Includ-ed, red europea de educación inclusiva

Summary

Karolinska Institutet (KI) has developed a DVD about concrete problematic situations that might occur in the learning environment for people with disabilities. The DVD shows what can be done to develop a more inclusive and equal way to learn and aims to encourage teachers to reflect on the issues faced by students with different disabilities.

Karolinska Institutet is Sweden’s only university focusing exclusively on the field of medicine and is the largest medical research centre. KI has 22 departments spread around the city of Stockholm. The main campuses are just outside the city to the north in Solna and to the south in Huddinge. Approximately 8000 students are taking educational programmes and single subject courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Project object:

Some people learn when they read text and others learn when they use other senses. To complement printed information a DVD is used to present different scenarios. This aims to increase the teacher’s awareness of the needs of students with disabilities and show how some difficulties can be avoided by acting in a different way in the classroom and making different arrangements for group work and examinations.

Methodology

The college disability coordinator has a responsibility to provide information to both students and teachers. She took the initiative to start a local project for Karolinska Institutet.

Following questions from both students and teachers about concrete situations where problems may occur in the learning environment and what they can do to develop a more inclusive and equal way to learn, staff at KI decided to create a DVD to encourage teachers to reflect on the issues faced by students with different disabilities.

The Disability coordinator who initiated the project  contacted the DVD producer at Mediabyrån, Karolinska Institutet Library. Some students with disabilities studying at the KI were then interviewed for the DVD. The project started in December 2007 and was implemented in 2008.

Target

University students and teachers.

Good practice innovations

The DVD shows how Karolinska Institutet is trying to raise awareness of the complex situations which can arise for students with disabilities as they learn and study in different situations. There did not appear to be any such materials in other universities in Sweden and students also need information about what kind of situations they can expect when they start studying.

Good practice achievements

The DVD is a tool for everyone to use both inside KI and for prospective students and others to learn from. The awareness of staff and students about disability has been enhanced by the project.

If you are interested to know more about the support measures offered by Karolinska Institutet and if you would like to have a copy of the DVD please contact Tina Teljstedt ( / +46 8 524 860 04).

Project partners and other stakeholders

Students and teachers of the Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Institutet Library

Evaluation

There has not been a formal evaluation but staff and students comment that the DVD is informative and usable in institutions.