Liliana Maric`Doctoral Candidate
Rationale
To explore the structural accessibility in local Further and Higher educational institutions and practices with regard to inclusive education.
My Position
Student Support ServicesAdmissionSchool TransitionAttitudes
The research procedure and empirical evidence
Primary ConcernsInclusive Education PoliciesEducational AccessibilityStructural Accessibility
RecommendationsTo help students with mobility impairmentsTo aid students with visual impairmentTo aid students with hearing impairmentFor the welfare of all disabled students
Conclusion
There is a positive approach towards creating more inclusive and accessible Further and Higher Educational institutions.
Disabled and non‐disabled youth have to be equally involved to:
a)become conscious of the environmental, educational and social disabling barriers; and
b)explore ways how our educational institutions could mainstream disability discourse and inclusive practices.
Inclusive pedagogical and theoretical approaches that celebrate diversity would benefit All students and staff.
This research proposes an emancipatory and a transformative process in restructuring quality inclusive education of disabled youth in Further and Higher educational levels. This process involves the participation of different stakeholders. Dialogue and collaboration amongst stakeholders are envisaged to improve the quality of inclusive education at Further and Higher Educational levels.
ReferencesBooks
Dewey, J. (1930). Democracy and Education – An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Websites:Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act 2000 (Chapter 413 of the Laws of Malta). Retrieved from http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8879&l=1 on 13/10/2012National Commission Persons with Disability (2011). Access For All –Design Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.knpd.org/pubs/pdf/AADGJune2012.pdf on 16/10/2012 on 16/10/2012National Commission Persons with Disability (2005). Access For All –Design Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.knpd.org/pubs/pdf/accessforall2005.pdfThe Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS). (1976). Retrieved from http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability‐studies/archiveuk/UPIAS/UPIAS.pdf on 13/10/2012
United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot‐e.pdf on 16/10/2012University of Malta. ACCESS ‐Disability Support Unit. Retrieved from http://www.um.edu.mt/about/services/support/access on 16/10/2012.University of Malta (2011). Guidelines to MATSEC Examination Access Arrangements. Retrieved from http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/136446/disabilitybooklet2011.pdf on 16/10/2012.
Images:The Medical and Social model of disability. Retrieved from http://www.google.com.mt/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1440&bih=733&tbm=isch&tbnid=hCBDCWpa0gp‐eM:&imgrefurl=http://ddsg.org.uk/taxi/medical‐model.html&docid=FlUEwNrH3EIVEM&imgurl=http://ddsg.org.uk/taxi/images/medical‐model.gif&w=600&h=349&ei=OWd6UKi5N‐eA4gT9kICwCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=475&vpy=165&dur=912&hovh=171&hovw=295&tx=58&ty=42&sig=104618121873204720319&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=252&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:70 on 13/10/2012
Thank you.
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Conference: EUCEN 7‐9th November, 2012
Theme: Access in Further and Higher Education in Malta
Title: Inclusive education of disabled youth at Further and Higher educational levels in Malta.
Abstract:
The ‘Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability)’ Act 2000 (Chapter 413 of the Laws of Malta) advocates against discrimination. The underpinning theoretical framework of this legislation emanates a shift towards the social model of disability. The extent at which Maltese Further (Post‐Secondary) and Higher (Tertiary) educational institutions are internalising and applying this paradigm is problematised. The environmental, educational and social disabling barriers and/or enabling environments are considered to have a direct impact on the quality of inclusive education disabled students with physical and sensory impairments are experiencing. In 2011, the accessibility provisions amongst nine local Further and Higher educational institutions were investigated. Evidence indicates that there is a positive attitude towards the provision of access arrangements from a human rights perspective. However, there is a reactive rather than a proactive approach towards accessibility. This is due to various limitations such as lack of experience in having diverse disabled youth at such institutions, lack of human resources and financial restrictions. This research proposes an emancipatory and a transformative process in restructuring quality inclusive education of disabled youth in Further and Higher educational levels.
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SLIDE 1 – Title
My research focuses on ‘Inclusive education of disabled youth at Further and Higher educational levels in Malta’. It has a mixed method methodology and today I shall highlight the research findings of one particular phase where I visited Further and Higher educational institutions.
SLIDE 2 – The Rationale
The rationale of the research was to explore the structural accessibility in local Further and Higher educational institutions and their practices with regard to inclusive education.
This research entailed critical reflection on the accessibility and quality inclusive education youth are experiencing. This paradigm was based on Dewey’s pragmatic theory of experience whereby he argues that “such reflection upon experience gives rise to a distinction of what we experience (the experienced) and the experiencing – the how” (1930, p. 196).
