1. Inclusion at Higher Education: The Xavier’s Experience
Neha Trivedi
Student with Disability Coordinator:
St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous) Mumbai
Project Consultant, XRCVC

2. Key Points for Inclusion at Higher Education
Admission: Policy and Process
Examinations
0Infrastructure
Campus Placement Policies
Accessible Teaching Learning Resources
Inclusive Culture: Training Sensitization & Awareness

3. The Xavier’s Framework
Over 110 Student with Disabilities
Enabling Committee: Principal, Faculty, Resource centre staff, Students with Disabilities
Student Inclusion Cell: Students with and without disabilities working on promoting inclusion.
Resource Centre: Delivery Unit
Resource Centre open to all: Also works on Advocacy and Awareness at National and International Level

4. Xavier’s Process Accommodation Form + Continuation Form
Accommodation Letters and Exam Provision Letters: Approved by Enabling Committee
Students delivering letters to faculty
Resource Center provides data to exam control room
Exam control makes examination provisions available

5. Accommodation Form Provisions
Across 21 disability types
Five Key Areas of Accommodations:
INCLUSIVE EXAMINATIONS
NOTE TAKING AND IN CLASS ASSISTANCE OPTIONS
ACCESSIBLE CONTENT SERVICES
TEACHING LEARNING SUPPORT
ACCESSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

6. Examinations Provisions
A. Use of Devices/Tools/aids : Calculators/Talking Calculators/Taylor Frame/Abacus/Swell Line paper for drawing diagrams/Video Magnifiers B. Written Examination Options: Use of Writer/ Use of Reader and Prompter/ Computers/Computers with Screen Readers/Magnifiers/Oral Examinations: (Students opting with this provision might have the option to do hand written exam or writer examinations on some papers) C. Practical Examinations: Accessible Equipment/Use of Lab Assistant D. Project & Assignment Options: Typing of project/alternative submission formats

7. E. Alternative Exam and Evaluation Methods : Large Font Papers, Soft Copy Papers, Alternative questions for subjective questions, Alternative questions for visual question, Permission to answer in key points: F. Infrastructure arrangements : Furniture needs

8. NOTE TAKING AND IN CLASS ASSISTANCE OPTIONS
Recording Lectures
Taking a Laptop or Assistive Device to Class
Lab Assistant
Note taking Volunteer

9. ACCESSIBLE CONTENT SERVICES
E copy
Audio Files
Easy to Read Content
Tactile Diagrams of Images
Audio Visuals to be subtitled/transcript

10. TEACHING LEARNING SUPPORT
Student Volunteers for out of class support:
Special Skill Training where needed

11. ACCESSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES
Permission to Use Lift
Relocation of Classrooms when the Classrooms are not accessible for wheel chair users.

12. Resource Centre Operation
Key Services for in house students:
Volunteers: Readers/Tutors/Mentors
Accessible Content Creation
College orientation
Special Skill Training support on need basis
Personal and Family Guidance
AT guidance and Support
Recreation
Advocacy support on need basis.

13. Key Learnings
Student Volunteers a key to success: Cash Strapped higher education in India.
Quality staff key over larger number of staff
Ability to keep services open to all critical to ensure sustainability
Expertise at higher education can only be built a step at a time. Don’t stop because of lack of “expertise”
On the go solutions crux to higher education inclusion. Oftentimes challenges traditional professional models: Specific Learning Disabilities, Neurological Disabilities, Class relocation for infrastructure limitations

14. Inclusion in Education challenges pedagogy to make it more real
Whilst that might ruffle feathers, overall inclusive educational systems makes quality of education better and efficient for all!

15. Our Dream
All higher education institutes in the country will be able to embrace inclusion
Xavier’s is committed to partner with all to see the inclusive higher education journey snowball to something present everywhere
Our Ultimate Desire: Inclusion won’t be an agenda to discuss in education it would be a default!