Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Nurturing disability inclusion within higher education institutions

06 December 2021 | Story Maduvha Malivhoho | Photo Supplied

Maduvha Malivhoho is an Editor at the Accessible Study Material Production team for the University of the Free State (UFS) Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS).

"Disability describes the social exclusion and barriers imposed on people with disabilities and impairments evoke an unpleasant feeling in us, and it is the feeling which motivates how we react when we face disability and people with disabilities." – Brian Watermeyer

South Africa commemorates National Disability Rights Month, known as DRAM, annually between 3 November and 3 December. International Day of Persons with Disabilities, also known as National Disability Rights Awareness Day, is celebrated on 3 December. The theme for 2021 is ‘The Year of Charlotte Manye Maxeke – Create and Realise an Inclusive Society Upholding Rights of Persons with Disabilities’.

Disability is a quintessential post-modern concept, because it is complex, variable, contingent, and situated. One is always disabled concerning the context in which you are put, subject to many definitions from different perspectives, and is used for various disciplines ranging from medicine, sociology, and political science. To fully comprehend disability, one needs to consider multiple perception models in the quest for a better understanding of disability; so-called ‘models of disability’ emerge in disability research. In line with most notions of disability, it could be associated with the medical model, social model, human rights model, and biopsychosocial model. Disability models aim to demonstrate how society perceives, understands, and addresses the needs of people with disabilities.

The Disability Models

Medical model: views disability as a personal tragedy in need of cure and rehabilitation.

Social model: views disability as predominantly a socially driven issue; allows us to reconstruct social inequality for people with disabilities as a collective experience of discrimination and injustice, rather than a personal tragedy affecting only individuals. However, the model does not address the emotional aspects of disability and the realities of impairment.

Biopsychosocial model: views disability as a combination of an individual's state of health and their surrounding environment, that is, society. By recognising disability as a social construct of intricate variables and interaction of biological factors (genetic, biochemical, etc.) and psychological factors (mood, personality, behaviour, etc.), the social aspects (cultural, familial, socio-economic, and medical, etc.) is to recognise the complexity; specifically, the intersectionality that informs disability is recognised.

The human rights model: assumes that societal barriers can only be removed by guaranteeing rights to people with disabilities. Human rights principles recognise that fundamental rights are inherent in all human beings, regardless of race, gender, ability, and nationality. Therefore, disability rights are viewed as a human right under this paradigm, advocating for equal participation and opportunities for individuals with impairments.

Promoting the human rights of people with disabilities, the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa mandates a universal design approach, which is defined as "the design of products, environments, programs, and services to be usable by all persons to the greatest extent possible without the need for adaptation or specialized design."

As per the Global Education Monitoring report on inclusion and education, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is particularly relevant for a comprehensive understanding of inclusive education as tackling barriers to learning, noting that "the Universal Design for Learning concept encompasses approaches to enhance accessibility and eliminate barriers to learning." Such an approach can help to integrate UDL into the educational system by addressing the various social, emotional, and learning requirements of different groups while working for the universal system-related goal.

South Africa is among the few countries in the world to have signed and ratified the most acclaimed global convention on disability in 2007. The international trend endorsed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) seeks to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities. Although disability is varyingly defined, and definitions change across time and space, the UNCRPD defines persons with disabilities to include long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis. For this reason, creating and realising an inclusive upholding of the rights of persons with disabilities is critical in building an enabling environment for all. However, despite progressive legislative structures in South Africa, persons with disabilities continue to face barriers that prevent equal access to opportunities and participating fully in all aspects of life. It is primarily due to inaccessible infrastructure, prejudice, stigmatisation, discrimination, and attitudinal behaviour towards persons with disabilities, which often result from a lack of understanding.

According to Stats SA, 80% of persons with disabilities aged 20-24 are not attending tertiary education, yet the population of students with disabilities at tertiary institutions is just 1%. It is also revealed that there is a strong demographic gap between races. Access to education is necessary for advancing sustainable development, but it is evident that inclusivity within tertiary education remains out of reach for many. The University of the Free State aims to foster disability inclusion within the Integrated Transformation Plan, which is in line with the universal access approach guided by the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS).

CUADS, a well-known disability unit, was established in line with non-discrimination legislative changes and inclusive policy frameworks for access and equal participation for students with disabilities. It serves as a bridge between students with disabilities and the institution, ensuring mutual understanding. The majority of such departments are led and managed by women, as women have a dynamic role in enhancing and nurturing the aspirations of children and youth with disabilities to get access to education. Despite the positive role of these departments in the full inclusion of students with disabilities, attitudinal barriers remain a challenge to their non-disabled counterparts.

