Situation of Students with Disabilities in the European Higher Education Area

Alejandra Barreiro Collazo

COORDINATOR

SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS
Short CV

Ph.D. in Psychology and Education from the University of Oviedo. Contracted Ph.D. Professor at the International University of La Rioja and the Padre Ossó Faculty, affiliated with the University of Oviedo. She also continues to work as a general health psychologist in the fields of child, adolescent, and adult psychology. Member of the research group Inclusion and Rights in Attention to Individualities (IN-DIV) at the International University of La Rioja. Her research focuses on educational inclusion, cyberaggression and cyber victimisation.

Symposium abstract

Ensuring inclusive quality education for all students, including those with disabilities, is a key objective in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Since 2010, when attention to students with disabilities was legally formalised, guaranteeing their access, permanence and academic success in higher education institutions, universities have undergone a continuous process of adaptation to respond to the growing needs and diversity of this ever-increasing group. However, the success of this inclusion depends to a large extent on how the university community perceives and deals with diversity in university spaces and classrooms.

This symposium analyses the situation and existing challenges to guaranteeing fundamental rights such as access and permanence to inclusive, quality education in this area. It contributes to the development of an inclusive education system.

To this end, firstly, the advances and challenges in the inclusion of students with disabilities in the EHEA are presented, analysing perceptions and attitudes, training, accessibility and technology, policies and programmes, and barriers and adjustments in the university environment.
Secondly, it analyses the attitudes of the university community towards disability in Higher Education and its impact on the educational experience, exploring different dimensions, as well as the influence of the legal framework, specific training and contact with people with disabilities.
Thirdly, perceptions and attitudes towards disability among university teachers are explored, taking into account different variables to identify current needs and challenges in the educational field.
Fourthly, attitudes towards disability in university students are analysed, exploring their perceptions and attitudes towards inclusion and disability.