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Benefits of an inclusive approach.
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The transition from higher education to the labour market is experienced as difficult by students with a disability. This gap between higher education and the labour market has tangible consequences for the participation of (young) people with a disability. Research shows that these students have a higher unemployment rate. This article addresses t...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... social exclusion de- scribes a state in which individuals are unable to par- ticipate fully in economic, social, political and cultural life, as well as the process leading to and sustaining such a state. (UN, 2016) Some educational institutions that do devote specific intention to preparing young people with a disability for the labour market have launched initiatives to help them make the transition. These can be regarded as good practices: ...
Context 2
... Netherlands could learn from the United Kingdom in working towards inclusive higher education and us- ing their suggestions for an inclusive approach (see Figure 1 below; Disabled Students Sector Leadership Group, 2017). This inclusive approach enables students with a disability to deliver to their full potential. ...
Similar publications
Background
People with mobility disability (MD) or obesity often have more health problems and are less able to participate in work than individuals without these conditions. This study investigated whether people burdened with MD and obesity have a greater risk of unemployment than people with either one (MD only or obesity only) or none of these...
Citations
... In Mexico, the right to participate in or access community settings, services, and opportunities, including work and recreation, is not guaranteed to people with disabilities (Skivington, 2011). In the Netherlands, people believe that they lack the necessary tools to successfully reach a workforce with a disability (Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018). Three years later, in Sweden, which is a developed country, universities provided limited support services to disabled students (Taneja-Johansson, 2024). ...
A large proportion of the disabled population in Bangladesh does not have access to education. In addition, in the case of higher education, this number is very insignificant. All these disabled students have stories of struggle to reach university. Moreover, almost all the educational opportunities for the disabled at the government or private level are up to the primary or secondary level. But learning is very difficult for the disabled unless they have a very strong will. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure nondisabled students' perceptions of problems faced by disabled students at higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Bangladesh. The study findings suggest that there is a negative impact of academic problems faced by disabled students pursuing higher education. It was also found that the infrastructural settings of HEIs are not friendly for disabled students, and most of them also face financial crises. Furthermore, the study found that most of the disabled students of HEIs did not get enough support from families, classmates, and teachers and they also experienced social obstacles. However, the study findings will help policymakers and educational institutions to create a more inclusive and effective disable friendly environment at educational institutions in future.
... In Mexico, the right to participate in or access community settings, services, and opportunities, including work and recreation, is not guaranteed to people with disabilities (Skivington, 2011). In the Netherlands, people believe that they lack the necessary tools to successfully reach a workforce with a disability (Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018). Three years later, in Sweden, which is a developed country, universities provided limited support services to disabled students (Taneja-Johansson, 2024). ...
A large proportion of the disabled population in Bangladesh does not have access to education. In addition, in the case of higher education, this number is very insignificant. All these disabled students have stories of struggle to reach university. Moreover, almost all the educational opportunities for the disabled at the government or private level are up to the primary or secondary level. But learning is very difficult for the disabled unless they have a very strong will. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure nondisabled students' perceptions of problems faced by disabled students at higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Bangladesh. The study findings suggest that there is a negative impact of academic problems faced by disabled students pursuing higher education. It was also found that the infrastructural settings of HEIs are not friendly for disabled students, and most of them also face financial crises. Furthermore, the study found that most of the disabled students of HEIs did not get enough support from families, classmates, and teachers and they also experienced social obstacles. However, the study findings will help policymakers and educational institutions to create a more inclusive and effective disable friendly environment at educational institutions in future.
... Furthermore, HE often involves work-experience or internships. Tess, like other disabled students (Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018;Hamilton et al., 2023;Nieminen, 2023), also encountered barriers with regards to this part of her education. Exploration thereof lies beyond the scope of this paper but we recognize and emphasize the importance of more research on this subject. ...
PURPOSE. Occidental higher education often approaches disability as a disparate issue, failing to recognize that it is part of human diversity. Such an approach hinders inclusive education because it overlooks how disability is intertwined with other identities and concepts of exclusion. The overarching aim of this paper is to enhance understanding of (intersecting) disabling processes within education policy and practice and the impact thereof on students; and to raise educators’ awareness about how integration of knowledge from Disability Studies within pedagogy and their daily interaction with students, can positively influence disabled students’ wellbeing, their study opportunities and aid the overall process of inclusion.
APPROACH. This paper offers a disability lens by (1) presenting a literature overview from a Disability Studies (DS) perspective about disability and exclusionary phenomena, in particular disablism and ableism; (2) substantiating how a current focus on accessibility hinders actual inclusion; (3) analysing a case-study through the presented perspective with attention to Dutch contextual factors. For the case-study, the first author and ‘Tess’ engaged in regular conversations during a year in which Tess shared her experiences as a student of higher education. In this paper, a selection of these experiences is presented from a reflexive perspective and with application of the presented frameworks. With this, the complex impact of exclusionary processes on interactions between students, educators and on the organization of university involved (social) events is illustrated.
