Law and Practice to Support Students with Disabilities: What Can Be Learnt from Debre Markos University, Ethiopia

This study was conducted to identify and evaluate types of care and support provided by Debre Markos University to students with disabilities against its by-laws (if any) and the proclamation for higher learning institutions. Data were collected from 80 participants of which 58(72.5%) were students with disabilities while 22 (27.5%) were different academic and administrative staffs with disabilities and/or connected with service provision to those students. The study primarily employed qualitative methods (focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and observation) as well as survey in order to triangulate qualitative data. It also employed census, purposive and convenience sampling techniques to recruit participants. While qualitative data were analyzed using content and thematic analysis, quantitative data were done by descriptive statistics. Though all students with disabilities who participated in this study never questioned about their placement in their choice of department, their view of the depth, breadth and quality of services provided to them is low in its own right as well as in comparison with other Universities. This was ascertained by absence of any written by-law to support students with disabilities which in turn led them face various problems while using libraries; dormitories; departments and classrooms. Colleges/institutes and schools allocate class with no consideration of disability cases; nor is the support system uniform across departments and among instructors. As a result, students with disabilities may or may not receive the needed support (if they receive, it is out of providers’ keen interest and enthusiasm than being guided by some kind of rule). In addition, the provision of separate reading room in the main library was offset by total absence of any reading materials and librarian to give service, and prohibition of students to take reading materials from other sections to their own. What is more perturbing is the university’s failure to implement exam time and deadline extensions; alternative testing strategies; tutorial classes and construct disability sensitive buildings at least in line to Ethiopia’s higher education proclamation of 2009. Therefore, the university needs to develop and implement comprehensive and detailed by-law for students with disabilities and mainstream disability issues at least as per higher education proclamation of the country to enhance inclusive and equitable education thereby better academic achievement of students with disabilities and achieve its vision of becoming one of the ten top East African Universities by 2025. Ethiopian government, and ministry of science and higher education in particular, also needs to identify and appropriately support students with disabilities in this and other Universities not only by explicitly setting the minimum standards for assistance for such students but also by checking their observance against these standards. Furthermore, they should identify and upgrade the identified universities to appropriately provide the needed support for students with disabilities.