The Importance Of Diversity In Higher Education

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Higher education institutions are facing student populations with increasing diverse academic and non-academic needs (LaRocco, Anderson & Archambault, 2013). Today, diversity in higher education is the norm, as students display a high degree of diversity in terms of age, ethnicity, native languages, religion beliefs, family responsibilities, socio-economic status, academic preparation, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities (McGuire & Scott, 2006; Zeff, 2007). Specific disabilities frequently identified in higher education include: Learning Disabilities (LD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, chronic health conditions, and mobility and/or sensory impairments (OECD, 2003). Recent studies distinguish between disabilities that are manifested by “visible” characteristics (e.g., wheelchair users, visual impairments), and those manifested by psychological processes, also called “hidden” or “invisible” (e.g., LD, ADHD; Leake & Stodden, 2014).
Prevalence estimates of students with disabilities vary by country. For example, in the United States of America (USA), students with disabilities represent approximately 11% of the overall higher education student population (Newman et al, 2009; Snyder & Dillow, 2011). In an attempt to address the lack of exact data on the number of adults with disabilities, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted a study on the situation of