Education Opportunities For People With Disabilities: A Case Study In Open University Malaysia

• Main Authors: Wong, Huey Siew, Normah Liza Aman
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Subjects: L Education (General)
• Online Access: http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/873/1/library-document-873.pdf; http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/873/
• Institution: Open University Malaysia

Open and distance learning (ODL) offers a great opportunity to people with disabilities or learner with disability to pursue their studies in a university. This form of study is widely adopted in many countries within the rehabilitation context to enable disabled people to improve their academic qualifications and social integration within communities. In Malaysia, there are several universities that provide ODL opportunities to its citizens including people with disabilities. Prominent among these universities is the Open University Malaysia (OUM). This paper aims to discuss the initiatives taken and role played by OUM to encourage people with disabilities to further and complete their tertiary education through open and distance learning. The paper also reports the major findings of a survey conducted through phone interviews of learners with disabilities. The survey findings focus on why students with disabilities choose to study in OUM and the learning difficulties faced by these learners in an ODL environment. Finally, some recommendations are made to improve the effectiveness of ODL for learners with disabilities. (Abstract by authors)