Unisa Press
Making the circle bigger
South African Higher Education, Social Justice and Students with Disabilities
| Author: | Desire Chiwandire and Louise Vincent |
|---|---|
| Published: | November 15, 2022 |
| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-109-7 |
| Number of pages: | 210 |
| This book is also available in electronic format | |
|---|---|
| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-110-3 |
About the book
This edited volume rooted in social justice-oriented theories provides a comprehensive discussion of current disability inclusion, disability rights, inclusive education debates and other pressing issues affecting the access, and participation with success of students with disabilities in higher education in South Africa. The book is one of its kind, and among the first to bring together South African Critical Disability Studies experts to speak with one voice in critically discussing issues affecting the teaching and learning of students with disabilities in higher education institutions.
The contributors’ chapters also suggest possible solutions if these institutions are to create enabling and socially just spaces which respect the academic and social inclusion needs of students with disabilities. The various contributions cover a wide spectrum of concerns, from flexible and accessible curricula, to questions of funding, invisible disabilities and disability disclosure dilemmas, assistive technology, students with disabilities perspectives’ on Open Distance Learning (ODL), conscientisation and sensitisation of educators, availability of monitoring mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of inclusive education policies, participation of students with disabilities in sport and recreational activities, accessibility of built environments, both academic and social inclusion, health promotion and sharing responsibility for inclusion.
The book is organised into three major sections. The first section maps the South African higher education landscape. The second section focuses on the perspectives of students with disabilities. The third section examines methodological issues surrounding conducting disability inclusion research. The book concludes by offering recommendations for how we might go about making the circle bigger and coming closer to the goal of achieving inclusive education in South Africa. The book is written in an accessible manner, making it a good resource for university lecturers, educational policy makers, administrators and students.