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Being a first-year student living with disability can be challenging. However, many of these challenges hold potential towards growth and wellbeing. This study explored and described the challengerelated growth experiences of first-year students living with a disability at a higher education institution in South Africa. Individual interviews and reflective writing exercises were conducted with 20 students living with a variety of disabilities. Data gathered were thematically analysed through an intentional process of data reduction. Prominent spheres of challenge included (a) the higher education environment, (2) social integration and inclusion and (3) academics; with unique challenges related to specific disabilities. An important theme that emerged, is the participants' positive use of these challenges as growth opportunities. The findings allude to the pathways to growth associated with the difficulties of being a first-year student living with a disability, namely greater self-acceptance, more purposeful action, and existential meaning. These findings have value as university stakeholders aim towards greater student wellbeing and inclusion, especially for students living with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distance education celebrates its humanitarian mission of providing opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals who do not have access to traditional campus-based higher education. Large enrolments of students necessitate an industrialized approach in planning, design, and delivery informed by a normative assumption of ableism. In the context of post-apartheid South Africa, distance education fulfills a particular important role in ensuring access to education for all. This scoping review addressed two questions: "What is currently known, in the context of distance education in South Africa, about the educational experiences of SWDs?" and "How should we understand and respond to these experiences?" The scoping study shows, inter alia, that while there is an institutional commitment to providing equitable learning experiences, the lived experiences of students with disabilities provide evidence of their invisibility in the design, planning, and delivery of learning. The study concludes with some recommendations and provocations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study conducted to explore the barriers towards accessible quality higher education for students with disabilities (SwDs) in a South African Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) institution. The ultimate purpose of this study is to understand and shed light on the challenges that need to be addressed to improve the Unisa practices in a manner that would ensure accessible quality higher education for SwDs. As such, this study which is of a qualitative nature employed a single case study research design wherein nine interviews with lecturers from seven teaching colleges at Unisa are conducted. The findings reveal that, based on the perceptions of lecturers, quality higher education for SwDs at Unisa is hampered by lack of awareness and clear procedures to identify SwDs, inaccessible learning material for SwDs and lack of capacity by lecturers to support SwDs. While it is expected that this study may not culminate in recommendations for practice as a result of limitations posed by its design, it is anticipated that its logical ending points will serve to influence future practice. Nevertheless, it is recommended for future research in South African ODeL to focus on identifying best practices that can be adapted to enhance quality higher education for SwDs in relation to the above-mentioned challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, access to education is regarded as a right enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution yet issues of inequality, poor access and exclusion remain as intense as they have always been for students with disabilities. When universities closed due to Covid-19, all students suffered in one way or the other but those with disabilities suffered the most as their support is not mainstreamed. This highlighted the need to create a seamless system of student support if we are to leave no student behind. To do this, the paper proposes the adoption of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that supports inclusive teaching and learning. Adopting UDL is critical in ensuring curriculum access and in addressing fragmented student support. Supporting students with disabilities should be everyone's responsibility and the sooner we adopt the principles of UDL, the better the learning outcomes for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In line with global non-discrimination legislative changes and inclusive education policies, the number of disabled students in higher education institutions are increasing. Previously, disabled students were excluded from higher education. Currently, however, higher education institutions are expected to have disability statements and policies, and provide support for disabled students. In spite of this upward trend, disabled students remain seriously underrepresented within higher education, and experience barriers at a range of levels. This article examines the experiences of disabled participants entering into higher education in South Africa. The findings of this qualitative exploratory study highlight the influences of onset of disability (acquired verses congenital) on their integration experiences. It specifically examines participants' experiences accepting newly acquired disabilities and the impact of this on completion of study, experiences relating to disclosure of disability, and opportunities to select and enrol for desired subjects and courses at higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the last two decades, the South African government drafted impressive policies to fully include and accommodate students with visual impairments within higher education. However, in interviews with 23 students with visual impairments at two South African universities, we found that legislation has yet to fully permeate the embodied experiences of these students. Despite stringent policies, lecturers still have the power to decide whether they want to accommodate students with reasonable requests. Second, students carry a tremendous amount of responsibility in procuring reasonable accommodations. Third, the Apartheid regime that left many marginalised groups impoverished still disadvantages some Black students with visual impairments. We suggest that students and lecturers might benefit from clear guidelines regarding their roles and responsibilities. Students should also receive information regarding their legal rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries should be accessible to all students and relevant stakeholders. Students with print disabilities are found in many universities worldwide. This article examines the services and tools that are available at the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa. Literature was used to identify how services, signage, and tools that should be included in an academic library to ensure access for all. The study found that the NWU had limitations in terms of material and assistive technologies. A legislative framework promoting information access for the disabled people was explored. Recommendations are for partnerships to improve material and access to resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4-A Framework suggests that all inclusive education systems must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. South Africa is committed to establishing an inclusive education system that does not exclude students with disabilities. South African university disability policies translate the imperatives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into institutional mandates that govern the implementation of inclusive education. