Abstract
This article focuses on the experiences and experiencing of disability, policies of self-understanding, and the life plans and aspirations of students with disabilities. The article draws on the results of a qualitative survey of students with disabilities taking courses in various faculties of the University of Ljubljana. The results show that students with disabilities are able to reshape their identities in a way that does not consist of the disability experienced, but is independent of it, and they are able to accept their disability as the reality of life without losing their own purpose of living and life plans. Narratives of Slovenian higher education students with disabilities Development of educational policies for children with disabilities Developing and educating children with disabilities in Slovenia has a tradition going back more than 170 years. The first specialised school for hearing-impaired children in Slovenia was opened in 1840, the first classes for children with intellectual disabilities in 1911, and the first specialised school for blind children in 1919 (Krek and Metljak 2011 Krek, J., and M. Metljak, eds. 2011. Bela knjiga o vzgoji in izobraževanju v Republiki Sloveniji 2011 [White Paper on Education in Slovenia 2011]. Ljubljana: Zavod RS za šolstvo. [Google Scholar] ). The origins of categorising children with disabilities date back to 1958 in Slovenia with the adoption of the General Law on Education, which stated that all citizens have equal rights to education and development. However, education for children with disabilities was based on segregation into special schools that had specially adapted programmes for particular types of disability. The abandonment of categorisation and segregation occurred only recently, in the last two decades. Major changes were brought about by the 1995 White Paper on Upbringing and Education in Slovenia, which formed the basis for reorganising and reforming education in Slovenia. In the context of these reform efforts, in 2000 the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act (2000 “Placement of Children with Special Needs Act [Zakon o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami].” 2000. Accessed February 1, 2014. https://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO2062 ) was adopted. The key purpose of the Act was to reduce segregated forms of education and implement inclusive and more flexible forms of schooling for children with disabilities (Krek and Metljak 2011 Krek, J., and M. Metljak, eds. 2011. Bela knjiga o vzgoji in izobraževanju v Republiki Sloveniji 2011 [White Paper on Education in Slovenia 2011]. Ljubljana: Zavod RS za šolstvo. [Google Scholar] ). The Act of Long Duration Treatment, Insurance for Long Duration Treatment and Personal Assistance (2008 “Act of Long Duration Treatment, Insurance for Long Duration Treatment and Personal Assistance [Zakon o dolgotrajni oskrbi, osebni asistenci in zavarovanju za dolgotrajno oskrbo].” 2008. Accessed February 1, 2014. https://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO6858 ), which was adopted in 2008, ensures that children with disabilities have the option of full integration and participation in the community, and that they do not need to live in a special environment. Ten years after launching the programme for inclusion in primary and secondary forms of education with additional individual assistance programmes in learning and life, the results of these reform measures are already becoming visible in increased enrolment levels in tertiary education. According to internal university reports in 2016, students with disabilities at the three public universities in Slovenia accounted for approximately 0.50% of the total student population: the University of Ljubljana had 308 or 0.56% of students with disabilities (University of Ljubljana 2016 University of Ljubljana. 2016. Poslovno poročilo in poročilo o kakovosti [Business and Quality Report] (internal report). Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana. [Google Scholar] ); the University of Maribor had 38 students or 0.24% of students with disabilities (University of Maribor 2016 University of Maribor. 2016. Letno poročilo [Annual Report] (internal report). Maribor: University of Maribor. Internal Material. [Google Scholar] ); and the University of Primorska had 21 or 0.41% of students with disabilities (University of Primorska 2016 University of Primorska. 2016. Letno poročilo [Annual Report] (internal report). Koper: University of Primorska. [Google Scholar] ). According to the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act (2000 “Placement of Children with Special Needs Act [Zakon o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami].” 2000. Accessed February 1, 2014. https://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO2062 ), students with disabilities include those students who are blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing students, students with speech and language impairments, students with physical impairments, students with long-term illnesses, and students with specific learning differences. Special committees at universities make the decisions about the conferment of the status of students with disabilities on the basis of an application and supporting documents submitted upon enrolment in the first year or later during study if their status changes. Together with the decision on their status, students receive general adjustments of the study environment and pedagogical work (e.g. environmental adjustments – architectural accessibility, communication accessibility, use of equipment and accessories for students with disabilities, availability of study material and literature) as well as individual support programmes, where pedagogical work and the study environment are adapted to suit each student’s specific needs (e.g. adjustments of teaching [lectures, exercises, seminars, etc.], adjustments of attendance obligations [attendance at lectures, seminars and exercises, presentations, participation in examinations, etc.], adjustments of study material, adjustments to the methods of examining and assessing knowledge, exceptional enrolment in a higher year without all fulfilled requirements, exceptional extension of student status) (University of Ljubljana 2014 University of Ljubljana. 2014. Pravilnik o študentih s posebnimi potrebami [Rules on Students with Special Needs]. Accessed May 12, 2016. https://www.uni-lj.si/o_univerzi_v_ljubljani/organizacija__pravilniki_in_porocila/predpisi_statut_ul_in_pravilniki/2014101712292151/ . [Google Scholar] ). A personal career counsellor (at the University of Ljubljana) or a tutor (University of Maribor and University of Primorska), who is familiar with the types and characteristics of individual barriers and is qualified to advise and mediate, is available to students with disabilities. Read the full paper: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2017.1367646 -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. To check if the post reached the list or to search for old posting, reach: https://www.mail-archive.com/ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/maillist.html _______________________________________________ Ai mailing list Ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in http://accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/mailman/listinfo/ai
