Listening to Students:

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Listening to Students The Experiences of
Disabled GEES Students of Learning in HE
Mick Healey and Tim Hall University of
Gloucestershire mhealey_at_glos.ac.uk
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Exercise 1
In twos or threes briefly identify what you
think are the main barriers and opportunities
that disabled students face in learning and being
assessed in geography, earth and environmental
sciences? 3 mins
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Introduction

• Disabled students face both barriers and
  opportunities in their learning in HE
• Despite the growth of interest in the topic, the
  voice of the disabled students themselves has
  hardly been heard, beyond the anecdotal
• Will examine GEES subjects in six universities in
  England

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The Nature of Disability
a physical or mental impairment which has a
substantial and long-term adverse effect on his
or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day
activities Disability and Discrimination Act
(1995) 4.8 of undergraduates (21,900) in the UK
self-assessed themselves as having a disability
in 2001/02 The actual proportion may be closer
to 10
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The Nature of Disability
Self-assessed disabilities by UK
undergraduates 2001/02 Dyslexia 37.6Unseen
disabilities (e.g. epilepsy, diabetes,
asthma) 23.5 Multiple disabilities 7.1 Deaf/Hearin
g impairment 6.4 Wheel-chair user/Mobility
difficulties 4.8 Mental health difficulties 4.2Bl
ind/partially sighted 3.5 Personal care
support 0.3 Other disabilities 12.6 Source
HESA (2003)
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Context

• Improved Opportunities
• Quality Assurance Agency Code of Practice 3
• Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
• Human Rights Act (1998)
• Special Education Needs and Disability Act (2001)
  
• Become DDA (1995) Part 4
• Disability Discrimination Allowance
• Disability Discrimination Draft Bill

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Context

• Hurst (1996) pointed out that the lived
  experience of disabled students has been missing
  from previous studies
• Despite the publication in the last two years of
  a number of guides to support higher education
  staff teaching disabled students (Doyle Robson,
  2002 Gravestock Healey, 2001 Teachability,
  2000), there are few studies which have responded
  to Hurst's call

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Aim and Method

• Aim
• To identify and evaluate disabled students'
  experience of teaching, learning and assessment
• Method
• Questionnaire survey of all GEES students in six
  universities (Gloucestershire, Lancaster,
  Liverpool John Moores, Middlesex, Oxford Brookes,
  Plymouth) self-declared as having a disability
• 80 completed questionnaires, a response of 32
  from GEES universities (2003)

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Main Findings

• Findings from questionnaire 
• 14 chose the institution in the light of their
  disability
• 15 chose field of study in the light of their
  disability

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Barriers Related to Modes of Teaching
   
Disability-related barriers Lectures
54 Laboratories / practicals 25 Other on
campus classes 29 Fieldwork
residential 19 Fieldwork non-residential 19
Fieldwork Independent 43 Using IT
facilities 17
 
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Barriers Related to Modes of Teaching
   

• Look at the responses from the GEES students
  about the disability-related barriers that they
  have impacted on their learning in
• Lectures (Box 3)
• Independent fieldwork (e.g. associated with
  dissertation) (Box 11)
• What conclusions do you draw from their
  responses?

 
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Barriers Related to Modes of Assessment
   
Disability-related barriers Written
examinations 62 Coursework 63 Oral
presentations 37
 
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Barriers Related to Modes of Teaching
   
Look at the responses from the GEES students
about the disability-related barriers which have
affected their experience of different types of
assessment (Box 12). What conclusions do you
draw from their responses?
 
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Summary and Conclusions

• First survey of experience of GEES disabled
  students in HE
• Emphasised barriers they face, there are also
  many examples of good practice
• With slight exception of lectures, over 50
  disabled students and often as many as 75 have
  NOT experienced any disability-related barriers
  with teaching and learning
• However, up to two-thirds of GEES students
  identified barriers with different forms of
  assessment

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Summary and Conclusions

• Although the survey found that in many cases the
  minority of disabled students faced barriers in
  teaching, learning and assessment, for those who
  did face these barriers, they were serious in
  their impact
• These findings suggest that using a general
  category entitled disabled students is
  problematic and devising general policies to
  support their teaching, learning and assessment
  may not always meet the specific needs of
  individuals
• This emphasises the importance of individual
  discussion with disabled students, rather than
  assuming one solution fits all

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Summary and Conclusions

• It is invidious to treat disabled students as a
  separate category rather they fall along a
  continuum of learner differences and they share
  the same challenges and difficulties that face
  all students in higher education
• Arguably in the long run the main beneficiaries
  of disability legislation and the need to make
  suitable adjustments in advance are the
  non-disabled students, because many of the
  adjustments, such as well prepared handouts,
  instructions given in writing as well as
  verbally, notes put on-line, and variety and
  flexibility in forms of assessment, are simply
  good teaching and learning practices which
  benefit all students

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Summary and Conclusions
One unintended consequence of this (disability)
legislation is that as departments and
institutions introduce more flexible learning and
alternative ways of assessment for disabled
students, demand is likely to rise for giving
greater flexibility for all students. Disability
legislation may prove to be a Trojan horse and in
a decade, the learning experiences of all
students may be the subject of greater
negotiation. Healey (2003, 26)
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Summary and Conclusions
Have enjoyed course SO MUCH - very diverse
modules. Just finishing now. Want to do Masters
(urban regeneration) but can't afford to. After
years of isolation / boredom / loneliness, felt
like I came back to life. Sad because my
intelligence/education / skills wasted. I
sometimes try for jobs but overqualified / under
experienced. My disabilities do not tidily fit
into a box - plus very personal (some of them).
What I am is wasted. Shame. Try to ignore/keep
busy. (Complex, multiple disability)
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Summary and Conclusions
Paper on which this talk is based is
available GDN Web site www.glos.ac.uk/gdn