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent disability policies at South African research-intensive universities addressed the markers contained in the 4-A Framework. The framework was reworked and operationalised for the higher education context, and expanded to include a fifth marker, namely affordability. A deductive thematic analysis, using a protocol based on the five markers, was used to analyse these policies. Results indicate that, of the five markers, affordability was not sufficiently addressed. Various disclaimers also limit policy provisions related to other markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, few students with disabilities progress to higher education. This is mostly due to avoidable barriers they face as they navigate different educational structures from lower levels. Even for those few students who make it to higher education, they continue to face challenges. A qualitative study was carried out at the University of the Free State and the University of Venda. Fourteen students with disabilities took part in this research that was aimed at exploring their academic and life experiences. This article interrogates the inclusion of students with disabilities at two South African universities. This article is timely as South Africa has initiated the development of a national policy framework on disability in the post-school education and training systems. It highlights some of the areas where inclusive policies should pay attention in an effort to fully cater for the needs of students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with severe to profound intellectual disability have been excluded from education on the basis that their impairment makes them ‘ineducable’. The Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability challenged this notion through litigation against the South African Government. The ensuing judgement asserts the right to education of these children and outlines action steps for government to this end. We describe the actions taken by the Western Cape Education Department in responding to the requirements of the court by means of a document review. We then reflect on the implementation process, highlighting key learning points of relevance for others engaged in implementation. We note critical factors to be considered for the child, their families, special care centres, and the broader educational and legal systems. We conclude by outlining important considerations for the inclusion of these children within the education system in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although the provision of assistive technology for students with disabilities has been mandated in South African education policy documents, limited data are available on the implementation of aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in classrooms. This pilot investigation used a concurrent mixed-methods survey design to determine the extent to which aided AAC was implemented to foster students’ expressive communication in preschool to Grade 3 classrooms in special schools from six urban school districts in the Gauteng (the smallest, most affluent and most densely populated of the nine South African provinces), and also obtained teachers’ perceptions of this process. A total of 26 teachers who taught students who used aided AAC for expression participated. Although there is evidence of provision and also implementation of aided AAC in classrooms, various limitations still exist. Teachers identified an array of factors that influenced the implementation of aided AAC, including those related to themselves, the classroom context, the characteristics of aided AAC, students using AAC, and other stakeholders. These factors are discussed in the light of international literature as well as the local context, and are used as a basis to suggest a research agenda for AAC in the South African education system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While conducting a qualitative study on the e-learning needs of students with disabilities at a South African university, the responses from some of the lecturers indicated that they distanced themselves from the responsibility of providing learner support to students with disabilities. These participants displayed a lack of involvement with the students and tended to transfer their responsibilities to support services on campus, such as the Unit for Students with Disabilities. In essence, this means that the creation of an inclusive learning environment at this campus remains elusive, thus frustrating the learning of students with disabilities in particular. Although the necessity of institutional policies is not refuted, we argue that personal responsibility is essential in bringing about inclusive campuses. Factors contributing to the shifting of responsibility will consequently be explored and ways in which lecturers can be supported to provide enriching learning experiences for all students will be suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current developments in government law and policies have created the hope that people living with a disability will enjoy the same rights and privileges as the non-disabled. Unfortunately, only 2.8% of disabled persons have access to higher education. The aim of this study was to determine if a group of students, living with a physical disability, experienced constraints with regard to access to a South African higher education institution. This study, following a two-phase sequential mixed method approach, consisted of a questionnaire survey, a focus group discussion, and individual interviews. It was found that students living with a physical disability experienced constraints relating to the accessibility of the relevant higher education institution. Since access constraints affect the lives of students living with a disability, it is necessary to provide guidelines to universities on how to address these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]