SPED Hosts Seminar on Best Practices for Inclusive Workplace
The Department of Special Education (SPED), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has hosted a seminar to sensitise the university community on best practices for creating an inclusive and supportive environment for students with disabilities at the university.
The seminar was held at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre, North Campus, Winneba.
The Dean of the Faculty of Educational Studies (FES), UEW, Prof. Dandy George Dampson, emphasised that the occasion was a good opportunity to learn more about inclusivity, equity, and equality. He highlighted how important it is for everyone to at least have a basic understanding of the groups of people they live with. He stressed that in today's interconnected world, no culture that tries to be exclusive can survive.
“This implies that we need to inspire ourselves through our thoughts, discussions, and actions to make this place a better place for everyone,” he emphasised.
Prof. Dampson entreated lecturers to seriously consider students with special needs when teaching. He appreciated the efforts of SPED in sensitising the university community, adding that the sensitisation would cause everyone to be conscious of people with special needs in the university community.
The Dean of FES also implored management to continue to enhance facilities such as lecture halls to make them more accessible to students with special needs. He called on all UEW staff to come together to help make the university community a better place for all and sundry.
The Coordinator for Students with Special Needs at SPED, UEW, Dr. Adam Awini, highlighted the successes of the department and the university.
“In 1994, the university established a resource centre dedicated to catering to the needs of students with special needs as far as their academic needs are concerned. The centre caters to the needs of students with sensory impairment, orthopedic impairment, and cerebral palsy. There are about 146 students with vision impairments. Their major challenge is mobility and taking control of their environment,” he remarked.
The Director for Research, Innovation, and Development, Prof. Yaw Nyadu Offei, asserted that all communication styles could be effective when one knew how to effectively listen, observe and most importantly, empathise.
He stated that to enrich communication with special needs students, one ought to have face-to-face contact with them when communicating and speak clearly in a normal tone or voice. He beseeched attendees to inculcate the habit of having a good and big heart to tolerate students with special needs. He urged lecturers to focus on the strengths of the students and help them build on their strengths.
A professor of Special Education, Prof. Samuel K. Hayford, counselled lecturers to give students with special needs the opportunity to express themselves freely. He espoused that it would enable them to fully participate in the teaching and learning activities.
He also cautioned lecturers to desist from using words that dehumanise special needs students. He implored lecturers to ensure the safety of students with special needs from abuse, harassment, and unfair treatment.
Also present to support the event were the Head of SPED, Mrs. Florence Mensah; Dean, School of Communication and Media Studies, Prof. Charlotte Fofo Lomotey; Dean, Faculty of Foreign Languages Education, Prof. Rebecca Akpanglo-Nartey; Vice-Dean of FES, Mrs. Christiana Ammah; teaching and non-teaching staff of UEW and students.
