The struggle of adolescents with physical and sensorial disabilities at further and higher education levels

Abstract

The Maltese anti-discrimination legislation stipulates that it is unlawful that an educational authority would discriminate against a person on the grounds of disability. The experience of young disabled persons with physical and sensorial disabilities attending further and higher educational institutions in Malta (and Gozo) was explored to understand the disabling barriers and enabling factors of inclusive education. The study stemmed from Dewey’s theory of experience. Pragmatism was utilised as the main philosophical paradigm since lived experiences where considered essential for critical reflection on the experienced (the what) and the experiencing (the how) of experience. This paper focuses on the findings obtained from a narrative inquiry that was developed over two years with four female adolescents while attending a course at a further education institution and the University of Malta. The findings indicated that inclusive education is a social construct. The participants experienced an acceptable level of inclusive education. However, they unveiled an underlying struggle to overcome environmental, social and educational disabling barriers. It is recommended that in implementing quality inclusive education, the principles of democracy and social justice would stem from a rights-based rather than a charity-based approach.