DISABILITY DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN ETHIOPIAN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: COMMITMENT AND SATISFACTION

Oct 15, 2026

Educational leaders at all levels may strengthen Disability Diversity Management (DDM) commitment and satisfaction by intentionally including Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The study investigates the level of DDM commitment and satisfaction in Ethiopian public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and derives recommendations for improvement. Five HEIs were examined, using a convergent parallel mixed approach with questionnaires (N=247) and semi-structured interviews (32 respondents). Results show top-management commitment was insufficient and undergraduate students with disabilities were not satisfied.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Abstract

Background Information

Statement of the Problem

DISABILITY DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN ETHIOPIAN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: COMMITMENT AND SATISFACTION EASAW ALEMAYEHU ASSEFA ABEBAW YIRGA ADAMU Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia ABSTRACT Educational leaders at all levels may achieve Disability Diversity Management (DDM) commitment and satisfaction by actively enhancing their institutions’ performance through the intentional inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The goal of this study was, therefore, to investigate the commitment and satisfaction of DDM in Ethiopian public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) so as to make recommendations for its improvement. The study was conducted in the selected five Ethiopian public HEIs, namely, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Debre Berhan University, Selale University and Kotebe University of Education. Convergent parallel mixed research (Quantitative and Qualitative) procedures that adhered to the pragmatic research paradigm was used. To that end, the study engaged the quantitative involvement of (N=247) regular students with disabilities (physical, visual, and hearing disability). Survey questionnaires containing 16 items were created in line with Hurtado et al., (2012)’s Diversified Learning Environment (DLE) model. Mean, standard deviation, correlation, t-test and statistical significance (P-value) were calculated using both descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 25. A narrative inquiry technique was also employed by conducting semi-structured interviews with thirty-two respondents to relate to their lived experiences. The commitment of the top management at the selected five Ethiopian public HEIs towards DDM was found to be not enough. On top of it, undergraduate students with disabilities were not satisfied with the DDM of their campuses. The study also gave vital insight on DDM commitment as well as satisfaction. For DDM to be satisfactory, the initiatives must contain a solid mix of commitment at Ethiopian public HEIs. The leadership must be vigorously committed toDDM satisfaction with its equality ideals and societal norms. Providing resources for the committedly implementation of the DDM plan were also recommended. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Across the globe, diversity and diversity management in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have long been a key focus of educational planning research (Lumadi, 2008). In its educational context, Disability Diversity Management (DDM) is institutional management practices used in educational leadership to promote disability diversity and inclusion in education, particularly at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) . Implementing policies and strategies in curricular and cocurricular activities is the commitment of the top management team. Staff training and other resources are part of this process to meet the needs of students with disabilities (SWDs) satisfied (Phukubje,& Ngoepe, 2017) . In this study, DDM refers to the process by which Ethiopian public HEIs create and maintain a positive environment in which the differences of SWDs are recognized, understood, and valued in order to achieve their goal of promoting greater inclusion of students through specific policies, programs, strategies, diversity-related curricular and co-curricular activities, providing training, and other means of satisfying SWDs. Educational Planning | Fall 2023 49 Vol. 30, No. 4 Cole (2017) defines disability as the inability to do a task normally. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are a disadvantaged and not satisfied part of society, according to UNICEF (2008) and Agarwal and Steele (2016), since they are usually not satisfied, unseen, unheard, and uncounted, and have restricted access to ordinary life. On the one hand, discrimination based on disability has long been a societal concern in many nations (Azhar, 2014) . PWDs are often among society’s most dissatisfied me

FAQs

What is the study’s primary goal regarding DDM in Ethiopian HEIs?

To investigate the commitment and satisfaction levels of Disability Diversity Management in Ethiopian public Higher Education Institutions and to provide recommendations for improving it.

Which Ethiopian public HEIs were included in the study?

Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Debre Berhan University, Selale University, and Kotebe University of Education.

How was the research conducted and what data were collected?

A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used, combining quantitative survey data from 247 students with disabilities and qualitative semi-structured interviews with 32 respondents.

Oct 15, 2026

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