Abstract:

Since the mid- Nineties of the last century, the access of students with different forms of disabilities to the universities of western countries is a reality in constant growth. In Italy, with the approval of law n. 17/99, a season was inaugurated based on a more systematic approach to the inclusion policies of university students with disabilities, especially learning disabilities. Over the past two decades, the academic institution has taken steps to ensure, in an increasingly inclusive perspective, support for attending degree programmes. Specifically, each university is committed to guaranteeing specific services, personalized treatments during lessons and for passing exams, as well as innovative courses, both through its own design, organizational and teaching structures, and through dedicated ministerial funds.

Based on these observations, the objective of this paper, which is part of the Erasmus + TUT4IND program, involving Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Serbia and Spain, is to present the results of a survey that analyzed the training needs of Italian university professors in teaching university students with intellectual disabilities. The survey was carried out through the submission of a questionnaire, with a response method on a 5-point Likert scale, structured in three sections: 16 items for general information (gender, age, years of teaching, university role, disciplinary sector, etc.); another section concerns specific training on DI, consisting of 30 items which assess which contents and/or teaching strategies teachers consider fundamental for their training, and finally a specific skills and training section, consisting of 7 items which assess the knowledge that teachers believe they possess with regard to inclusive teaching practices. The sample that participated in the survey consists of 253 Italian university teachers, average age of 50.4 years, 121 males, 130 females and 2 unspecified, average age of experience in university teaching 17 years.

While analyzing the answers provided by the sample, two variables will be examined: age and the scientific disciplinary sector of teaching. The goal is to provide a picture of the current state of Italian reality regarding the training of university teachers on intellectual disability and, in general, of the perception of the inclusion possessed by teachers and inclusive teaching practices. In particular, the presence of any differences in considering the importance of training and the use of inclusive teaching strategies in teaching people with intellectual disabilities between teachers of the humanities area and teachers of the hard sciences one will be examined, also analyzing the correlation with the teaching age.

Keywords:

Higher education, university teachers’ training, intellectual disabilities, inclusion, survey.