Perceptions of university teachers regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities

Abstract

The access and permanence of students with disabilities in university studies is gradually increasing each academic year. Whether the presence of these students in the university becomes a pleasant and productive experience and culminates with academic success will depend a lot on the educational measures that are implemented and in this the teaching staff plays a fundamental role. This study focuses on knowing the degree of knowledge, perceptions and needs that teachers manifest in relation to students with disabilities at the university. Likewise, it aims to analyze the relationships between these variables and the possible differences based on previous experience with these students. For this, an exploratory study is proposed through a questionnaire addressed to university faculty. 222 teachers participated in it (111 women and 111 men), aged between 23 and 71 years (M = 49.7; SD = 9.7), from the different branches of knowledge and degrees. The results show that it is necessary to expand the knowledge of teachers through training and provision of support resources for the integration of students with disabilities. Likewise, there is a high need for more general information on disability and recognition of the teaching work carried out in attention to these students. Previous experience with students with disabilities is related to greater knowledge of methodological adaptation measures, adaptation of evaluation, adaptation of practices and communication, as well as the provision of general knowledge about educational aspects in the presence disability.