Furthermore, female students with disabilities face particularly higher levels of marginalisation and disadvantage because of the double discrimination based on their disability and gender. Their status as women renders them vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV), including sexual abuse, maltreatment, exploitation, and intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to men with disabilities.

South Africa has a high prevalence of GBV, especially IPV. Women with disabilities are more at risk and experience an additional layer of violence compared to women without disabilities and men with and without disabilities. It is also revealed that blind women and women with severe intellectual and mental disabilities are equally perceived as highly exposed to GBV compared to women with other disabilities (e.g., if an intellectually challenged individual could not give informed consent and/or when they report it, it will be difficult for them to identify the perpetrator).

Furthermore, men with disabilities are at greater risk of GBV, but not comparable to women and girls with disabilities. The gap perpetuates unequal gender relations in all contexts of South Africans’ lives. While various organisations seek to promote women's rights in GBV advocacy, there is relatively little emphasis on GBV against persons with disabilities, including violence against women and children.

To build an inclusive society, one needs to understand intersectionality concepts that provide a prism to comprehend marginalisation and exclusion better. Understanding intersectionality is related to how various identities such as race, gender, class, disability, sexuality, and others intersect – how lived identities are seen as entwined with oppressive systems that are mutually constitutive and reinforcing. Intersectionality as an approach recognises how complex reality is and how this complexity informs social conditions and behaviour; it acknowledges that people's lives are defined by multiple layered identities that derive from social relations, histories, cultures, and other operations of power structures.

It is an analytical tool for exploring, comprehending, and responding to how gender intersects with different identities and how these intersections lead to distinctive oppression and privilege experiences. Also, intersectionality addresses how social structural norms such as racism, patriarchy, classism, and other social systems of discrimination function and interact to create social inequalities that shape attitudes and behaviour towards those who are different, such as those with disabilities. The approach invites us to shift away from binary thinking and towards a more global human rights stance.

Therefore, higher education institutions have a critical role in shaping the future of society as places where students are educated and prepared for their future vocations. In line with inclusive curricula, the university should introduce disability discourse into models such as UFSS, which is mandatory for all first-years. Also, the institution should increase awareness and visibility by incorporating critical disability messages into all discussions, addressing all aspects; utilising disability posters on campus, and departments such as Residence Life, KovsieSport, UFS Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and CUADS should collaborate to host disability events and heighten communication around it; leveraging other mega events such as national days, themed days, conferences, etc., to spread messages on disability and to build an inclusive society; hosting lectures, debates, and discussions on disability topics and promoting rights of persons with disabilities; and hosting student competitions on equality, justice, and human dignity. Through such interventions, the university will have a community that can facilitate the creation of inclusive spaces in their homes, communities, work, and social areas. Disability should be a collective responsibility to achieve an inclusive society that upholds the rights of persons with disabilities.

Inclusive legislative policies (i.e., the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2018 and the Strategic Policy Framework on Disability for the Post-School Education and Training sector) should guide institutions to ensure that students with disabilities are protected. These documents further promote the right to (inclusive) education, as a universal access approach in education does not benefit only students with disabilities, but everyone.

News Archive

During 2011: Highlights at the UFS

2011-12-01

2011 was a phenomenal year in the life of the University of the Free State and the memorable moments will be engraved in the history of this proud institution.

World Universities Forum honours the UFS

The UFS was awarded the World Universities Forum (WUF) Award for Best Practice in Higher Education during 2010.The Best Practice Award recognises the most significant practices of the year around the world. The university’s implementation of a number of interlocking innovations to transform the institution is recognised with the award.

These innovations include: campus-wide racial integration for students; reinvigoration of the academic culture; nurturing of the most promising young scholars by means of the Vice-Chancellor's Prestige Young Scholars Programme; sending 71 first-year students to top American universities to assist with their development into non-racial campus leaders; the revision of the undergraduate curriculum to promote a cross-disciplinary approach to key societal problems; raising the entry requirements; the facilitation of open access to campus leadership through sessions with the Vice-Chancellor and Rector; extension of this spirit of dialogue internationally through the inauguration of its International Advisory Council consisting of key thinkers and practitioners; the identification of 20 of the most dysfunctional high schools in the Free State and the building of relationships with those schools.

This university-school partnership is based on a strict contract of reciprocal commitments to increase the chances of black children attending university. The WUF applauded this as the most innovative step.