FINDINGS. The lack of nuanced, fluid and intersectional approaches to disability within mainstream education hinders the recognition of (epistemic) injustices. Exclusionary processes and practices in higher education remain unacknowledged, although they negatively impact disabled students and block their epistemic contribution. Moreover, the continued focus on accessibility hinders implementation of the international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and deflects attention from the fact that inclusive education requires systemic change and a multi-layered approach.
KEY MESSAGE. The current trajectory of disability inclusion is counterproductive without true systemic change. Integration of the presented disability lens is imperative for truly intersectional approaches to inclusion and offers educators a way to positively influence students’ wellbeing and identity development, even when policy changes are not yet achieved.
Open access: https://tidsskrift.dk/ejie/article/view/137271/186947
... They believed that their time in university helped them acquire a variety of life skills, such as taking initiative and communication (Hadley, 2018;O'Byrne et al., 2019;Vincent, 2019). On the other hand, some reported lack of preparation for employment (Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018;Hewett et al., 2021;Lessy et al., 2021;Lucas et al., 2022). While organisation factors (career counselling and placements) were found to facilitate the transition to work, persons with autism found self-direction still difficult and therefore greatly appreciated the individualised support that was received through caring lecturers and mentors (Ule, 2017;Pesonen et al., 2021). ...
Introduction
Several international conventions have recognized the importance of equal access to higher education on the basis of ‘capacity’. However, inequalities persist for various groups. This paper presents a systematic scoping review of studies on the aspirations and access needs of students with disability, medical and mental health conditions to equitably participate in tertiary education.
Methods
A search of ERIC, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases identified 133 relevant research articles from across the world covering the experiences of students with all types of disability. These were subjected to thematic analysis.
Results
Three main themes were identified. Firstly, the findings showed that a crucial component of the student higher education experience was the development of their own self-identity, addressing stigma and enhancing self-advocacy skills, autonomy, and career prospects. Secondly, the studies described how students struggled for full membership in the university community, calling for a transformation of university physical, social and teaching environments for them to access and participate in academic and social activities. Thirdly, the analysis showed that students valued individual accommodations in both coursework and assessment.
Discussion
These findings constitute a newly comprehensive framework for inclusive tertiary education systems and individual accommodations which is grounded in empirical research from a wide variety of contexts. This can serve higher education institutions to develop policy and procedures to ensure equitable participation of students with disability.
... 1. Conducting market research; educational institutions are responsible for fulfilling the three pillars (tri dharma) of higher education, making it imperative for universities to conduct research. Universities must gather feedback from active students, prospective students, alumni, and industry representatives to better understand their orientations, needs, and preferences (Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018). This will help identify areas where the institution's programs or services can be improved (Wilkins, 2020), thus narrowing the gap between the institution's offerings and the market demands. ...
The increasing of State Islamic High Education Institutions (PTKIN) in Aceh is contradictory with the minimum interest of Acehnese to study PTKIN. This phenomenon shows an anomaly in Acehnese religiosity level. This paper aimed to seek higher education (HE) marketing strategies in Aceh and to describe the reason for Acehnese low interest in PTKIN. A mixed method was used in this research; meanwhile, an explanatory sequential design was chosen to be the research design. This research was done in 3 PTKIN and 3 State Higher Education (PTU) in Aceh, where 60 Acehnese students were chosen as respondents. Besides quantitative data, qualitative research was done by interviewing, observing, and studying documentation to get more information. The result showed that the products (departments and accreditation) significantly affected students' interest in HE. This article suggested that PTKIN add more departments to present many choices for society as a place to study at a high education level.
... Additional factors, such as providing high-quality and appropriate support, the presence or absence of disability stigma during the student's university studies, and social acceptance and support from academic peers (Anderson et al., 2017), could play a part. Fieldspecific factors that involve internships and research projects might also have influenced success (Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018). However, these features were not available. ...
Individuals with autism increasingly enroll in universities, but little is known about predictors for their success. This study developed predictive models for the academic success of autistic bachelor students ( N = 101) in comparison to students with other health conditions ( N = 2465) and students with no health conditions ( N = 25,077). We applied propensity score weighting to balance outcomes. The research showed that autistic students’ academic success was predictable, and these predictions were more accurate than predictions of their peers’ success. For first-year success, study choice issues were the most important predictors (parallel program and application timing). Issues with participation in pre-education (missingness of grades in pre-educational records) and delays at the beginning of autistic students’ studies (reflected in age) were the most influential predictors for the second-year success and delays in the second and final year of their bachelor’s program. In addition, academic performance (average grades) was the strongest predictor for degree completion in 3 years. These insights can enable universities to develop tailored support for autistic students. Using early warning signals from administrative data, institutions can lower dropout risk and increase degree completion for autistic students.
Laymen Summary
What is already known about the topic? Autistic youths increasingly enter universities. We know from existing research that autistic students are at risk of dropping out or studying delays. Using machine learning and historical information of students, researchers can predict the academic success of bachelor students. However, we know little about what kind of information can predict whether autistic students will succeed in their studies and how accurate these predictions will be. What does this article add? In this research, we developed predictive models for the academic success of 101 autistic bachelor students. We compared these models to 2,465 students with other health conditions and 25,077 students without health conditions. The research showed that the academic success of autistic students was predictable. Moreover, these predictions were more precise than predictions of the success of students without autism. For the success of the first bachelor year, concerns with aptitude and study choice were the most important predictors. Participation in pre-education and delays at the beginning of autistic students’ studies were the most influential predictors for second-year success and delays in the second and final year of their bachelor’s program. In addition, academic performance in high school was the strongest predictor for degree completion in 3 years. Implications for practice, research, or policy These insights can enable universities to develop tailored support for autistic students. Using early warning signals from administrative data, institutions can lower dropout risk and increase degree completion for autistic students.
... Een groot deel van hen slaagt erin hun studie succesvol af te ronden. Bij het verkrijgen of behouden van een reguliere betaalde baan ervaren zij echter vaak serieuze belemmeringen vanwege deze klachten (Buscher, Groot & Van Hal, 2018). ...
... De transitie naar de arbeidsmarkt van mensen met een psychische kwetsbaarheid verloopt moeizaam. Uit beschikbare cijfers en onderzoeken blijkt dat mensen met een psychische kwetsbaarheid meer problemen hebben met het vinden en behouden van een baan en meer dan drie keer zo veel kans hebben om arbeidsgehandicapt te worden (Lub, 2019;Beatty et al., 2019;Buscher et al., 2018). In vergelijking met andere landen, zijn in Nederland weinig mensen met een psychische kwetsbaarheid aan de slag te krijgen op de arbeidsmarkt. ...
... wetsbaarheid. Zolang zij studeren lukt het nog redelijk goed hen te begeleiden, maar deze begeleiding stopt zodra het diploma is behaald, en wordt niet overgenomen door een andere instantie. Het ontbreekt, kortom, aan adequate begeleiding voor deze groep jongvolwassenen om een succesvolle stap naar de arbeidsmarkt te kunnen maken (BureauDOET, 2017;Buscher et. al., 2018). De vraag is wat nodig is om hoogopgeleide jonge professionals met psychische kwetsbaarheid te laten participeren op de arbeidsmarkt. In dit onderzoek staat de volgende vraag centraal: Wat zijn de belangrijkste bevorderende en belemmerende factoren voor de duurzame arbeidsparticipatie van jonge professionals met psychische kwetsbaarheid ...
... Daarbij lijkt de vraag belangrijker in hoeverre iemand met autisme past binnen de bestaande werkstructuren dan de vraag in hoeverre de werkomgeving zich mede kan aanpassen aan de behoeften en mogelijkheden van de autistische werknemer om de gewenste productiviteit te kunnen leveren. Vaak worden mensen met een arbeidsbeperking, onder wie autistische werknemers, als een kostenpost gezien vanwege de nodige aanpassingen op de werkplek en specifieke ondersteuningsbehoeften (Büscher-Touwen, De Groot, & Van Hal, 2018;Müller, Schuler, Burton, & Yates, 2003). ...
SAMENVATTING Een werkervaringsprogramma uitgevoerd door Koninklijke Philips N.V. neemt jaarlijks mensen met een autismespectrumstoornis in dienst voor een periode van één tot anderhalf jaar om hen voor te bereiden op een externe werkplek. De resultaten wijzen op een toename van 29% in het aantal maanden in werk ('werkzekerheid') tot vijf jaar na uitstroom voor deelnemers in vergelijking met de controlegroep die is toegewezen op de publieke arbeidsdienstverlening. Maar de mogelijkheden om werk te vinden met een marktconform salaris, al dan niet voor onbepaalde tijd, blijft zeer beperkt.
SUMMARY A work-experience program executed by Royal Philips N.V. temporarily employs people with an autism spectrum disorder for one to a year and a half to prepare them for external employment. Results indicate a 29% increase in post-five-year employment for participants than the control group entitled to public support. However, no effect was found on employment with a competitive salary, only for the post-second year. Inclusivity enhances the careers of people with autism, but their potential to establish employment with a competitive salary on a permanent contract remains limited.
