TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES IN OPEN DISTANCE E-LEARNING

Year 2020, Volume: 21 Issue: 3, 18 - 26, 01.07.2020

Sithabile Ntombela

https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.761919

Cited By: 9

Abstract

The transformation of higher education, in line with the South African Constitution, has led to increased
enrolments of students with disabilities. However, limited research has been conducted on teaching and
learning support these students receive. Access of students with disabilities in higher education is a human
rights issue yet research shows that it has not been linked to increase in instructional support. As such,
their participation has been limited. Some of the barriers limiting their participation are lecturers’ negative
attitudes due to lack of disability awareness and the unavailability or inadequacy of support in teaching and
learning. As a result, higher education institutions have not succeeded in creating enabling teaching and
learning environments for these students. This paper seeks to initiate discussion about the teaching and
learning support needs of students with disabilities, particularly in an Open Distance e-Learning context
and to propose strategies that can be employed to increase the quality of their participation and improve
their academic outcomes.

Keywords

Students with disabilities; teaching and learning support, Open Distance e-Learning, higher education, access, participation

References

• Department of Education (South Africa) (1997a). Education White Paper 3: A Programme for Higher Education Transformation. Pretoria: Department of Education.