Inclusivity & Equity for Field Visits of Specially Abled in Higher Education Learning

Abstract: Students of Higher Education Institutes acquire new skills in any stream through theoretical classroom knowledge and practical field experience. Field experience supports learning and problem solving in professional practice. Field visits and case study visits play important role in higher education learning of all the streams. Experiential learning through field visits, though comparatively less in duration, is an essential part of the curriculum. However, when it comes to field visits, physically impaired students face restrictions. As the number of physically impaired students seeking higher education is significant, the issue of parity of learning experience for them needs to be addressed in a structured manner. The promotion of accessible field trips and the introduction of new type of supporting study material in recent years have been positive steps towards fostering inclusivity and equity for physically impaired students. Still there is wide scope for research into potential solutions for this issue. This research examines conventional practices of field teaching for especially abled students and the challenges involved in it, further to probe for innovative possibilities to overcome the challenges. The methodology includes mixed method approach - a combination of qualitative and quantitative method. The paper concludes with potential viable solution to encourage accessibility and inclusivity for field visits for especially abled students in Higher Education Institutes. The implication of the paper is that some of the viable solutions can be useful for policy making of curricular innovations for inclusivity & equity. Keywords: Physically impaired, Accessibility, Inclusivity, Equity, Learning environment, Higher Education Institutes