Studying experiences from the perspective of students with disability at the University of Zagreb

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Studying experiences from the perspective of
students with disability at the University of
Zagreb

• Boena Jermen, social work student
• Prof. Dr. Sc. Kristina Urbanc
• Department of Social Work
• University of Zagreb
• Croatia
• kristina.urbanc_at_zg.htnet.hr

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CONTEXT UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB

• University of Zagreb has more than 65 000
  students - 200 of them are students with
  disability.
• In order to enable all potential students with
  disability to study, the University has
  established an Office for students with
  disability, as a referal center where students
  can get all needed information and direct help.
• Some of defined tasks of the Office are
• informing students and teachers international
  cooperation, creating a data base about students
  with disabilities activities for increasing
  accesability, meeting specific needs of SD for
  attending lectures and learning (transport,
  adjustment of literature, translation to a sign
  language, personal assistance...) promoting law.
• Constant support of NGOs as a vital resource.

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THE RESEARCH

• The main goal of the study was to explore
  experiences of studying at the University of
  Zagreb from the perspective of students with
  disability.
• We were interested in examples of good practice
  and our research question was focused on what was
  helpful for students with disability to continue
  their education on university level, including
  his/her personal and environmental resources
  (such as family, peers, local community,
  university, faculty...).
• l

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The research METHOD AND Participants

• Students with disability in final semester of
  their study were recruited through a written
  invitation, and than through personal contact by
  the researcher, and were asked to join the focus
  group.
• The focus group method was chosen in order to
  explore different aspects of experiences through
  the perspective of students with disability, to
  expand our understanding of the challenges of
  being a student with disabilityand to develop
  some further steps in promoting equal
  opportunities in higher education at the
  University of Zagreb

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THE SAMPLING PROCESS

• The criteria for the choice of participants
  their motivation for participation, accomodation
  on the area of campus - students dormitories
  and their perennial experience of studying at the
  University of Zagreb.
• Having in mind the research objective, we assumed
  that such users would present information-rich
  cases. It is a purposive sample which consisted
  of 10 participants.
• Two focus groups were carried-out, one consisting
  of blind students and students with visual
  impairment (FG1, 1 male 4 female) and the other
  students with experience of physical disability
  (FG2, 4 male 1 female).

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS WERE FOCUSED ON THE FOLLOWING
AREAS

• Participants explanation of motives for HE
• Their experience of the very beginning of
  studying
• Class attendance, studying and exams
• Life on students campus
• Being informed
• Formal resources of help
• Recommandations for improvement in future

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QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

• A qualitative data analysis of participants
  statements was conducted by using the procedure
  of open coding (Mesec, 1998 Maxwell, 1996
  Strauss and Corbin, 1990).
• Open coding procedure consisted of the following
  identifying particular terms in data and
  labelling and grouping them around the same
  research questions.
• Further steps included categorisation of terms,
  naming the categories at the more abstract level
  than the one they denote and analysis of their
  meaning.

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FINDINGS MOTIVES FOR HE - NOTIONS AND CATEGORIES

• Resources
• Personal resources interests for specific area
  communication skills, some personal
  characteristics (not quitting easily, desire for
  achievement and for university degree)
• Quality of the vision of future life better
  chances with diploma not having chances to be
  employed with just HS degree at all and not
  feeling ready to work after HS
• Barriers in a career choice
• Due to having visual impairment or being blind
  (natural sciences, mathematics)
• Due to capacities and organisation of each single
  faculty (psychology)
• The role of the environment
• Discouraging - teachers and family members
  against continuing HE
• Supporting teachers from HS, encouraging and
  helping preparations for HE

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THE BEGINNING OF STUDY

• Emotional experiences of the beginners from
  feeling euphoric, challenged, adventurous to
  chaos, fear, feeling of being trapped
  difficulties with being on your own, lack of
  motivation for learning
• Importance of orientation sessions (professional
  help, association for the Education of Guide Dogs
  and Mobility, peer help), assistive technology in
  lecture attendance and regular transportation
  service
• Differences in entering exams due to
  inappropriate accessibility of rooms
• The staff/teachers unprepared for SWD being
  irritated by explaining, telling the story from
  the beginning to every single teacher and taking
  individual initiatives
• Avoiding to ask for help due to bad formal
  experiences

