University students with disabilities in Spain: faculty beliefs, practices and support in providing reasonable adjustments

Abstract

Higher education institutions in Spain are required, by law, to make anticipatory reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities. This work explores the contributions of 119 faculty members for the inclusion of students with dis- abilities. Specifically, the aim was to know their beliefs and knowledge about reasonable adjustments, which types of adjustment they carried out, what implications that affect faculty members were associated with making such adjust- ments, and what support they had to apply them. A pro- gressive data analysis was performed using a system of categories and codes. The results show that the faculty members made different types of reasonable adjustments in the classrooms, and that they had a favourable attitude toward this. However, there was a lack of knowledge about the needs of the students, as well as doubts of the faculty members based on such lack of knowledge.