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Cited by 50Disability Education and EmploymentDisability Rights and RepresentationInclusion and Disability in Education and Sport

Access to curriculum for students with disabilities at higher education institutions: How does the National University of Lesotho fare?

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Mosia, Paseka A., Phasha, Nareadi·2017·African Journal of Disability
DOI 10.4102/ajod.v6i0.257PMC PMC5502469
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Abstract

Background: Creating access to curricula at institutions of higher education for students with disabilities requires a concerted effort from management and other key stakeholders to identify students’ needs and create opportunities for success.Objectives: This paper presents the findings of a study which examined students with disabilities’ access to curricula at a higher education institution in Lesotho.Method: Data for this qualitative study were collected using three methods: in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. Eleven students with various types of impairments and 15 academic and non-academic staff members currently working in close proximity to students with disabilities participated in this study.Results: The findings reveal inconsistencies between the institution’s admission policy of non-discrimination according to disability status and its practices. These inconsistencies are discussed under the following themes: (1) access at admission level, (2) management of disability data, (3) support by the special education unit, (4) teaching strategies, (5) support by lecturers, (6) availability of assistive technology, (7) special concessions and (8) students’ coping mechanisms.Conclusion: We recommend that a clear policy concerning the support of students with disabilities be developed with the following aims: guide decisions on how disability data should be used, define roles that different university departments must play in facilitating access to curricula for all students, influence suitable development of teaching and learning resources, stimulate research on success and completion rates of students with disabilities and mandate restructuring of programmes that are currently inaccessible to students with disabilities. Key stakeholders, including students with disabilities, disabled persons’ organisations, disability rights activists, and staff should be involved in such policy design.

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  • Students with visual impairment are limited in acquiring disciplinary knowledge in the learning area of mathematics.

    “Therefore, students with visual impairment are limited in acquiring disciplinary knowledge in the learning area of mathematics.”

    From Provision of Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities in South African Higher Education (2021) · cites this paper as [70]

    The Discussion (page not available in our copy) says students with visual impairments face barriers to accessing course materials and can miss or misinterpret lesson content. It does not identify mathematics as the affected learning area; searches for mathematics and mathematical courses found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Mosia, P. A., & Phasha, N.
Affiliations
  • National University of Lesotho (LS)
  • University of South Africa (ZA)
Corresponding author
Mosia, Paseka A.
ORCID
Venue
African Journal of Disability
Publisher
AOSIS
Published
2017-04-28
Volume
6
Pages
257-257
ISSN
  • 2223-9170 (ISSN-L)
  • 2226-7220
DOI
10.4102/ajod.v6i0.257
PMC
PMC5502469
OpenAlex
W2607697390
Cited by
50
References
1
Citations by year
2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4
FWCI
10.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • African Journal of Disability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nd)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Rights and Representation
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
Keywords
students with disabilities, curriculum access, higher education, disability inclusion, National University of Lesotho, admission policy, non-discrimination, special educational support, assistive technology, teaching methods, disability policy, Lesotho

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