Academics with disabilities: South African universities need an overhaul to make them genuinely inclusive
Very little research has been conducted about academics with disabilities working in South African universities. This means their stories, and the challenges they face in the daily demands of their jobs, are not often told. Sibonokuhle Ndlovu, who holds a PhD in education and lectures on the subject, explains what her study of academics with disabilities revealed. How many academics with disabilities are working in South Africa’s universities?There’s also not been much research about academics with disabilities in the country.
Very little research has been conducted about academics with disabilities working in South African universities. This means their stories, and the challenges they face in the daily demands of their jobs, are not often told. Sibonokuhle Ndlovu, who holds a PhD in education and lectures on the subject, explains what her study of academics with disabilities revealed.
How many academics with disabilities are working in South Africa’s universities?
- There’s also not been much research about academics with disabilities in the country.
- And we do know that students with disabilities enrolled in South Africa’s institutions of higher education make up less than 1% of the student population.
- In short, there are relatively few academics with disabilities.
What was the purpose of your study?
- Most institutions’ lecture halls, toilets and libraries are not easily used by academics with disabilities.
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Six challenges that impede entrepreneurs with disabilities in South AfricaThe second challenge relates to research.
- Like all other academics in higher education, academics with disabilities are expected to conduct research as part of their work.
- An academic who cannot see when required to use a small needle on a patient, for instance, will struggle to complete the task.
- Higher education institutions should consider how to support academics in these areas, perhaps by providing research assistants.
Aren’t there policies to support academics with disabilities?
- But there’s a big gap in the policy: it doesn’t consider different categories of disabilities.
- Some universities have their own institutional disability policies, but I found over and over again in my research that students and academics with disabilities weren’t often invited to contribute.
- The policies were made for them rather than with them, which resulted in policies that simply didn’t work.
Sibonokuhle Ndlovu previously received funding from the National Research Foundation, to conduct research in the disability field from 2020-2022..
She is currently affiliated to the University of Johannesburg, Ali Mazrui Centre