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CLASS ATTENDANCE, STUDYING AND EXAMS BASED ON
STUDENT-TEACHER RELATIONSHIP



Positively oriented, flexible attitude Teachers
gradually getting used to the needs of
SWD Formal experiences with SWD (Dept. Of
psychology, sociology) High level of personal
engagement indiv. approach Adjusted way and
time of evaluation

Discriminative attitude Lower criteria on exams
for SWD Using defensive terminology Unequal
exam conditions unable to cheat during written
exam?
Motivated to help SWD but not informed, educated
or skilled enough Indifferent, ignoring
attitude not supportive but not discourageing
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Accessibility of rooms and informations

• Mostly relying on fellow students not all
  classrooms/toilets accessible elevator often out
  of order chairs and desks often fixed on the
  floor.
• Key role of fellow students in keeping SWD
  informed (I cannot read information sheets from
  the board on the wall, and I often miss some key
  issues)
• Extremly good/bad experiences with stuff from
  students office (FromWhatever I need I feel
  free to drop by and aks, They are more than
  nice to me... to Oh, not you, not again...what
  do you need this time?)
• Positive experiences on Faculty of philosophy due
  to sensitive leadership ( Faculty of philosophy
  has an advantage the vicedean has a son with
  disability...and before him there was a dean
  whose child has cerebral palsy...so they know...)

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Recommendations for the future (1)

• Developing educational policy for SWD
• (I listened to the Belgian lecturer on the
  conference last december...there are some 14 or
  17 basic prerequests to be covered in order to
  make HE accessible for SWD, and we have hardly
  covered 2 of them...We need Ministry and
  University to define clear policy of education)
• Doubts about professional competencies for SWD
• (It often happens that on some faculties SWD are
  getting free of some important tasks, due to
  their disability and they are not fully
  competent, according to the degree they get. It
  should be reconsidered)

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Recommendations for the future (2)

• Need for better cooperation and dialogue among
  different institutions and NGOs
• Theres more than enough work for all of them,
  I don t know why they cant stand each other...
• They are here for us, not vice versa, and they
  should agree upon some things...otherwise, it
  happens that one notebook is skenned twice, its
  costs are doubled...
• The aim is to improve life and education quality
  for SWD, not a personal promotion...

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Recommendations for the future (3)

• Institutionalisation of rights (personal
  assistance transportation, accessability,
  assistive technology)
• It means, not depending on projects and wheather
  it is going to be approved or not...
• Our transport service (NGO) works till 4 p.m.
  And we have lectures till 6 or even 8 because of
  the lack of money it is not covered for the whole
  day.
• To have more stable and predictable financial
  support for NGOs which deal with transportation
  for SWD
• ...instead of making a big deal out of it during
  election campaign

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Recommendations for the future (4)

• Improving the use of the National University
  Library faculty libraries better prepaired for
  SWD
• The library on Faculty of Philosophy has very
  sensitive staff, and also part time help of
  fellow students...at the moment they see you are
  a SWD they will be ready to give you a hand
• Need for staff training - it is far more
  difficult for persons without visible disability
• I used to explain to the librarian in the NUL
  that I could barely see, and she kept wondering
  if that was so. She does not understand.
• It is different if you are a blind person,
  people will say to you Can I help you?. But
  if you have glasses, they think, its O.K., she
  can see.

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Recommendations for the future (5)

• Establishing boards/committees for SWD on each
  faculty
• Improving communication with the Office for SWD
• Reducing bureaucratic issues
• Most of us have diagnoses that would not be
  changed, still every month one has to prove
  this fact by carrying around a bunch of papers
  the health insurance office is on the 1st floor,
  and, of course, no lift is available...

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INSTITUTIONAL AND PERSONAL LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT

• Systematic approach to improve accessibility
  (approach, entrance, classrooms, toilets,
  libraries, teaching materials, traffic,
  information) taking institutional
  responsibility for institutional and individual
  empowerment of non-traditional students
  developing a new tradition.
• Personal commitment of teachers (Personal is
  political)
• Heart and mind approach - only intellectual
  view of understanding is not enough to maintain
  the process of changing in a positive direction
  it takes also emotional, personal, irrational,
  creative levels of understanding (both sides of
  our brains) to make an important issue out of it