Abstract:

There is a growing interest to promote inclusive education to guaranty this essential right in our educational ecosystem. Inclusive education means diverse and different students learning together. In spite of these good intentions we are far to reach and inclusive educational environment to allow equal opportunities for students with disabilities, especially on higher education in the university. Inclusive education needs to identify intrinsic barriers due to specific organic causes and extrinsic barriers from social, institutional, economic, attitudinal and academic origin. This study explores the evolution of students with disabilities enrolled at the University of the Basque Country in the last 20 years. There was rapid increase during the last years but two main problems still persist, a high dropout rate of students with disabilities and very limited access to postgraduate studies. As it is very important the voice of students with disabilities a study was carried out by a master´s student with severe physical disability in order to identify architectural, academic and attitudinal perception of faculty members (teachers and classmates). The results of this study are discussed. Motivation and emotion are a key aspect in the university teaching-learning process. In inclusive education faculty members play a crucial role to ensure that students with disabilities belong to the university and make them valuable members of the academic community and consequently preventing dropout. A joint intervention between faculty members and official disability services of the University can facilitate the academic success of students with disabilities and foster the progress of these students to the highest degrees in the University. We should encourage their participation and success, not because this is recognized as indicator of the quality of the University, but because their participation contributes to develop better attitudes and transforming practices of faculty members and working together we can achieve a better and inclusive University.

Keywords:

Attitudinal barriers, higher education, emotional learning, academic success.