Improving the academic experience of students with disabilities in higher education: faculty members of Social Sciences and Law speak out

Abstract

This article describes the key elements to develop an inclusive pedagogy in the university through the testimonies of Social Sciences and Law faculty members. A total of 25 faculty members from seven different Spanish universities participated in the study, who were recommended by their students with disabilities based on their good practices. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted individually . The data were progressively analysed using a system of categories and codes. The results show three key elements to improve the academic experience of students with disabilities: disability-specific training for faculty members, a good faculty–student relationship and the willingness to make reasonable adjustments . This article proposes a well-trained faculty, who develop a flexible teaching with a positive and close relationships toward their students, as the ideal profile to serve as an example to other colleagues and universities in order to improve the quality of academic and social experiences for students with disabilities.

Keywords:

• Inclusive pedagogy
• higher education
• students with disability
• faculty members
• qualitative methodology

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain, The Spanish State Research Agency and FEDER funds European Union [grant numbers EDU2016-76587-R/ Feder Funds].