Abstract
South Africa is a society historically marred by exclusion and discrimination based on inter alia race, gender, economic status, disability, and language. The restoration of dignity, diversity, equity, and inclusion is a high priority. At Stellenbosch University (SU), policies such as the Language Policy (2021), Disability Access Policy (2018) and Assessment Policy (2022) have fostered redress inclusive of students with disabilities. This chapter reviews how shifts were implemented using the above-mentioned policies by highlighting how flexibility was introduced in the education of Deaf students in the Faculty of Education at SU having UDL in mind. The chapter traces teaching, learning, and assessment support in Deaf student teacher training at SU. The conclusion is that policies assist in facilitating changing environments while promoting inclusivity in flexible curricula and support practices.
TopBackground
Fabric of Exclusion
South Africa emerged from hundreds of years of colonisation and discrimination that impacted its society on a large scale. The Dutch, Portuguese and English were the main colonisers, and South African indigenous people were deprived and lost much in land and economic growth through the periods of rule by these foreign nations. Apartheid was abolished in 1994 (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 1996), and South Africa had to slowly start to repair hundreds of years of damage left in its wake. This legacy is one of division and huge inequities in the country from a societal, economic, language, educational, health, wealth, and psychological perspective.
SU presents a microcosm of the South African legacy of inequity. It is still battling with redressing the pervasive inequalities in the broader society. On the one hand, the University has rich resources and a cohort of students with a legacy of affluence and privilege. On the other hand, it has a large contingent of students who struggle financially, socially and psychologically. Much attention has been paid to the racially unequal past and its transformation. However, students with disabilities also reflect these societal inequities and have also been left behind. With the advent of democracy, inclusive education became part of education policy (RSA, 2001), 22 years ago. This makes inclusive education very recent in its formation, and it is still in the process of development as we strive towards social justice in all its facets in South Africa and SU.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Post school education and training (PSET): In the South African context, the PSET sector refers to universities, technical and vocational education and training institutions, community education and training colleges as well as skills providers.
Student Success: These are students who achieve successful study in any given year and degree.
Universal Access (UA): This is an overarching term to describe accessibility and inclusion for all from a range of perspectives to avoid exclusion. This term includes accessibility of people according to transportation, physical buildings, information, websites, gender and disability.
South African Sign Language (SASL): SASL is a sign language used in South Africa by Deaf people. It is promising to become the official twelfth language of the country.
Higher Education (HE): In the South African context, higher education refers to universities and universities of technology.
Department of Basic Education: This department oversees education in South Africa from Grade R (pre-school) to Grade 12 (school leaving certificate).
Foundation Phase: In South Africa this is the phase of education from Grade R to Grade 3. Learning areas covered are Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills.
Deaf student teachers: These are students that are Deaf and subscribe to Deaf culture and learn by means of sign language interpreters that interpret academic material. They are also in the process of becoming teachers to Deaf students.
Students with Disabilities: In the Stellenbosch University context, students with disabilities refer to any student that has disclosed a disability and can provide collateral documents about this, when accepted to the university or when seeking support for a diagnosed disability.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): UDL is an approach to teaching, learning and assessment that acknowledges student diversity and is flexible in reaching teaching and learning outcomes.