This research questioned the extent at which anti‐discriminatory legislation is being implemented. For instance, the ‘Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act’ 2000 (Chapter 413 of the Laws of Malta) TITLE 2 – EDUCATION (11) specifies that it shall be unlawful for an educational authority or institution to discriminate against disabled people. Moreover the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) which Malta has just ratified (November 2012), Article 24 titled ‘Education’ states that States Parties should ensure an inclusive education system and accessibility at all levels and lifelong learning.
SLIDES 3 My Position
My position in this research adhered to the Social Model of disability as developed by ‘The Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation’ (UPIAS) (1976). As illustrated in the figure, the medical model of disability promotes the attitude where a disabled individual is considered the problem. The traditional view considers that disability is caused by physical, sensory and
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intellectual impairment. So the individual is impaired and is a problem. The individual needs ‘cure’ to alleviate the effects of impairment.
SLIDE 4
On the other hand the approach of the social model of disability addresses that it is society that disables people. Society creates environmental, attitudinal and organisational social barriers. Therefore society through an emancipatory transformation should enable its barriers from a rights based perspective. Now, after having clarified the theoretical aspect of this research, I am going to explain the research procedure and empirical evidence.
SLIDE 5 – The research procedure and empirical evidence
In 2011, I visited eight State, Church, Autonomous and Private Further Education institutions in Malta and Gozo and the University of Malta as the main Higher Education institution. The findings are as follows:
Student Support Services:
Five institutions have a Department of Inclusive Education, ACCESS Disability Support Unit or an Inclusive Education Committee that works in collaboration with college personnel and other entities. In the other four institutions, the school administration, guidance teachers / counsellors have the role to monitor students and manage the needs of disabled youth. All nine FE and HE institutions recognised an increase of disabled youth with physical and sensory impairments over the years.
Admission:
Access of disabled youth in Church FE institutions could be by eligibility according to point system (meritocratic system) or on humanitarian grounds. Access in Private, Autonomous and State FE institutions is according to a merit system, that is, if a student qualifies to a course, s/he is admitted.
School Transition:
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There is lack in transferring documents related to ‘Statementing’ from Secondary schools to Post‐Secondary institutions and University. The transition period poses stress to different stakeholders including administrators, students and parents.
All schools provide an orientation visit to disabled students prior to the commencement of the scholastic year. This exercise helps students to familiarise themselves with the environment and facilities available.
The institutions differ in the provision of a Learning Support Assistant (LSA). At this level support staff needs to be proficient in the subject content. So lecturer assistants might be considered.
Attitudes:
The general attitude of all administrators is pro‐inclusive education and they try to create strategies that accommodate different disabilities. The philosophical frame of mind is that every student has a right for quality education. FE and HE institutions encourage students to gain autonomy as this is important for adulthood. There is an initiative to use a ‘bottom up approach’ in management as disabled students are encouraged to voice their needs. Lecturers tend to have a positive outlook towards inclusive education especially when there is disclosure of a particular impairment.
SLIDE 6
Primary Concerns:
Administrators have great financial limitations. They feel that the funds that are allocated for the daily running of the school cannot be used to improve accessibility. Some schools are in difficulty to provide services and facilities that are useful for the majority of the student population. Human and material resources that are available in Primary and Secondary levels should be available at FE and HE levels too.
Inclusive Educational Policies:
Different schools depending upon their mission statement, demand and experience provide different courses to meet the needs of different abilities
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and aspirations. All administrators agreed that inclusive education is an area that needs further development especially at Further and Higher educational levels. There is little information about inclusive policies in the school prospectus of FEIs. The University’s ACCESS ‐ Disability Support Unit devised detailed information about access at University. FE institutions would like to have practical guidelines how to deal with different disabilities. FE institutions that are vocationally oriented try to bridge the gap between school and employment.
Educational Accessibility:
Administrators try to work around environmental and financial limitations. For instance lectures of wheelchair users are planned in lecture rooms and buildings that are accessible. They also try to match the time‐table of disabled students with that of their friends.
Enlarging print of written texts is a standard procedure. Students are allowed to get their laptops at school. One school installed electrical points in the middle of the classroom so that disabled students do not have to stay next to a wall. Many times students are also allowed to record lectures. This is very useful for visually impaired students. Most lecturers accept that homework/assignments are in the format that the student finds most appropriate such as hand‐written, type‐written or sent via e‐mail. The availability of data projectors and televisions is gaining popularity and few schools even have interactive whiteboards. The resources available in schools varied considerably. A number of lecturers use the platform of a Virtual Learning Environment. This is useful for students who use assistive technology.
