Accessibility as a tool for inclusion in higher education: Views of lecturers from Catalan, Basque, and Andalusian universities.

Abstract

Accessibility allows individuals to partake in all areas of life, regardless of their physical, sensory, cognitive, or even technical abilities. It contributes to granting basic human rights, such as participation in cultural life or education. It is a basic tool to achieve true inclusion and equal opportunities in university classrooms, especially for students with disabilities. In Spain, the present dropout rate among students with disabilities is very high due to factors such as insufficient support from universities, exclusionary practices, and misunderstandings. These students report facing barriers that hinder their full participation and inclusion in university life. In some cases, these barriers stem from practices implemented by their lecturers. Within the framework of the UnivAc project “Sensory accessibility at the Spanish university: current needs and prospective solutions”, this paper explores access provision in higher education, with particular emphasis on the role of lecturers as key stakeholders. To this end, the contributions of eleven participants from two focus groups and a diary are analysed qualitatively applying reflexive thematic analysis; in all cases, the participants are lecturers with experience in teaching or supervising research of students with sensory disabilities in Spanish universities. Findings show that lecturers are calling for more effective communication channels with student support units, for specialised training and practical guidance on how to make teaching and learning materials accessible. Their working conditions —most notably, time constraints— often hinder the adequate preparation of the courses taken by students with disabilities. Many feel that the additional effort required to make materials accessible is not acknowledged by their institutions. In some cases, their negative perception of the burden entailed in access provision is closely linked to a view of students with disabilities as overly demanding. These lecturers’ perspectives are part of a larger puzzle that includes the perspectives of other key stakeholders in access provision (student support services, ICT services, communications team, accessibility professionals, and so on) to gather a full understanding of the present needs and solutions available to make universities more inclusive environments.