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
• Why look at disability in higher education
(HE)?
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.
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.
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 nondisabled students (57.4% compared to 61.2%)
• 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
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
• There is an increasing access to tertiary
education but there are weaknesses
• Access may not reflect personal choice:
- In the USA, PWD are four times less likely than nondisabled 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)
• 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%).
Receptiveness to diversity depending on the
concept of disability that is adopted
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
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
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
• 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
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
A relationship to disability impacting on HEIs
relationship to quality and effectiveness
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)
• 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.
• 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.
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.
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
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
Disability at higher education, a source of
dynamism and innovation for HEIs
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.
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
• 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
Enrolling SWD encourages:
• Breaking of the barriers between academic and nonteaching 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
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
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
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.
10 countries participate to Pathways for students
with disabilities to tertiary education and to
employment
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•
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Netherlands
Denmark
Norway
Czech Republic
Estonia
•
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Portugal
Germany
United States
Ireland
France
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 nondisabled 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
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.
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
Thank you
Serge.ebersold@oecd.org