For local Advanced and Intermediate examinations, FE institutions follow the Matriculation and Secondary Education Certificate (MATSEC) examination guidelines. At FE institutions, students are given the same examination access arrangements given by the MATSEC Board for their Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examinations such as extra time; use of a computer, a reader, prompter or scribe; large print format of examination papers and the provision of an alternative venue for examinations.
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Structural Accessibility:
In certain institutions a wheelchair user needs to go a long way round the outdoor grounds of the school to reach indoor areas. In bad weather this is a double drawback. In most schools wheelchair users enter from the back door of the school. This instils treatment ‘as a second class citizen’. The ramps available in schools varied and many do not meet the guidelines in the ‘Access for All – Design Guidelines’ (2005, 2011) published by the National Commission Persons with Disability.
Few schools had a parking lot reserved for disabled persons outside the school door or the school parking place. Therefore there should be more cooperation with local councils to assess the needs of school visitors.
Intercom facilities at the main entrance of the door were very few, sometimes not even a bell. Communication between people who are at the doorstep and the reception area should be more effective.
One school had sound proofing equipment. The other schools commented that students with hearing and visual impairment usually sit in front of a classroom and it seems that their needs would be met. Most classrooms lacked sound absorbers to lower background noise. Curtains, cork notice boards slightly tilted towards the whiteboard, rubber tips at the bottom of chairs, rubber seals at the door, wooden cupboards or shelves and wooden strips across the room are recommended.
Signage guidelines across the school were inconsistent. Some schools have very clear signage across the school for new comers. At times even to find the reception area was difficult. Zones which are accessible for wheelchair users should be highlighted more. Schools should have a school map with access points at the entrance hall.
Disabled students are allowed to use the lifts and if the lifts have a security key, they are provided with a copy of the key as well. In few instances, lift areas or access areas to buildings for wheelchair users were not left clear.
Corridors were usually kept free from extra furniture. The furniture was usually kept on one side opposite the classroom doors. This eases mobility.
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Sometimes notices on notice boards were hung high up and in small print. This makes it difficult for persons with visual impairment and wheelchair users to read the information.
Classroom sizes varied considerably. Some schools still have platforms which limit accessibility around the classroom. They can be a health hazard for lecturers too. Some schools have a standard procedure that adjacent to the classroom door it is left clear from desks. This improves students’ circulation in and out of the classroom. Some schools have special equipment such as higher desks or wooden desk risers.
Few places had automatic sliding doors or doors that open by a sensor device. The available ones were usually in library areas.
The majority of schools had a bathroom for disabled people. Administrators claimed that schools needed financial investment to upgrade the bathrooms.
Staircases are mostly wide enough to allow a number of persons to go up and down at one time. There is a tendency that there is no distinction between the tread and the riser of a step. This could create a problem to any person especially to visually impaired persons.
Special areas such as library, canteen, gym and chapel were usually accessible areas in schools. The stage and the back stage of theatres in some schools lacked accessibility.
SLIDE 7: Recommendations:
Making our environments accessible is not suitable just for the minority group of students or school personnel who have a physical or a sensory disability, but it will make life easier for everyone including visiting people who could be elderly people or adults who have specific impairments.
1. To help students with mobility impairments, schools can consider the following: • Ramps should have a gradient which is not too high. Long ramps should
have a landing which is of a different colour than that of the ramp. The flooring materials should be non‐slip. There should be balustrades that
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prevent someone to fall from the side. Having one vertical bar every metre or so is not safe for anyone especially when underneath could be metres high. The balustrades should have two level wooden banisters, one suitable for standing people and the other for seated persons.
• Stickers or signage guidelines including ones with the ‘Access symbol’ should be installed around the school. ‘No parking’ symbols should be affixed near ramps or areas that access entrance to the building. Appropriate signage should be affixed on each floor such as floor number and classrooms available. Classrooms should be named by number or subject too. Braille can also be introduced. Lifts and other special equipment should have pictorial instructions on the outside and inside to facilitate use. Ideally there will also be audio recorded instructions.
• There should be a parking lot for disabled persons near the school entrance. Parking lots for disabled persons should be on a plateau area rather than a slope to prevent accidents. Sleeping policemen in ring roads should leave space where a wheelchair or a trolley can pass at the side easily. Support bars especially in slope areas would prevent accidents. As much as possible the tarmac on ring roads should be smooth and cleaned from debris such as rubble that creates friction because many times, wheelchair users need to use these as path ways.
• The reception area should have a section where a person can communicate at a seated position. This will also help short people.
• Outdoor pathways and corridors should be created wide enough that let wheelchair users and pedestrians to pass simultaneously. There should be enough room for a wheelchair to swivel in any position of the path, not just the corner in case the person decides to change direction. This is also as a safety measure in case someone is in a hurry or in an emergency.
