Disability and social inclusion: progress and new challenges in ecuadorian higher education

Abstract

Social inclusion as a right and a principle of education at all levels, both in Ecuador and in other parts of the world, is attracting more and more attention from researchers and scholars from the contributions of different disciplines. Although it includes other manifestations of exclusion, there is no doubt that the problems generated by disability occupy a central place in this issue, especially in terms of how to enforce such rights in practice. It is perhaps in universities and other higher education institutions that this problem is very topical, due to the complexity of their programs and the very nature of certain academic studies. This article describes the subject from several angles and also offers an overview of the policies and legal norms that govern it, as well as some advances and challenges to be taken into account, in the conditions of Ecuadorian higher education. The methodology used is mainly based on bibliographic and documentary study, although it is also due to direct observation, several interviews and a small survey, taken within the framework of a case study applied at the Faculty of Social Communication of the University of Guayaquil.