New branding for our 107-year old institution

Our university turned a fresh new page with the launch of a new brand that will take the institution on its path to new horizons.

Two primary brands were adopted – an evolved academic crest and a new marketing brand for the institution’s offerings and services. The very foundation of the UFS is built on a dynamic learning environment where academic excellence and the development of leadership qualities. The new brand seeks to adapt to the changing needs of society, without sacrificing its rich history and heritage.

The rebranding process involved one of the most expansive and intensive process of consultations with staff, alumni, Senate, Council and other stakeholders.

The new brand is anchored in the university’s renewed motto “In Veritate Sapientiae Lux” (In Truth is the Light of Wisdom), which has been evolved to embrace the diversity of the community at the university without losing its essence.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu receives an honorary doctorate

One of the great sons of Africa, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, received an honorary doctor of Theology and opened the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice on the Bloemfontein Campus at the beginning of 2011.

The Institute originated in the Reitz incident of 2008 and embodies the UFS’s determination to be a place where reconciliation, forgiveness and social justice would not only be studied, but where it would also be applied. Students and scholars from across the world can study the theory and practice of building societies across the boundaries of race, as well as religion, gender, disabilities and national origin.

By honouring Dr Tutu, the UFS recognises the contribution he has made in the field of Theology through his teachings and the books he has written. The UFS not only honoured him as a moral and religious leader who has maintained his integrity as a Christian, but also as “a great son of South Africa who has made a huge contribution to peace, reconciliation and justice in South Africa and in the world”.

Reconciliation closes book on the Reitz incident

The Reitz incident, that has taken the UFS to front pages and news headlines, could come to closure this year with a reconciliation ceremony between the former students and staff members. The parties involved could meet in private and also took part in a public ceremony with many dignitaries witnessing the closure of the incident and repercussions it had.

Messages of apology were read by Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Institutional Affairs, on behalf of the UFS, and Mr Danie Grobler, on behalf of the former students. A message of acceptance of the apologies was read by Ms Emmah Koko on behalf of the workers.

Deputy Chairperson of the South Africa Human Rights Commission, Commissioner Pregs Govender, said of this historic event: “The courage and compassion shown by the workers together with the students’ willingness to embrace the spirit of change have enabled a process of justice, transformation and reconciliation that is an inspiring example for South Africa.”

Grade 12s attend first Leadership Summit

More than 280 learners from all over South Africa and Namibia attended a three-day Leadership Summit on the Bloemfontein Campus in April 2011. The goal of the summit was to enable young leaders to develop their leadership capabilities by looking beyond their normal boundaries.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, addressed the learners on leadership while Mr Louie de Necker, a training consultant, spoke about conflict resolution. Other highlights included a visit to the Boyden Observatory, picnic suppers, an introduction to residence life, a social evening, and a prize-giving ceremony aimed at learners who distinguished themselves as potential leaders during the three-day visit.

UFS honours great teachers

Our university and Sunday Times have joined hands in identifying 150 of the greatest teachers, who moved, inspired and transformed South Africans during their time at school. The project culminated in the book Great Teachers.

These are the teachers who stood out among their colleagues and made a lasting impact on their learners, inspiring them to excel, long after the mathematical equations and English literature tests are forgotten. The book is a powerful account of inspired and inspiring teachers.

All proceeds from the sales of the book will be used to provide bursaries to student teachers of today, who may become the great teachers for tomorrow’s generation.

Graduations now a celebration

By changing its format, graduations are now a festival to celebrate years of hard work and dedication of students and lecturers at our university. Some of the changes include the gathering of the procession on the Red Square in front of the Main Building, from where it moves to the Callie Human Centre. The graduation programme is also filled with music and song items with various young speakers addressing and inspiring the audience.

A total of 83 doctorates were conferred this year, making it the highest number in the history of the university.

African Student Affairs Conference a huge success

The first African Student Affairs Conference (ASAC) was hosted by our university. The conference was attended by delegates from universities across the continent and was aimed to place the focus on issues relating to student affairs in an African context.

Delegates shared and exchanged strategies, ideas and resources, and discussed issues related to the work of student-affairs professionals. A delegate from Nigeria said it was an important conference for Africa and it should become a regular event.

Research published in Nature

A research article on the work by a team under the leadership of Prof. Esta van Heerden, and counterparts in Belgium and the USA, has been published in the distinguished academic journal Nature on Thursday 2 June 2011.

