Page 135 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

Social acceptance is directly related to the attitudes of different stakeholders
in society, which directly affects inclusive education. The attitudes of

society toward individuals with disabilities are mainly influenced by

people’s knowledge of the disability and their contact with individuals who
have disabilities (Wang et al., 2021).

Attitudinal barriers include negative attitudes of students without

disabilities towards those with disabilities (Chikwature et al., 2016;
Jenjekwa et al., 2013; Liasidou, 2014) and disablist practices and attitudes

of staff in higher education institutions (Macleod & Cebula, 2009;
Madriaga, 2010). Past studies have indicated that teachers require in-service

training to be equipped with the positive attitudes, knowledge, skills,

competencies and understanding to meet the individual needs of students
with disabilities in higher education institutions (Chiparaushe et al., 2010;

Phiri, 2013). Most importantly, social change in the attitudes of students and

faculty toward people with disabilities is necessary for social inclusion and
equal opportunities for SWDs (Saches et al., 2011).

The accessibility barriers that the SWDs encounter can be mainly of three

forms: structural barriers, attitudinal barriers, and technical barriers
(Alsalem et al., 2018). Structural barriers include barriers in admission to

programmes as well as physical barriers. The solution to these barriers
solely depends on the responsible authorities such as the legislators, UGC,

policymakers, and administrators in higher education. It is important to have

76