Disability, Inclusiveness and Higher Education in Ecuador: The Case of Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil

Abstract

For centuries, universities were a highly exclusive space and despite the advances, there are vestiges remaining from the era of discrimination, which makes it difficult for historically marginalized groups to be admitted, stay and egress, such as people with disabilities. This article presents the case of the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil on inclusivity and disability. The objective is to i) describe the interest of the academic community of the institution regarding disability and ii) analyze the characteristics of students with disabilities in the cohorts from 2013 to 2017. For this, I carried out a descriptive study on the scientific production of the members of this institution and an analysis of the records of students with disabilities. The results suggest that there is a growing interest in the subject by the graduating students of the institution. They also indicate that there are no significant differences in the admission of students with disabilities according to their gender or province of origin, but there is one by grade and type of disability. In addition, they are underrepresented in certain types of careers. The admission of students with disabilities to this university has been increasing since 2013, but it has yet to reach the 1% of the student population. Finally, researchers, teachers and institutions are urged to undertake educational inclusion initiatives in pursuit of a more integral, solidary and just Ecuadorian society.