Cite
Bencini, Giulia, Alberto Arenghi, and Ilaria Garofolo. “Is My University Inclusive? Towards a Multi-Domain Instrument for Sustainable Environments in Higher Education.” In Universal Design 2021: From Special to Mainstream Solutions, edited by Ira Verma, Vol. 282. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. IOS Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI210391.
Jeremy
Synth
Contribution::
Related:: @vermaUniversalDesign20212021
Md
FirstEditor:: Verma, Ira
~> FirstAuthor:: Bencini, Giulia
Author:: Arenghi, Alberto
Author:: Garofolo, Ilaria
~
Title:: Is My University Inclusive? Towards a Multi-Domain Instrument for Sustainable Environments in Higher Education
Year:: 2021
Citekey:: benciniMyUniversityInclusive2021
itemType:: bookSection
Volume:: 282
Book::
Publisher:: IOS Press
ISBN:: 978-1-64368-190-0 978-1-64368-191-7
LINK
Abstract
We present a pilot study on three Italian Universities using a multi-domain set of indicators for Inclusion. The indicators are expressed in the coding system of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health – ICF – (World Health Organization, 2001). We selected three medium-sized Italian Universities: Brescia, Trieste and Venice. We combined a student-centered Universal Design philosophy for the built environment and Universal Design for Learning for the instructional environment. We identified four ICF Environmental Chapters (E1, E3, E4 and E5) and made them specific to the Academic context. Within the four Environmental Chapters targeting the physical, instructional, cultural, communicative, social and recreational domains we developed a 35-item checklist to fill out. The indicators were qualitative, quantitative or a mixture of the two. The three Universities shared the same instruments. Our main finding is that, although accommodations for students with disabilities exist as mandated by Italian law, the prevailing implementation is an individual accommodation based approach, rather than a universal design approach for the benefit to the greatest extent of the student population. .
Notes
Annotations
Imported: 2024-05-09 12:56 am
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Our main finding is that, although accommodations for students with disabilities exist as mandated by Italian law, the prevailing implementation is an individual accommodation based approach, rather than a universal design approach for the benefit to the greatest extent of the student population.
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Inclusion of a diverse student population has increasingly been embraced by Higher Education Institutions worldwide.
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he indicators are expressed adopting the conceptual framework and coding system offered by the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health – ICF – [2] combined with a Universal Design student-centered philosophy for the built environment and Universal Design for Learning for the instructional environment. The multi-domain instrument aims to provide a valid and measurable set of indicators for inclusion in Higher Education to be shared at the micro (e.g., departmental), meso (University-wide) and macro (national) level. The instrument is intended to inform and assist governance bodies, academic staff, building managers, curriculum developers, and the entire community of stakeholders in Higher Education better implement mainstreaming inclusive policies.
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As a neutral coding system it lets individual professionals exercise their domain of expertise on the one hand, while at the same time allowing for communication across disciplines when the interest is in a human-centered approaches to design. The ICF is useful in Higher Education because it allows governance bodies and planners of the built and the learning environment consider the design impact of differing characteristics of students from various backgrounds and ages; students navigating the built environment and the virtual environment without sight or hearing, or even with neither sight nor hearing; varying language backgrounds and competencies in accessing and understanding information presented in print media, audio, video, communication and websites; the consequences of disease or trauma; the challenges for students with limited mobility or agility as they seek to participate in academic life (lectures, events, international mobility and study abroad).
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All three participating universities showed numerically high percentages for accessibility to classrooms, lecture halls, libraries and labs built environment. Much lower scores were reported for less tangible aspects such as navigation facilitators and universally designed signage, universally designed door opening and elevators. Noticeably low was also the percentage of adaptable seating in classrooms and labs (0-25% in all three institutions).
Pg.5
- It’s an interesting find. A student can get to the place, but once they are there…well good luck.
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This finding suggests that, although accommodations for students with disabilities exist as mandated by Italian law, the prevailing implementation is an individual accommodation based approach, rather than a Universal Design approach for the benefit to the greatest extent of the student population.
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8-9-24-25 Training for educational and technical staff no no no
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- It’s fascinating that no training is given to staff. How can they implement and have the opportunity to provide differentiation and accommodations if the institution itself does not provide the understanding of how to do so?
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Our predictions that universities would be doing better for domains where accessibility standards exist and are mandated by law, were confirmed.
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- An example where laws implemented at the highest level will bring about change for the individual student.
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Students expressed an appreciation for the diffuse use of video-recordings of university lectures and the greater availability of digitalized and multimodal material. They also appreciated the use of subtitling and captioning, and the availability of remote signed language interpretation services. The fact that everyone was connecting remotely and remotely accessing multimodal digitized material (written, audio, visual) revealed the benefit of multimodality for all students. Because all exams had to be administered remotely, for all students, it was no longer only students who required accommodations for written exams to use personal computers for writing, it was all students.
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- COVID brought about a unique chance for growth. Students could see that accommodations were beneficial when provided. Especially contrasted with the desire to be in person for the social interaction.
Being in class isn’t always about learning the best way because you’re in front of someone who is lecturing (though there is probably some importance to that). It seems to be more about the social aspect of simply being around other people.