The article – Nematoda from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa – sheds more light on life in the form of a small worm (nematode) living under extreme conditions in deep, hot mines. It was discovered in one of the gold mines in the Free State.

The research can shed some new light on the possibility of life on other planets, previously considered impossible under extreme conditions. It also expands the possibilities into new areas where new organisms may be found.

Postgraduate School is one of a kind

Our Postgraduate School was launched with the aim of bringing research-bases education in line with national priorities and the focus of the UFS Academic Turnaround Strategy of 2010. It spans across our facilities.

The focus of the school is to produce graduates who are global citizens, research literate and able to reflect ethically on the purpose, process and product of research; to improve throughput rates of postgraduate students; and to make the experience of being a postgraduate at our university one which is stimulating, enjoyable and which contributes to the development of people beyond the limits of their disciplines.

Oprah Winfrey now a Kovsie

World attention was drawn to our university when an honorary doctorate in Education was conferred on media icon Oprah Winfrey on 24 June 2011 at our Bloemfontein Campus. The graduation was probably the biggest ceremony of its kind in South Africa, with more than 4 500 people attending.

Our university honoured her for her accomplishments and unparalleled work as a global media leader, as well as a philanthropist with vision and foresight in the field of education and development.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of our university, said: “It is a great privilege for us to be the first South African university to honour Ms Winfrey in this way and to be able to recognise a global icon of her stature.”

UFS doctors make history in South Africa

Two procedures took the UFS to the forefront of the medical world this year.

History was made with the first implant of a special new aortic valve in South Africa. The advantage of this new valve is that it can be implanted percutaneously through a catheter from the groin. This eliminates the need for invasive surgery.

The valve is made from porcine pericardium (tissue derived from pigs) and is mounted on an expandable stent, which is threaded along an artery, until it reaches its desired position. The valve is especially useful in older patients who suffer from aortic valve disease and pose a high surgical risk. It also reduces hospitalisation time.

A rare malignant tumour was also removed in groundbreaking heart surgery. What makes this operation unique, is that the suspicious mass, identified in the heart of a 51-year old man, was rapidly growing into a highly invasive cardiac tumour seen in a small number of patients worldwide.

In the highly complex, 10-hour operation the entire right heart chamber had to be removed and the heart reconstructed.

School of Open Learning adds value

The activities of the new school are driven by a central principle: opening up access to those who have not had the opportunity to study at a higher-education institution due to geographical location, socio-economic circumstances or other factors.

Programmes are delivered through a blended-learning model, which blends contact teaching with distance education.

The school will collaborate with our various faculties, and is managing the continuing education-sponsored endeavours of the Faculty of Education. These include projects for in-service training of teachers in Mathematics, Natural and Physical Sciences, Languages, Literacy, Economic and Management Sciences, Technology and various areas of Management and Leadership.

Second group of young leaders abroad

A second group of first-year students in the Leadership for Change Programme visited universities in the USA, Europe and Asia. Our university could extent the programme to 150 students, up from 71 in 2010.

These students are seen as a leadership core, not only for their university life, but also in public life outside the university borders.

The main purpose behind the programme is to expose students to positive models of racial integration. Their experiences will go a long way towards changing and enriching the minds of young leaders, who have committed to building a truly non-racial society in South Africa.

Odeion School of Music launched

Our former Department of Music transformed into the Odeion School of Music. The name Odeion name portrays not only an excellent asset in the Free State, but also nationally and internationally.

The school’s new name bears the respected Odeion brand and a number of successful and respected ensembles operate under this brand. These include the residential Odeion String Quartet, student ensembles, the Junior Odeion String Quartet, the Odeion Sinfonia, and the Odeion Choir.

The formation of the school paths the way for more flexibility to complement its profile with new developments. These include the application of prestigious international experts as artistic fellows, membership to progressive European, jointly-developed degree programmes and curriculum development initiatives, the founding of a chair in Orchestra Conducting, a master’s degree in Arts Management, as well as the incorporation of bio-kinetics in the teaching methodologies of performance practice.

World-class Chemistry facilities opened

World-class Chemistry facilities, with state-of-the art equipment, opened on the Bloemfontein Campus.

The upgrading of the facilities and addition and replacement of equipment were the single biggest investment at our university in a long time.

Specialised research by the Department of Chemistry includes X-ray crystallography, electrochemistry, synthesis of new molecules, the development of new methods to determine rare elements, water purification, as well as the measurement of energy and temperatures responsible for phase changes in molecules, the development of agents to detect cancer and other defects in the body, and many more.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept