fbpx
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeOpinionTowards Disability Friendly Tertiary Institutions: A Few Pointers

Towards Disability Friendly Tertiary Institutions: A Few Pointers

On Friday and Saturday last week (18th and 19th September), I attended a conference in Victoria Falls. The conference theme was Quality Assurance in Student Affairs: Towards Disability Friendly Tertiary Institutions. I delivered a presentation on Reasonable Accommodations at Tertiary Institutions. Following is a list of some of the recommendations for tertiary institutions in this respect:

  • Approach disability as a social phenomenon, and not a medical phenomenon.
  • Treat students with disabilities as individuals, and not as a homogeneous group of people.
    View reasonable accommodation as more than a legal obligation, but also a moral obligation. Do it not because you MUST, but because IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
  • For the change we want to see to be effective, it must involve the entire university community (Faculty, administrators, support staff, service providers, students), and not just the Student Affairs Division.
  • Address stereotypes, stigma and discrimination throughout the university community.
  • Disability issues should not only be addressed by Student Affairs; but across all departments.
  • There should be focal persons in all faculties.
  • Employing different specialists at DRCs/DRUs (psychologist/occupational therapist/speech therapist). They are not Braille Transcription Centres that only cater for visually impaired students.
  • DRCs/DRUs stands for Disability Resource Centres (DRCs) or Disability Resource Units (DRUs)
    DRCs/DRUs should serve both students and staff with disabilities.
  • DRCs/DRUs should include staff with disabilities.
  • Set up independent student committees at DRCs/DRUs.
  • DRCs/DRUs should evaluate their services and identify existing gaps.
  • DRCs/DRUs should undertake needs assessments to identify the type of support that each student needs and to try help that student get that support, if possible.
  • There should be a Budget for disability. It is easier to always include disability at the initial stages than later on.
  • While you can immediately implement most academic adjustments, acquiring auxiliary aids, providing services and modifying infrastructure needs to be implemented progressively over a reasonable period of time.
  • Form partnership with companies and organisations that can support your budget.
  • Develop policies that guide the provision of services to students with disabilities and send it to all staff and students.Some existing policies will need to be amended to reflect new thinking about how to accommodate people with disabilities.
Emirates

Source: www.disabilityzimbabwe.blogspot.com

ALSO ON 263Chat:  Why Young People will vote for Chamisa: Zhuwao
Share this article
Written by

263Chat is a Zimbabwean media organisation focused on encouraging & participating in progressive national dialogue

No comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

You cannot copy content of this page