- Title
- The use of assistive technology in inclusive education: understanding the experiences of students with learning disabilities at South African universities
- Creator
- Maswana, Lindokuhle Ngcwelekazi
- ThesisAdvisor
- Sishuta, Babalwa
- Subject
- Discrimination against people with disabilities
- Subject
- Ableism
- Subject
- Learning disabilities South Africa
- Subject
- College students with disabilities South Africa
- Subject
- Inclusive education South Africa
- Subject
- Assistive computer technology
- Subject
- Self-help devices for people with disabilities
- Date
- 2023-10-13
- Type
- Academic theses
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425160
- Identifier
- vital:72215
- Description
- The primary purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of students with learning disabilities in accessing assistive technology at South African universities. The field of learning disabilities is relatively emerging in South Africa. Critical scholarly literature demonstrates that universal access, democratic participation and inclusion remains a challenge for students with learning disabilities in higher education. This research is informed by the Social Model of Disability (SMD) and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which are considered vital elements of disability inclusion and transformation in higher education. The social model of disability provides valuable insights into social barriers that continue to marginalise, discriminate and exclude those living with disabilities. This research is primarily qualitative using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Quantitative surveys were utilised to further complement the research. The unit of analysis in this study were students with learning disabilities, academic, library, disability unit, Student Affairs Services and ICT staff members. Two universities were chosen for this purpose: one with a dedicated disability unit and another one still in its infancy in establishing a disability unit. The findings indicate that the disability services offered to the students at the two institutions are qualitatively different. This study reveals glaring gaps at institutional level in the nature and extent of support services available to students with learning disabilities: lack of adequate resources including funding, inaccessible assistive technology, lack of training and expertise and staff attitudes in dealing with students with learning disabilities. The study found that after the students with learning disabilities disclose, they are neglected, and experience negative attitudes and stigma. The study showed that sometimes it is hard and expensive to get accommodations as a student with learning disabilities. The findings suggest that having a dedicated disability unit increases inclusion and awareness about available services compared to universities that do not have them. A concern was raised by the staff members that students with disabilities do not make use of the available assistive technology. This study calls for integrating the universal design for learning with assistive technology to enhance the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in South African universities. This will assist students with learning disabilities to achieve better academic outcomes and complete their tasks more efficiently and independently. This study recognises that the provision of disability services is a costly enterprise but service delivery needs to be fast-tracked regardless.
- Description
- Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2023
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (121 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Sociology
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Maswana, Lindokuhle Ngcwelekazi
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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RU Department of Sociology
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | MASWANA-MA-TR23-188.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |