Inaccessible Accessibility: Analysis of Inclusive Education in Universities Abroad

Abstract

Approximately 15 % of the world’s population live with disabilities, which makes it the largest minority globally. At the same time, the access of persons with disabilities to higher education is extremely low, ranging from 24 % of students with disabilities vs. 36 % of non-disabled ones in the EU to 0.63 % of disabled individuals from the overall number of students in India. In this research, the existing strategies and practices of inclusive education are investigated and unsolved issues are identified based on the analysis of statistical data, international and national legislation that regulates relations of universities with disabled personnel and students, university policies, reports of disability services, lawsuit cases, and academic and industry publications. This paper examines cases from the USA, where the percentage of students with disabilities is one of the world’s highest, and France, which has a far lower rate of disabled students, but possesses developed institutional mechanisms to protect their rights. The analysis is performed based on Tulane University (New Orleans), University of Bordeaux, and École Polytechnique, which represent not only different university types, but also dissimilar disability policies. France and USA both show that attitudes to disability vary depending on a condition type. Society perceives the needs of individuals with visible disabilities as valid. However, it is wary of persons with psychiatric disabilities, whose explicit signs are not as obvious. The article concludes there are marked differences in protection of disabled persons’ rights in France and the US regarding both mechanisms/practices and outcomes, particularly, the access of students with disabilities to universities.