The Social Interaction Of Students With Disabilities In Learning In Higher Education

Social interaction is a relationship between two people or more that happens because of connected communication and socialization. In this study, social interaction is defined as the interactions between students with disabilities and regular students in a class, the social interaction among students with disabilities, and the social interaction between students with disabilities and volunteers. The social interactions by the students with disabilities in class appear in various patterns because of the different conditions of each student, communication methods, language perceptions, peers acceptance in class, volunteers and the students with disabilities themselves. This research is conducted to know the pattern of students with disabilities social interaction in learning session in the classroom. The research method used is a qualitative research with a case study approach. The data were collected through observation, interview, and documentation. The research subjects were students with disabilities, regular students, and volunteers. The result revealed that there are two patterns of social interaction in a class learning session. The first is the positive social interaction, formed by cooperations, understanding in communication, and acceptances from two sides. The other is the negative social interaction, the one with difficulties because some factors such as communication barrier, introvert personalities of students with disabilities, and the fears to start a communication.