Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE DBS2205

 
TITLE Equal Access to Education, Employment and Health

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 6

 
DEPARTMENT Disability Studies

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit will deal with education, employment and health and how these can promote or hinder disabled people's access to the community. The three issues will first be tackled from a general sociological and social policy perspective, exploring the rationale behind current education systems and how they function, the role of employment in society and in people's lives, and the importance of health and how health services function.

The study-unit will then focus on how these issues apply to disabled people, both separately and as they interrelate with each other and with other issues. This includes an exploration of disabled people's rights and duties with regards to education, employment and health; disabled people's own views about these issues; existing opportunities and barriers to equal opportunities; possible solutions to the latter; and reviews of the relevant literature. The study-unit will comprise lecturer-led presentations, student-led discussions, and the articulation of the students' own reflections on specific readings. Finally, students will be able to apply their increased knowledge and competencies to a specific case-study in education, employment or health, according to their preferences.

Study-Unit Aims:

The aim of the study-unit is to enable students to increase their knowledge of issues regarding education, employment and health both as general societal issues as well as how they affect disabled people. Through lectures, discussions and written reflections, the students will also be able to increase their awareness of the complexities of these issues and of how they are interrelated among themselves and with other issues. The study-unit will also enable students to become aware of the relevant literature.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- describe the main themes related to education, employment and health as social issues and how they relate with each other;
- describe the experiences of disabled people in education, employment and heath and how they relate with each other;
- identify those factors that promote disabled people's inclusion in education, employment and health services;
- identify barriers that hinder disabled people's inclusion in education, employment and health services.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- take part in and lead discussions about disability related issues in education, employment and health;
- identify and discuss, both verbally and in writing through a portfolio, the specific enabling factors and disabling barriers in specific scenarios and case studies;
- relate the issues thus discussed with the relevant literature.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Barton, L. 2006. Inclusive education: romantic, subversive or realistic? International Journal of Inclusive Education 1 (3), 231-242. (Available in the library's electronic databases).
- Cardona, G. 2011. Inclusive education: a special right? Commonwealth Education Partnerships, pp. 34-36. Available from http://www.cedol.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Gordon-Cardona-article.pdf.
- French, S. and Swain, J. 2008. Understanding disability: a guide for health professionals. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
- Roulstone A; Barnes C (2005) Working Futures: Disabled People, Employment Policy and Social Exclusion. Policy Press.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture & Independent Online Learning

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Case Study (take home) Yes 40%
Portfolio Yes 60%

 
LECTURER/S Arianne Attard
Claire Lucille Azzopardi Lane (Co-ord.)
Angele Briffa
Ylenia Peresso
Elvira Spiteri

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit