Special Educational Needs

Program Overview

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Liverpool Hope University's Special Educational Needs program equips students with knowledge and skills in disability studies and special educational needs. Through a supportive team of academics, the program explores historical, social, and cultural factors shaping disability understanding, advocates for disability rights, and prepares graduates for careers in education, health, and social care.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

• Apply academic theories and models to professional settings in education, health, social care, local government, and business.
• Advocate for disability rights and equality in chosen professions.

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Description:

• The program features a supportive team of disabled and non-disabled academics.
• Course content is informed by input from guest speakers, disabled-led organizations, education and care providers, charities, and disability arts organizations.
• The program is unique in being informed and enriched by the Centre for Culture and Disability Studies, an internationally recognized center of excellence in disability studies research.

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Outline:

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Year One:

• Disability and History: Explores the relationship between disability and society throughout history.
• Disability and the Life Course: Studies how disability experience varies across different life stages.
• Disability and Culture: Examines the representation of disability in culture and challenges societal attitudes.
• Disability and Society: Analyzes the relationship between disability and social practices.
• Diverse Experiences: Explores the specificity of experiences of disability and challenges the notion of disabled people as a homogeneous group.

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Year Two:

• Social Theory of Disability: Focuses on the social model of disability and its applications in practice.
• Exploring Diversity, Disability and Education: Engages with recent research on neurodiversity, learning differences, and diverse experiences.
• Exploring Professional Values and Attitudes: Examines the ethics of professional practice and future employment opportunities.
• Researching Disability: Introduces students to ethical and philosophical dimensions of researching disability.

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Year Three:

• Theories of Disability: Studies contemporary work in disability studies, including critical disability theory, ableism, and neo-liberal ableism.
• Inclusive Practice: Explores the key concepts of cultural inclusion, inclusive education, and Universal Design for Learning.
• Disability and Ethics: Examines ethical issues related to disability, including technology, intervention, and choice.
• Dissertation Phase: Students conduct independent research on an aspect of special educational needs.

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Advanced Research Courses:

• Neither seen nor heard: Listening to the stories of marginalized young people
• Researching the Cultural History of Learning Disability
• Metanarratives of Disability and Assumed Authority
• Disability Rights, Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain
• Researching the representation of disability in popular culture
• Neurodiversity
• Disability Studies, Arts and Education
• Disability and the Built Environment

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Assessment:

• Portfolio
• Essays
• Written exams
• Posters
• Annotated bibliography
• Journal analysis
• Dissertation research project
• Feedback is provided in the form of written comments and one-to-one discussions with tutors.

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Teaching:

• Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, and tutorials.
• Students also use the University's Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle) and have individual meetings with tutors.
• The program benefits from the expertise of a supportive team of academics with both lived experience of disability and extensive professional experience.

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Careers:

• Graduates are well-prepared for a range of professional roles in education, health, social care, local government, and business.
• Many students choose to pursue further qualifications in teaching, social work, or disability studies.
• The program also provides opportunities for careers in disability inclusion and as a disability support worker.

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Other:

• The program offers the opportunity to study abroad for a semester or a full year through the University's Study Abroad programme.
• Students can also participate in the Service and Leadership Award (SALA) programme, which involves service-based experiences and leadership development.
• The program emphasizes the importance of lived experience and participatory forms of research.

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• Tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
• If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
• The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
• You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university.
• International Tuition fees for 2024/25 are £12,500.