... Inclusive education is inherent to labour insertion of the functionally diverse population, since access to higher education is equivalent to sustaining and continuing one's life project in the work area (Bliksvaer, 2018;Büscher-Touwen et al., 2018). However, together with the gaps represented by reduced access to university, there is limited participation in the labour market (Artiles, 2019), as needs are not fully comprehended, and the policies, practices and processes implemented in companies for insertion are usually governed by basic standards, with deficiencies in accessibility; therefore, it is necessary to introduce inclusive practices in hiring processes, including functional diversity components (Williams & Hagood, 2019), related with permanence, and alternatives for career plans that guarantee extended labour experiences (Aoki et al., 2018). ...
This study focuses on the analysis of life experiences in the academic and work environment of professionals with functional diversity graduated from the Universidad Industrial de Santander-UIS. Our research has been conducted under the interpretative paradigm and uses a phenomenological approach in order to evaluate the participants’ lived and felt experiences during and after their time at university. Our results have been validated through the use of triangulation, contrasting the information gathered from theory, reality and researchers. The results indicate that architectural and psychosocial barriers are an obstacle to the differential needs of students from the perspective of inclusive education; besides, it has been found that the labour market does not offer inclusive opportunities, and participation is limited. This has led us to conclude that there are gaps in access to education and work regarding equal opportunities and the respect for differences. Finally, we note that the implementation of Inclusive Education Policies at university is essential for the integration of this demographic, specifically in processes that combine the Capabilities and Human Rights approaches. © 2021 Asociacion Interuniversitaria de Investigacion en Pedagogia. All rights reserved.
... For people with ASD, the work setting in itself involves complex and challenging physical, social, and sensory environments. Because of these difficulties, employers are reluctant to hire workers that require additional support and workplace adjustments, which means different from regular employees to be productive in their jobs (Müller et al., 2003; Büscher-Touwen, Groot and Hal, 2018). Employers are unwilling to pay the market wage when they expect lower levels of job performance. ...
In the Netherlands, many groups are sidelined regarding their labor market opportunities, i.e., youth, low-educated individuals, ethnic minorities, and partially disabled individuals, particularly in times of economic downturn. Due to increased labor market dualization, access to better jobs is reserved only for those who have mastered professional skills. The public support rapidly brings the unemployed back to work but is criticized for its negligible and sometimes even adverse long-term impacts for vulnerable workers. Explanations point to the limited supportive and skills-upgrading services in this general approach along with the unemployed' unrepaired deficit in the desired skills, making these groups continuously prone to nonstandard employment and unemployment. More inclusive efforts might support these vulnerable workers to secure jobs more adequately, which appears to be more topical than ever, e.g., the COVID-19 crisis on unemployment. The Philips Employment Scheme (Philips Werkgelegenheidsplan [WGP] in Dutch) offers vulnerable unemployed workers one-to-two years of work experience with (in)formal training to move participants into jobs externally. Participants are employed, seen from the outside, in regular employment. In contrast, people on public support might remain long-term unemployed and have increased risks of nonstandard employment. The literature teaches us that such programs pay off in the long run only but have little impact on short notice. However, the WGP already proved to be effective on short notice, making it an interesting case for study. This dissertation observed the extent to which this company-based work-experience program better supports low-educated and inadequately-skilled workers to return to the labor market and to build up high levels of employment security in sustainable jobs with proper wage matches over their future careers than public activation programs based on workfare principles that lack these human capital and work-experience investments? Earlier studies on ALMPs limited their observation periods to one-to-five years later. In contrast, the Statistic Netherlands' register data used for this dissertation made it possible to study the long-term impact of the WGP up to ten years later. The long-term effect of the WGP is determined by comparing the labor market outcomes of its former participants (1999-2014) with a comprehensive matched control group, sharing a large number of pre-treatment covariates as participants before the intervention, but public activation entitlement instead. Findings show that WGP participants have 8% more employment security for over ten years than control units. Still, the different studies conducted in this dissertation show substantial variation in the impact of WGP participation among these studied groups. More investment opportunities would improve vulnerable unemployed' chances to regain sustainable employment, as the WGP does with its more tailored approach. Other large companies might start similar tailor-made initiatives to improve the career opportunities of the disadvantaged, particularly in industries and regions that forecast declines in qualified personnel. This dissertation provides an argument for encouraging other employers to take up their responsibilities as well, and to invest in work experience and training for all their employees, but also urges the Dutch government to increase the budget on formal training for the unemployed. Closer collaboration between public authorities and the business sector might forward vulnerable workers' careers, notably from a long-term perspective.
