Widening participation in EIE programmes across Europe for students with disabilities

Widening participation in higher education is a major component of governmental level education policy within Europe. It consists of an attempt to increase not only the numbers of young people entering higher education, but also the proportion from so-called “under-represented groups” (those from lower income families and some ethnic minorities (socio-economically disadvantaged), along with individuals with disabilities and mature students). The policies developed must align both with the European wide directives which all European countries should follow and the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In this paper, widening participation in higher education is discussed in relation to the results from the SALEIE (Strategic ALignment of Electrical and Information Engineering in European Higher Education Institutions) project and specific responses from a survey amongst the partner institutions are identified and discussed. Conclusions and recommendations are then provided.