Inclusive culture, policies and practices in a higher education institution: A propose for the development of a training program of inclusion

Abstract

This exploratory-descriptive study aimed at assessing the level of a higher education institution readiness in terms of culture, policies and practices for the inclusion of students with special needs as basis for the development and implementation of a training program on inclusion. Through a survey using a contextualized questionnaire on the index of inclusion, a focus group discussion, and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, participants were chosen from a pool of learning facilitators, members of the administration, teaching and non-teaching personnel, local government unit, PWD organization, and training program participants using purposive sampling. The results revealed that the higher education institution is ready in terms of inclusive culture, policies, and practices. SWOT analysis revealed the following themes: adaptability, support for inclusivity, acceptance and accommodation, collaboration, lack of preparation, resistance to change, establishment of inclusive values and community support, maximization of resources, opportunities for teacher training, collaboration and inclusive leadership style, and legal bases for the knowledge and skills. The training program was developed on the basis of these findings. The program was subsequently implemented using the ADDIE model since the learning facilitators evaluated the training implementation as very high in terms of objectives, speakers, content, workshop methods, and relevancy.