Access and Equity in Higher Education. Case Study on the Needs of Students with Disabilities

The new national legislation outlines concerns for higher education institutions to ensure access for students with disabilities to the physical, information and communication environment, adapted to their needs. In order for universities to be inclusive, first it is necessary to know the needs of students with disabilities. This article presents the results of a qualitative research that aimed to identify the needs of students with disabilities regarding the accessibility of the university to become an inclusive higher education institution. The methods used in the research were focus group and individual interview, conducted using semi-structured interview guides, the participants being students with disabilities from West University of Timişoara, Romania. The results of the study highlighted physical needs regarding the accessibility of the university for both offline and online education, needs regarding the educational process and learning resources, as well as social needs. Future research could include other universities in Romania, the identified needs can be investigated on specific types of disabilities, and research methods could be extended to quantitative ones, or other qualitative types like the method of observation or spoken photography.

Keywords: students with disabilities, university, access, equity, inclusive education, needs, Romania