nurses appear to influence these attitudes, especially in the area of admission of students with disabilities to nurse education programs per se, and to their participation in the practicum component of nurse education programs. This paper reports on research conducted in Victoria, Australia, by nurse academics and equity practitioners at three Victorian universities, into the barriers facing such students. The research examined the views of undergraduate student nurses, their lecturers and their clinical educators, nurse clinicians, and university disability practitioners about the participation of people with disabilities in nurse education programs. The research also sought to document their responses to a framework, developed through the research that aims to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in undergraduate nursing programs. It did this against a pluralistic and technological milieu that in the researchers' view requires a more diverse mix within the nursing profession.     

A 10-year follow-up survey of programs and services for students with learning disabilities in graduate and professional schools

This 10-year follow-up study compares programs and services for students with learning disabilities (LD) in graduate and professional schools between 1985 and 1995. In 1995, surveys were sent to the same institutions (n = 682) as in the earlier survey, with a response rate of 30.6%. Significant changes over the 10 years include a higher level of awareness about LD and evidence of greater compliance with Section 504, a greater specificity of assessments required for the identification of students who receive services, improvements in the types and extent of services available, and increased program visibility. Despite these positive changes, 24% of the respondents indicated that they did not have a coordinator for LD at their institution, and 33% did not have a written plan for services. Eighteen institutions with programs or services for students with LD gave permission to publish their names. Implications and recommendations are discussed.     

University student perspectives on institutional non-disclosure of disability and learning challenges: reasons for staying invisible

ABSTRACT

Students with disabilities (SWD) in Australian higher education need to disclose to their institution to access a range of ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support their learning. Nationally, 5.8% of the university population disclose their disability to their institution. It is suspected that there is a much larger population of students who choose non-disclosure, and therefore decide not to access support. Very little is known about the reasons for non-disclosure as this group represents a hidden population in higher education. The research reported here is based on a survey of undergraduate students in one regional Australian university where disability was reframed as ‘learning challenge’. This identified the institutionally non-disclosed group. This research identified that there were sound reasons for non-disclosure, students continually weigh up potential disclosure during their study, and students have difficulty with the disclosure process. We conclude that institutions need to understand that they have an invisible group of non-disclosing SWD in their student populations and that, to meet their learning challenges, universities need to support changes to policies, procedures and curriculum design.     

Involving families in training early childhood educators: Developing a framework for family centeredness

Abstract

More early childhood programs are including young children with disabilities, thereby creating inclusive environments. In order to adequately prepare personnel for working in these inclusive settings and because of the major focus on family involvement, teacher preparation programs have developed competencies related to family centered practices. One of the most valuable methods for assisting students in developing a family‐centered philosophy is to involve families in the training process. Families of children with disabilities already have much experience in dealing with the many diverse services provided to young children such as, medical staff, social service agencies, specialists (i.e., physical therapists, occupational therapists), early interventionists and teachers and therefore, could provide extensive learning opportunities for students especially from a parents’ perspective. While there are many advantages for involving family members in training activities, there are also some challenges. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of involving families in early childhood teacher preparation programs, different strategies for including them, and the benefits and challenges of partnering with them. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.     

Learning disabilities in Australian universities: hidden, ignored, and unwelcome

Although more students with learning disabilities (LD) are enrolling in Australian universities, their learning needs are not well understood. This article reports on the experiences of students with LD who are encouraged to enter the academy by Australian university policies and government legislation but, once there, find that the promise of equal opportunity is often not kept. This article provides some insights into how university lecturers' normative expectations and practices can affect students' everyday experiences. Interviews with students with LD showed that they do not often receive support services, their "stories" are not believed, and they often feel that they do not "belong".     

Inclusive university settings? An analysis from the perspective of students with disabilities / ¿Contextos universitarios inclusivos? Un análisis desde la voz del alumnado con discapacidad

Abstract

This article presents the partial results of a study that analysed the barriers and means of support that students with disabilities find in classrooms and other university settings (offices, departments, libraries, etc.), using the biographical narrative method. The results of this article focus exclusively on the obstacles and means of support identified by humanities students, with the information organized in relation to the institution in general, infrastructures and architectural barriers, lecturers and their teaching methods, fellow students and proposals for improving universities and classrooms. Finally, the conclusion discusses the main findings regarding how the university facilitates or hinders the participants’ learning processes in this study. From this perspective, and taking the social model of disability as a reference, it is concluded that in order to become inclusive, the university must commit to adopting proactive measures that eliminate the barriers preventing these students from learning and from participating fully.     

A Spanish perspective on LD

This article offers an overview of special education in Spain, specifically in the area of learning disabilities (LD). The term LD in Spain implies a different conception of the definition that enjoys considerable international agreement and consensus. We give a historical perspective of Spanish legislation and place the proposed definition of LD in the context of recent school reform in Spain. The support services model and the assessment practices and instructional approaches in the LD field are described. Finally, some educational implications of the new school reform regarding teacher training programs to assist special educational needs are presented.