Nust to host conference for students with disabilities

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THE National University of Science and Technology (NUST) will next week host a two-day international conference for students with disabilities.

THE National University of Science and Technology (NUST) will next week host a two-day international conference for students with disabilities.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

The conference, running under the theme Quality Assurance in Student Affairs: Towards Disability-Friendly Tertiary Institutions, will run from September 18 to 19 in Victoria Falls.

Nust spokesperson Felix Moyo told Southern Eye on Wednesday that the conference would deliberate on issues affecting students with disabilities at tertiary institutions.

Over 100 delegates from all over the world are expected to attend the event and share their experiences to guide policymakers.

“The aim of the conference is for people to discuss on best practices that can be adopted for students with disabilities at tertiary institutions,” Moyo said.

He said some of the topics to be tackled at the conference included individual differences, tertiary institutions’ challenges, laws and statutes governing best practices in students with disabilities, administration, institutional support on transition from high school to tertiary education, partnerships for quality of life for students with disabilities, and from disability to possibilities.

Last year, the Federation of Organisation of People with Disabilities in Zimbabwe appealed to government to create educational structures that cater for people with disabilities.

The organisation said most tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe did not have facilities for people living with disabilities. It said lecturers conducted lessons using projectors and laptops.

They said as a result, this failed to take note of visually impaired students.

Most buildings at tertiary institutions were also said to be not user-friendly for students with disabilities.