Autism spectrum disorder is a growing public health concern in low-and middle-income countries that has prompted a World Health Organization resolution on "comprehensive and coordinated efforts for management of autism spectrum disorder." Despite being a signatory of the resolution, South Africa does not have any national policies to…

Many discussions have taken place around the issue of the special needs of learners, special schools and inclusivity. UNESCO argues that inclusive education will accommodate all children, regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions. This would include disabled and gifted children, street and…

In most of the countries that signed the Salamanca Statement, there seems to be a gap between policy formulations and realisations of inclusive education. Much of this gap has been blamed on the deficit or narrow view to inclusive education that focuses only on the education for disabled students, against the broader view of inclusive education,…

Transforming the learning experiences of pre-service teachers with disabilities from stigma and social exclusion to experiencing a sense of belonging, is a desirable imperative for learning mediators in the South African Higher Education (SAHE) context. This paper presents a relational content analysis of the concepts, theories and policies,…

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education has expanded significantly worldwide. Many countries develop Educational ICT policies to promote national agendas for economic, social, and political growth. The implementation of ICT in education is designed to prepare students to assimilate into the global market, attain…

This research aimed to investigate the experiences of students with learning disabilities (LD) at two universities in Sub-Sahara Africa. While universities are increasingly addressing the needs of students with sensory and physical disabilities, there is less emphasis on LD which does not present physically, thus often referred to as invisible or…

Background: COVID-19 as a pandemic has sparked robust debates within the education sector about the need to save lives, save the academic year, ensure that no student is left behind while being cognisant of issues of culture, equity and social justice. Aim: The study explored the challenges faced by disabled students after the introduction of…

Thro (2005:1) points out that the Supreme Court of the United States has recognised that "education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments" because "it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education". He adds that the Court…

In South Africa most children with physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy, are still excluded from mainstream education. The purpose of this paper is to focus on a few successes and hear the voices of students themselves in exploring factors that "facilitated" their successful completion of mainstream schooling in Cape Town.…

In line with global non-discrimination legislative changes and inclusive education policies, the number of disabled students in higher education institutions are increasing. Previously, disabled students were excluded from higher education. Currently, however, higher education institutions are expected to have disability statements and policies,…

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges attract a diverse population of students with different backgrounds in terms of culture, social norms, language, disabilities, race, and family structures. All such students have the right to equal access to education. However, there is still limited access and support to students…

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has impacted every facet of our lives and challenged service delivery to students within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) at Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa, is situated within the Division of Student Affairs (DSAf) and the centre's…

In South Africa, scholarship on the teaching practice learning experiences for students with disabilities is a relatively new area of sociological inquiry. Social justice arrangements in the South African Higher Education policy frameworks identify the equity imperative as being of critical importance for social redress and transformation for all…

Disability is a social force that arguably creates more education problems for students with disabilities than their impairments. Understanding it as a form of social oppression can lead to less exclusionary teaching and learning attitudes, beliefs, expectations and practices. Numerous studies have looked at the experiences of staff and students…

This report forms part of an international project, led by UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), on higher education's role in supporting "flexible learning pathways." Flexible learning pathways (FLPs) in higher education provide routes to the acquisition of knowledge and skills at different life stages, to…