Page 23 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

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

procedure. Consequently, the reflections provided by the experts in this series serve

as valuable guidelines for advancing inclusivity in higher education overall.

Janebova et al. (2021) emphasise that inclusive education goes beyond mere box-
ticking on an organisational "to-do" checklist. It requires a commitment to

challenging the underlying assumptions and culturally ingrained biases within
organisations and taking tangible steps to effect change. For instance, Kiš-Glavaš's

(2014) study reveals that students with disabilities who use wheelchairs and blind
students express the highest satisfaction with the support system in higher
education in Croatia. This positive outcome is likely a result of agreements

between public universities, university colleges of applied sciences, community
colleges, and the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education, which fund the
implementation of strategic goals encompassing the social dimension of higher

1
education.
However, most higher education institutions have predominantly utilised the funds

to enhance the environmental accessibility of buildings and entrances, such as
constructing elevators, ramps, and tactile guidance systems for the blind.
Conversely, they have made considerably fewer efforts or none at all to adapt the

teaching process and train university teachers to work effectively with students
with disabilities. Therefore, students with so-called invisible impairments, those
who require support from teachers in the classroom, such as students with specific

2
learning difficulties like dyslexia, Asperger's syndrome , ADHD, various chronic

1 According to the decision of the Croatian Government on the conditions, criteria, and
manner of subsidising participation fees of studies of full-time students, and co-financing
of material costs for public higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia in the
academic years 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018,
https://vlada.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/Sjednice/2015/238%20sjednica%20Vlade/238%20-
%204.pdf
2 Although the DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) no longer recognises
“Asperger’s Syndrome” as a separate diagnosis and has included it under a unified
xxii