Page 308 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

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

Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb,
Croatia
martina.feric@erf.unizg.hr

Abstract

The educational programme "Inclusive Approach to Students with Disabilities in Academic
Setting" for teaching and non-teaching staff was developed under the project Developing
Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities in Sri Lankan Universities, IncEdu
(supported by the EU Cooperation for Innovation and the exchange of good practices -
Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education, 2019-2023). The objective of the
education was to improve the competencies of teaching and non-teaching staff to teach or
interact with students with disabilities, and in this way contribute to the overall goal of the
project - to develop a system of support to promote equal opportunities for students with
disabilities in Sri Lankan universities. The educational programme was implemented in late
2022 for 48 teaching and 27 non-teaching staff from four universities in Sri Lanka. The
evaluation was conducted using an online survey (self-assessment). The evaluation
questions were related to the quality of programmeme implementation and the learning
outcomes achieved. The evaluation involved 43 participants from the teaching staff group
(89% of all participants) and 25 participants from the non-teaching staff group (92% of all
participants) were involved. Data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods.
Evaluation results showed that learning outcomes were largely achieved, and participants
were highly satisfied with the education. The educational programme has great potential to
be disseminated in all universities in Sri Lanka, contributing to the development of staff
competencies to improve the process of inclusion of people with disabilities in higher
education.

Keywords: Inclusion, Higher Education, Staff Competencies, Students with Disabilities

1. Introduction and Research Problem

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