Disability and higher education

1
Disability and higher education what are the
barriers to participation?

• Eva Magnus
• Research fellow
• NTNU Social Research Ltd./Norwegian University of
  Science and Technology, Norway

2
Introduction

• Since 1981 political goals of equality and
  participation
• Universal design as a strategy in key areas in
  society
• Higher education as a strategy to increase
  participation at the labour market
• New reforms in higher education

3
The known barriers

• Lacking practical adjustments
• Missing literature for visually impaired
• Learning management systems not available for all
• Lacking knowledge of how to meet theese students
  need

4
Intention

• To explore and describe the eyeryday life of
  disabled students in Norway.
• What obstacles are found?
• What are the concequences for participation?
• What strategies do they use to minimise the
  impact of existing barriers?

5
Method

• Participants 12 students in higher education,
  9 women and 3 men, aged 22-43.
• Data collection time-geographic diary, in-depth
  interview, focus groups.
• Data collection and analysing inspired by
  grounded theory and method (Charmaz 1995, 2000).

6
Three preliminary categories

• Organising must be in place
• When support is experienced as a threat or as
  suspiciouness
• To be met gives energy

7
Organising must be in place

• All the work that has to be done to make the
  everyday life function.
• Learn what your possibilities for support are.
• Collaborate, communicate, make changes.

8

• Heidi said
• I would like to be a part of the social life and
  make myself a network. But organising the
  everyday life takes all my time and energy.

9

• Heidi add
• I have a feeling of having to make the road Im
  on by myself. I have spent my time trying to
  survive.

10

• Helga said
• Nobody told me about the support service at the
  university. I thought it was meant only for
  students that could not walk. One day I read
  about it in the university newspaper, and
  contacted them. They helped me getting extended
  time during exams and I got an office for myself
  where I can read and take the rest I need during
  the day.

11
When support is experienced as a threat or as
suspiciousness

• The intention of the Scandinavian welfare system
  is to enable people to participate and taking
  care of themselves on equal terms.
• The other side of support.

12

• Helen, on vocational rehabilitation
• I do not look sick, instead I look quite well.
  If I had come there with crutches, it would have
  been different. I understood when I talked to him
  (the councellor) that he did not trust me being
  sick. I think he believes I have fooled them. He
  asked me a lot of questions on why I was on
  rehabilitation, why I needed it.

13

• And she continued
• It seems like he had not bothered to look into
  my papers, really sat down and read them, and
  then he gave more trust in his own observartions
  than in what the papers could have told him.

14

• Kamilla needed adjustments during exams
• I can understand why they have to be suspicious,
  because there is some cheating. But for me it all
  gave this negative impression. You are new in
  town and have to find your way around and fix it
  all by yourself. And she was so negative I
  found it really stressing.

15
To be met gives energy

• Good and bad experiences meeting people that are
  of importance to you in handling the study
  situation
• Staff members administrative and professional

16

• Helen told me
• A resource person is good at seeing. I talked to
  one of them about the last paper that I failed,
  and she said, that is not a problem. You have to
  do what is the right thing for yourself, and tell
  me if you need me.
• That was great for me. Meeting a person like
  that makes things a little bit easier, and that
  is one of the main reason why I still am a
  student at that institute.

17

• And she added
• Meeting kindness is central in how much energy
  you put into it. It gives you vitality, and makes
  you want to pass. When people try to understand
  and make adjustments, it gives you a push and a
  help to put up with the challenges you cant
  continue at an institute, and you cant bear it
  if you know you are met by a face telling you
  oh, is it you again. Are you coming to make it
  even more complicated for us!

18

• Helga, about the social advisor
• I could talk to her, she had experience, and she
  understood more than I did. She helped me finding
  ways to handle the situation.

19
Participation (Martin Molin 2004)

• Interaction is dependent on both internal
  conditions (willingness and capacity to
  participate) and external conditions (the social
  and physical environment, rules, norms and
  opportunity given to the person).

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Strategies to participation

• To study at the faculty were they are met with an
  understanding attitude.
• Call my mother.
• Physical training or outdoor life.
• Regular talks with the councellor for disabled
  students.
• Being as kind as possible.
• Competence, knowing the legislation and support
  systems.

21
Consequences

• Extra time spent in communication with official
  services and university staff members
• Less time and energy for studies and leisure
  activities
• Studies came first and friendship were suffering

22
References

• Bliksvær, Trond og Hansse, Jan-Inge (2006).
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• Brandt, Synnøve (2005). Høyere utdanning
  tilgjengelig for alle? Studenter med
  funksjonsnedsettelse og funksjonshemming i høyere
  utdanning Kvalitetsreformens betydning og
  lærestedenes strategier for inkludering. Oslo
  NIFU STEP
• Brattstrøm, Malin (1998). Likestilling for
  funksjonshemmede. Sammenlikning av ulike
  strategier i Danmark, Norge, Sverige og USA.
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• Charmaz, Kathy (1995). Grounded Theory. In A.
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• Charmaz, Kathy (2000). Grounded theory.
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• Ellegård, K. og Nordell, K. (1997). At byta
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  Johansson Skyttmo förlag.
• Molin, Martin (2004). Delaktighet innom
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• Norges Handikapforbund (2000). Fakta og
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• Sørheim, Torun Arntsen (1998). Vanlige kvinner
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