Successfully attending higher education has become increasingly crucial for better work and life prospects. However, disabled students are likely to take longer to complete a degree (OfS, 2020a), demonstrate higher levels of dropout rates (Hector, 2020) and lower levels of satisfaction with their studies (OfS, 2020b), compared to their non-disabled counterparts. This webinar aims to open a space to voice accounts, discuss provisions, suggest policy strategies, and develop theory to support effective change to inclusion policy and practice in higher education.
By drawing upon contributions to the BERA Blog Special Series ‘A New Ecology of Higher Education: Disability, Access, Participation, and Belonging’ first, and by stimulating discussion in breakout rooms later, the webinar seeks to actively connect a variety of stakeholders in creating universities as inclusive spaces for disabled students and academic communities alike, starting from disabled students’ voices and experiences of higher education.
Programme:
| 10:00 | BERA Introduction Janet Hoskin and Kate Mawson |
| 10:05 | Opening Suanne Gibson and Francesca Peruzzo |
| 10:15 | Going back is not a choice: Lessons from the pandemic Mette Anwar-Westander |
| 10:25 | Creating the conditions for inclusion: How the Writing Café is facilitating accessibility for disability through mutuality and empowerment Cara Baer |
| 10:35 | Co-developing inclusive and accessible e-learning resources: Placing disabled and neurodiverse student voices at the centre of our practice Katie Stote |
| 10:45 | Speaker Q&A |
| 11:00 | Break |
| 11:15 | Breakout rooms |
| 11:45 | Feedback |
| 12:05 | Conclusions and actions moving forwards |
| 12:15 | Event close |