Disabled University Students: An Exploratory Study of a Support Program in a Spanish University

Abstract

Spanish universities are mostly designed to accommodate normal students who do not have any kind of disability. This is evident not only in the physical structures, but also in the curricular designs, in the methodologies used and in the absence of training for lectures and administrative staff. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to present the objectives and measures of the student support service policy of a Spanish university. To this end, we will firstly describe and analyze the objectives and actions within the program, and then carry out a first qualitative evaluation and assessment based on semi-structured interviews with disabled students who are the beneficiaries of the program. The initial results show low satisfaction on the part of the beneficiary students and a perception of the need to take into account the educational requirements of students with disabilities.