DEVELOPING  THE UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE OF INCLUSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

A WHOLE SCHOOLING APPROACH

Presented by:

Briony Supple, Lecturer, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia; PhD student Monash University

Dr Joseph Agbenyega, Monash University, Research Supervisor

MY FELLOW PHD STUDENTS - ABSENT

Presentations: Mahmuda (Shaila):

today, 10:40 – 11:10 Lara:

today, 1:40 – 2:10

Lara Fridani - IndonesiaMahmuda Banu - Bangladesh

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

Definitions The importance of this research Successful inclusion Culture and its role in inclusive practices Research methodology & methods Findings and discussion – the student

perspective Questions

DEFINITIONS1. THE MEDICAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

Quotes: Areheart, 2008, p. 185, Image: http://www.ddsg.org.uk/taxi/medical-model.html

"the individual is the locus of disability”

“relies on labels: ‘disabled’ and ‘non-disabled’”

“encourages the view that disability rights are "special," akin to some form of charity for biological losers”

DEFINITIONS2. THE SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

Quotes: Areheart, 2008, p. 185 Image: http://www.ddsg.org.uk/taxi/social-model.html

.

“society has responsibility toremedy disadvantage”

“medical model facilitates medical solutions to adjust the individual to fit society; the social model focuses on

adjusting the social environment to fit

individuals”

Mainstreaming & integration

Labelling of ‘the

disabled’Image:

http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0910/bm0910

11.htm

Normalisation: students blamed for their own failures – sent to ‘special’ schoolsImage: http://www.txddc.state.tx.us/resources/publications/poweradvocacy.asp

1940’s – 1970’s 1980’s – 1990’s

Salamanca Statement

1994Image:

http://talkupaps.wordpress.com/category

2000’s and beyond

Whole schoolingNew paradigms

Image: http://www.thearcmd.org/programs/education_ad

vocacy.html

The medical model Development of the social model

http://education.wayne.edu/wholeschooling/Journal_of_Whole_Schooling/IJWSIndex.html

Space for alluse the range of learning styles, disabilities, gifts of students as an opportunity to make changes in the layout of the class and materials

Democracy = ‘Democratic empowerment’all school staff, parents, and children themselves must have a voice in creating an inclusive culture in a school if it is to survive. Power must not only be in the ‘office’ and principal, but all work towards this goal

Supporta professional community of support among teachers is necessary

Include allthe systems must work together to provide effective teaching and ensure that those with additional needs benefit from strong teaching and instructional methods

http://education.wayne.edu/wholeschooling/Journal_of_Whole_Schooling/IJWSIndex.html

STATISTICS: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN AUSTRALIA Department of immigration statistics:

Number of student visa holders in Australia as at 31 March 2011

214419 students in higher education

Source: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/study/_pdf/student-visa-program-report-2011-03-31.pdf

China 92 665India 53 747 Korea, South 19 812Malaysia 19 390 Vietnam 17 362 Indonesia 13 906Nepal 13 327 Thailand 12 195Hong Kong 10 671Saudi Arabia 10 143

Total 381 080

Education is Australia’s third largest export industry (Coal = #1, Iron Ore = #2)

Source:http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/trade_investment.html

LITERATURE

The importance of inclusion in higher education

education = empowerment = economic & social development

Successful inclusionStaff: encourage, promote and

foster positive environment

good rapport with students

personal characteristicsCultures: socio-cultural perspectives

on disability in home country and host country

systems, processes, institutions

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What contributes to an international student with a disability feeling supported or unsupported at university?

What were staff perceptions and reflections of working with an international student with a disability?

What are some socio-cultural norms of disability and how do these impact on student experience?

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Importance of making the student voice audible Qualitative, interpretative case study Rigorous reflexivity – personal, theoretical, positional Semi-structured interviews Voice Relational Methodology (VRM, Brown & Gilligan

1992) and thick description (Denzin, 2001)

Brown and Gilligan’s (1992) method seeks to address and answer the following points and questions:

1. The story and who is speaking2. In what body?3. Telling what story about relationships?4. In which societal and cultural frameworks? (Brown &

Gilligan, 1992, p. 21)

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

Jane, from Sri Lanka, 23 years old and has an arm injury sustained while studying in Australia

Anna, from Hong Kong, 21 years old, experiences depression and anxiety

Mary, China, 20 years old, is a student with a vision impairment

James ,US, 25 years old, who has attention deficit disorder

Terry (DLU staff for 5 years) Teaching staff: Jenny, Veronica, Lauren,

Monica

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 1: ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE BARRIERS

I came to his [the lecturer’s] office maybe four or five times a week to ask something about assignments and he’s very kind (Mary).

When I first trying [sic] to see a doctor and having new medication which is very difficult, because psychological pills are not a cold or something and I may have difficulties in class which the teacher himself thought it was a way that I tried to get higher marks (Anna).

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 2:VALUES & BELIEFS

My country, they don’t recognise people as mentally disabled. They just think that we’re crazy and you should be locked up in a mental hospital (Anna).

I feel it’s very different from China than here. [In Australia] we should learn a subject by ourselves, reading or do some assignment only by yourself [sic]...I think this is good (Mary).

I never knew I could achieve something that I really wanted so I’m really happy. It’s like having real power (Jane).

THE POWER OF VRM TO UNCOVER OPPRESSED VOICES I’m sitting here and asking for help and you ask me

why I haven’t killed myself yet? These things are a little bit irritating, but I’m fine. (Anna)

Questions prompted by VRM:

Why is it merely irritating? In reality, it must be horrible to experience this kind of interrogation. What is it that is preventing Anna from saying so?

psycho-emotional dimension of disability (Reeve, 2002):

‘I will be a nuisance if I say anything against this’Also evident in undercurrent of self-oppression; ‘I’m fine’ when clearly, someone who has been suicidal, is not.

http://education.wayne.edu/wholeschooling/Journal_of_Whole_Schooling/IJWSIndex.html

As related to the Whole Schooling diagram, the following are integral elements of inclusion in higher education....

Cultural factors

Country

Institution

Contextual factorsSpace for

all

Include all

Voice

Democracy Support for staff and students

Implications = policy consultations with staff and students, professional development. These

approaches are to benefit ALL students

REFERENCES

Areheart, B.A. (2008). When Disability Isn't "Just Right": The Entrenchment of the Medical Model of Disability and the Goldilocks Dilemma. Indiana Law Journal. 83 (181), 181 – 232

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). (n.d.) Composition of Trade. Accessed on 10/07/2011 from http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/trade_investment.html

Australian Department of Immigration. (2011). Student Visa Program Quarterly Report. Accessed on 10/07/2011 from http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/study/_pdf/student-visa-program-report-2011-03-31.pdf

International Journal of Wholeschooling (n.d.). Accessed on 9/07/2011 from http://education.wayne.edu/wholeschooling/Journal_of_Whole_Schooling/IJWSIndex.html

Brown, L. M., & Gilligan, C. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: Women’s psychology and girls’ development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Denzin, N.K. (2001). Interpretative Interactionism. California: Sage Publications.

Reeve, D. (2004). Psycho-emotional dimensions of disability within relationships between professionals and disabled people. Disability Studies: Putting Theory Into Practice, 1-9.