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<p>The subject addressed in the present paper is important for the current social and educational policy regarding persons with disabilities. The development of the accessible education concept should be based on the geographical model of disability, whose main principle is to focus on the varied social needs and adjust the conditions of the geographical environment accordingly rather than to concentrate on the disability itself. The main aim of the study was to recognise the opinions of students with disabilities about studying at Polish higher education institutions (HEI). The study was based on the results of online interviews including standardised questions (open- and close-ended). The time scope of the study covers the years 2019 and 2021. The research has shown that some students hide their disability until it is visible. As a result, they do not receive adequate support and limit the achievement of goals that were the main motivation for studying. Measures taken to support students with different needs at HEIs must have a systemic nature and be addressed to the entire academic community, as well as to the society.</p>
</abstract>

The subject addressed in the present paper is important for the current social and educational policy regarding persons with disabilities. The development of the accessible education concept should be based on the geographical model of disability, whose main principle is to focus on the varied social needs and adjust the conditions of the geographical environment accordingly rather than to concentrate on the disability itself. The main aim of the study was to recognise the opinions of students with disabilities about studying at Polish higher education institutions (HEI). The study was based on the results of online interviews including standardised questions (open- and close-ended). The time scope of the study covers the years 2019 and 2021. The research has shown that some students hide their disability until it is visible. As a result, they do not receive adequate support and limit the achievement of goals that were the main motivation for studying. Measures taken to support students with different needs at HEIs must have a systemic nature and be addressed to the entire academic community, as well as to the society.

Studying at Higher Education Institutions in Poland as Seen by Students with Disabilities in the Context of the Geographical Model of Disability

Quaestiones Geographicae

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The subject addressed in the present paper is important for the current social and educational policy regarding persons with disabilities. The development of...

Medical	Social	Geographical	Economic
Personal problem	Social issues	Spatial issues	Demand issues
Medical care	Social integration	Spatial integration	Economic integration
Individual treatment	Social action	Accessibility of places and spaces	Product development
Professional help	Individual and collective responsibility	Exploitation of GIS to evaluate accessibility of space regarding individual needs	Innovation in design and function
Personal adjustment	Environmental manipulation	Universal design	Universal design
Focus on individual behaviour	Social attitude	Person as integral part of geographical environment	Culture (customer service)
Care	Human rights	Human rights	Competitive advantage
Health care policy	Politics, equality of opportunity	Politics, market forces	Market forces
Personal exclusion, adaptation	Integration, social change	Inclusion	Exclusion, integration, inclusion

Studying at Higher Education Institutions in Poland as Seen by Students with Disabilities in the Context of the Geographical Model of Disability

Published Online: Dec 20, 2023

Page range: 81 - 89

Received: Jan 09, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2023-0040

© 2023 Alina Zajadacz et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Models of disability.