Special Needs, Special Efforts: Learners With Intellectual Disabilities and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This article was undertaken to evaluate the responsiveness of academic faculty teaching various courses at higher education institutions (HEIs) to the special learning needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Conducted as an exploratory investigation, this article also sought to understand if and whether the awareness of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic motivated the faculty teaching individuals with intellectual disabilities to revise their teaching-learning approach to make it more effective for such students. Data for addressing these objectives were collected through a qualitative study, which resulted in 38 valid responses from academic faculty teaching at different levels in the United Kingdom. The content of these responses was analyzed to reveal two main themes-academic faculty's experiences in class and HEIs' responsiveness to the learning needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Each main theme comprised three subthemes that discussed the practices as they existed and the changes made by faculties in the light of SDGs and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicated that while the academic faculty were mindful of introducing pedagogical adjustments to make learning inclusive for individuals with intellectual disabilities, they had not undertaken adjustments in their teaching-learning process to leverage relevant SDGs and counter challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, the faculty respondents perceived their HEIs to be much more responsive to new opportunities and threats presented by the SDGs and the pandemic.

Automated summary

This article examines the responsiveness of academic faculty in higher education institutions to the special learning needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. It finds that while the faculty showed awareness of the need to make pedagogical adjustments, they did not adapt their teaching-learning process to address the sustainable development goals or challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, the institutions themselves were more responsive to these new opportunities and threats.