Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495665
26 Unity SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023 Ethics and equity Prof. Paul A. Bartolo Department of Psychology "HIGHER education should be made equally accessible on the basis of capacity, but what this means needs to be re-evaluated due to the unequal distribution of educational opportunities from early years as well as em- bedded direct and indirect dis- crimination in education and lack of cultural capital faced by the disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable." 1 I will here refer to the rights of students with 'physical, sen- sory or mental impairments; medical conditions; or specific learning difficulties'. 2 Some- times university staff may sug- gest that the application for access arrangements (AAs), such as extra time, should not be allowed because these lead to a reduction in university standards of assessment and achievement. Some consider such arrangements as an at- tempt to make up for weaker abilities. 3 However, the re- search evidence shows other- wise: many students who need such AAs to compensate for disabling conditions do not even ask for them because of the fear of the stigma that the disclosure of their disability entails. 4 The fear of stigma is very evi- dent in a phenomenon recent- ly recognised in persons with autism, namely camouflaging. This is the attempt to hide be- haviours associated with au- tism when they are in social situations, such as struggling to make eye contact. For in- stance, one study found that engagement in camouflaging was exhausting and associated with a decrease in wellbeing but was used to combat stigma, and avoid being undervalued, discriminated against, or har- assed. 5 In view of this situation, it is reassuring to observe that the number of students at our uni- versity who are disclosing their disability, and thus succeeding through the appropriate use of AAs, has been increasing over the past decade, reaching a to- tal of over 320 students in the current year. We are aware that there are still some students who fear being stigmatised and choose to suffer their dis- advantage rather than disclose their disability. Our university has been de- veloping services for students with disability over the past three decades. What original- ly started as a service for stu- dents with dyslexia, is now ap- plied to a wider understanding of disability that includes all forms of impairment, medical and mental health condi- tions. These services are regulated by the ACCESS Disability Support Com- mittee (ADSC) led by the Pro-Rector for Student Services, Prof. Carmen Sammut, and by the op- erational arm of the commit- tee, the ACCESS Disability Support Unit (ADSU) led by Prof. Anne-Marie Callus (https://www.um.edu.mt/ser- vices/administrativesupport/ access/). Services to univer- sity students are coordinated by Ms Marchita Mangiafico, a social worker, and also include support through Occupational Therapy by Ms Ramona Vella Vidal. ADSU also offers anoth- er service, coordinated by Dr Edward Mazzacano D'Amato, for the processing of all ap- plications for AAs in SEC and MATSEC examinations that enable students with disability to show their capacity to pur- sue higher education. All these services are enhanced through several multidisciplinary work- ing groups. It is also important to mention that ADSU services are additional and complemen- tary to those services aimed at enhancing students' personal wellbeing such as the Counsel- ling Services. In order to improve these ser- vices, the ADSU is currently running a 3-year research project on Access to Ter- tiary Education for Persons with Disability (ACT- ED). This pro- ject started in February 2022 and is funded by the Minis- try for Inclusion, Voluntary Organi- sations, and Consumer Rights. The project is intended to im- prove access, equitable oppor- tunities, and support for per- sons with disability to pursue post-secondary and higher ed- ucation. This will be achieved by first understanding better students' aspirations and needs through their own voices. It involves both quantitative and qualitative research methods, comprising surveys and indi- vidual interviews with students with disability in secondary schools, post-secondary colleg- es, and the university. A systematic review of the literature has already been un- dertaken and will be published in the near future. A total of 135 relevant articles were the- matically analysed. The studies show that students with disa- bility, like most other students, aspire to experience success in their studies as well as in their engagement with the so- cial university ecology leading to personal, social, and career development. They called for both an inclusive physical, social, and teaching system as well as ap- propriate accommo- dations. This review served as a basis for the development of the questionnaires and inter- view schedules that are being implemented with students from secondary, Junior College and sixth forms, and the uni- versity. This study will explore in more detail the needs, aspi- rations, and requirements of those who have applied for AAs in order to participate success- fully in tertiary education. This will surely lead to recommen- dations and action for more effective support for equitable access to tertiary education. References 1. UNESCO. (2022). Right to high- er education. Unpacking the international normative frame- work in light of current trends and challenges. https://unes- doc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/ pf0000382335 2. Access Disability Support Unit. (2018). The University of Malta Access Arrangements. Malta: University of Malta 3. Weis, R., Erickson, P., & Till, C.H. (2017). When average is not good enough: Students with learning disabilities at selec- tive, private colleges. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(6), 684-700 4. Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., & Carafa, G. (2018). A systematic review of barriers and facilita- tors of disability disclosure and accommodations for youth in post-secondary education. In- ternational Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 65(5), 526-556 5. Perry, E., Mandy, W., Hull, L., & Cage, E. (2022). Understand- ing camouflaging as a response to autism-related stigma: A so- cial identity theory approach. Journal of Autism and Develop- mental Disorders, 52(2), 800- 810 Ensuring equity in tertiary education Students with disability, like most other students, aspire to experience success in their studies as well as in their engagement with the social university ecology leading to personal, social, and career development This study will explore in more detail the needs, aspirations, and requirements of those who have applied for AAs in order to participate successfully in tertiary education