• Lever door handles are easier to open rather than knobs. Preferably sliding doors or sensor doors are installed. No doors should have door springs on the inside. The door width should be at least 8500mm. Emergency doors that are used as exit door should have some form of code or push button that opens this door from the outside too.
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• Lifts should be free from any obstructions. They should be maintained regularly and checked to ensure that the light bulb works. Preferably there should be a support bar or a side flap seat.
• All public places or students’ areas should be made accessible such as foyer, canteen, library, auditorium, study areas, chapel, games rooms and outdoor grounds.
• The MATSEC Board should ensure that accessibility is available for all students irrespective of the type of examinations that the students needs to carry out.
• Transport facilities should be improved to ensure that students go to their respective colleges independently.
2. To aid students with visual impairment, school can: • Encourage lecturers to allow the recording of lectures or else provide
alternative means of obtaining notes;
• Staircases should have a different colour or pattern between the tread and the riser. Preferably landings would be of a different colour tone or pattern as well. This makes the staircase safer for everyone especially for visually impaired people.
• Notice boards in corridors should be hung low and notices are printed in large print. They should be placed in a well lit place or have light that can be switched on if needed.
• Unnecessary furniture is removed to keep foyer area and corridors free from furniture to prevent someone from tripping over. Certain places such as slopes and steps could have support bars or steps to prevent someone from slipping.
• There should be the installation of an intercom system to facilitate communication between who is at the main door and reception area.
3. To aid students with hearing impairment, schools can:
• Check that all rubber tips on chairs are fixed;
• Put strips of wood on all walls and put up charts or corrugated card board;
• Affix two corkboards on the walls adjacent to the whiteboard wall.
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• Hang thick curtains to cover windows and walls in between.
• Put egg shaped foam under the tables and teacher's desk;
• Place felt or cork tiles between whiteboard and wall;
• Check rubber seals on doors should to ensure a tight closure;
• Place a book case in a corner to absorb more sound waves.
• There should be places especially lecture halls and the auditorium which are equipped with hearing loop or ‘induction loop’ systems which magnetically transmit sound to hearing aids and cochlear implants with telecoils (T‐coils). The appropriate symbol should be affixed too.
4. For the welfare of all disabled students: • The school prospectus should include a well developed section about
inclusive education, highlighting the services that the school follows together with the principles of inclusive education that the school embraces.
• Since resources are expensive, Security systems such as Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems are useful to prevent burglary curb vandalism and spot people in need.
• New lecturers should have a training phase how to access the curriculum for students with disability.
• There should be more standardisation in the provision of facilities and services. Each institution should have a department specialised in inclusive education that liaises with other institutions so that rather than working in competition with other schools, schools work in team work for the benefit of each student. This will provide a better transition experience for students.
• The issue of provision of LSAs needs to be addressed. There should be more conformity in the provision and use of such service.
• School libraries should be furnished with different Assistive Technology to be used by students, lecturers and LSAs.
• The issue of disclosure of specific impairments of a student to lecturers who teach that student should be addressed. There should also be a system of referral of students especially when students disclose
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information to lecturers but not to administrators. Lecturers should not be held responsible for not speaking up. Confidentiality systems and data protection are of prime importance.
• As a general practice, students’ situations should not be referred to as ‘cases’ as this reflects more the medical/individual model of disability. Another accepted term could be ‘clients’.
• Post‐secondary schools should invest in smaller classrooms as it provides more time for individual attention.
• Schools need to organise courses to lecturers to create awareness how to make teaching, learning and assessing more inclusive for different disabilities.
• There should be public education to all stakeholders in schools and in the community about what self‐advocacy is and how it can be implemented effectively within a social group.
• If possible there should be an increment in the Supplementary Maintenance Grant that assists students financially to by special equipment needed for their studies.
• Current practices of inclusive education should be evaluated with the participation of disabled youth attending such institutions.
SLIDE 8 ‐ Conclusion
There is a positive approach towards creating more inclusive and accessible FE and HE institutions.
SLIDE 9
Disabled and non‐disabled youth have to be equally involved to:
a) become conscious of the environmental, educational and social disabling barriers; and
b) explore ways how our educational institutions could mainstream disability discourse and inclusive practices.
SLIDE 10
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Inclusive pedagogical and theoretical approaches that celebrate diversity would benefit All students and staff.
SLIDE 11
This research proposes an emancipatory and a transformative process in restructuring quality inclusive education of disabled youth in Further and Higher educational levels. This process involves the participation of different stakeholders. Dialogue and collaboration amongst stakeholders are envisaged to improve the quality of inclusive education at Further and Higher Educational levels.
SLIDES 12 AND 13 ‐ References
SLIDE 14 – Thank you