Leadership Challenges to Inclusion: Students With Disabilities in Higher Education

Introduction

The South African Department of Education (1997) and Angelides (2011) note that universally, education system in democratic societies seek to provide their learners with equal opportunities to quality education to enable them to reach their full potential. These are opportunities to learn, develop and participate in curricular and extracurricular activities as young people are prepared for meaningful citizenship. However, despite these noble intentions, there are many students who do not benefit from education because they experience barriers to learning. Barriers to learning, development and participation are those factors that prevent the system of education from accommodating diversity, thus causing learning breakdown or limiting learners’ access to education (DoE, 1997).

Barriers to learning are sometimes located within students (disabilities, psychological and/or emotional issues) and sometimes external to students (negative attitudes, inaccessible learning environments, rigid teaching methods, etc.) (DoE, 1997). Regardless of their location, it is important for educational institutions to find ways to minimize the impact of these barriers on the teaching and learning process. This realization led to The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) which called for governments to develop responsive and inclusive systems of education where all students, regardless of differences, are valued and able to participate.

Addressing issues of diversity is one of the key goals and responsibilities of universities. This chapter focuses on the education of people with disabilities as an aspect of diversity agenda or what Adserias, Charleston and Jackson (2017:316) refer to as “identity-based social inequities”. We concur with Salmi & D’Addio (2021) that attaining a higher education qualification has enormous benefits potential to improve the quality of life for all young people. The benefits are even bigger for people with disabilities who generally struggle to access and success in higher education. Therefore, the full inclusion of students with disabilities should be prioritized in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to ensure that they, like other students, can have positive educational outcomes and enjoy social and private benefits that accrue. However, Adserias et al., (2017) maintain that universities tend to be change resistant, therefore, implementing a diversity agenda is not easy. They add that leadership is critical in changing the culture/climate within organisations. Bunescu (2021) shares the same sentiments, arguing that the support of institutional leadership is important for the development of strategy as well as for the provision of resources to ensure sustainability of diversity initiatives.