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Whilst increasing literature elucidates academic ableism and its impact upon faculty and PhD students, far less attention is paid to aspiring academics who are excluded from academia altogether. Through a first-person narrative, this article explores the experiences of a disabled postgraduate seeking a PhD placement, who is largely unable to leave home owing to the interplay between 'rare' and neglected health conditions and an ableist society. The impact of academic exclusions, notably institutional resistance to providing remote access, is explored through the lens of psycho-emotional disablism. It is contended that, for all the talk of equality, diversity and inclusion, the academy represents yet another landscape of power and exclusion where disabled people struggle to be recognised as fully-fledged citizens. The emergence of long Covid and persistent threat of infection adds urgency to the academic and wider social need to include disabled people who are unable to leave the home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article 24 of the CRPD guarantees inclusive education as a fundamental human right. In Japan, the education policy has shifted from a segregated education to an inclusive one with the ratification of the CRPD. However, recent lawsuits on children with disabilities and their school placement/attendance reveal such policy changes are not reflected in practice. In this article, we reviewed notable court cases in Japan to investigate how Japanese courts interpreted the reform of the legal system. We divide the article into two parts: Firstly, we describe the history of Japanese education reform. Secondly, we discuss the court cases with regard to Japanese education system reform and the schooling of children with disabilities over three time periods. Our findings show that the court continues to make judicial decisions based on the old notion of segregated education and fails to recognize or even understand that inclusive education is a fundamental human right. Inclusive education should be a human right, but many countries, including Japan, still have school systems where students are segregated. The history of changes in laws on Japanese schooling system is explained. This study analyzed the main purports of legal cases about school attendance of children with disabilities in Japan and its changes over time. This study found that the court's decisions made after the changes in laws to schooling system in Japan still did not adequately reflect its philosophy of inclusive education as a human right. The study recommends that it is necessary to have open discussions about 'inclusive education' as a human right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities have an inviolable right to equitable access and participation in tertiary education and support systems are known to be indispensable in making this right a reality. This article presents the voices of students with disabilities regarding aspects that influence their successful access and participation in tertiary education in Ghana. A qualitative approach was adopted for the study with data collected through interviews with 12 students with disabilities in three public universities. From the perspective of these students, successful inclusion of people with disabilities in tertiary education in Ghana is influenced by enrolment practices, the built environment, teaching and learning approaches, and assessment provisions. The context influenced provisions and support provided. Attitudes of the university community and lack of knowledge of inclusive practices such as Universal Design play a role in students' access and participation. Comprehensive awareness-raising on disability and inclusive practices is recommended to address this issue. This paper explores inclusion practices in three Ghanaian public universities focussing on the combined voices of students with disabilities. The context of the three universities influences the provisions and support available for people with disabilities. The students with disabilities involved in the study reported that access to the university environment and support for academic engagement impact their university experience. The attitude of the university community is a factor in ensuring access, participation and success of people with disabilities in higher education. Creating awareness of disability issues within the university community is pivotal in building and sustaining inclusive culture. The application of universal design principles is essential to improving access and participation of people with disabilities in higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to understand the ableism facing the presence of disabled students in physical education (PE) classes. Through a case study with an exploratory qualitative design, we captured the inclusion (or lack thereof) of disabled students through the perspectives of three PE teachers who participated in this study over one school year. The teachers completed a weekly reflective journal with field notes, and participated in two focus group interviews, which were assessed using the content analysis technique. The PE classes were immersed in ableism, which translates into a body-focused process of normalisation. Our findings underscore the difficulty encountered in the inclusion of disabled students because it is considered a counterpoint to what is believed to be PE. A comprehensive change in perspectives regarding the understanding of disability and normativity is required. This study is important to discuss how meaningful the physical education classes have been to the disabled student; The disabled students still feel excluded from Physical Education classes; Physical Education curriculum is mainly based on competitive sports practices raising questions about its meaning to the disabled student; Physical Education teachers do not change the traditional curriculum for the best learning opportunities to the disabled children; The inclusion of the disabled student calls for fundamental changes on what is assumed as Physical Education class at schools and for effective teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study that explored and described how students living with disability construct meaning from their first-year experience through their social systems and interpersonal relationships. Two groups of participants, namely 18 students living with disability and their self-identified significant others were purposively sampled. Data were gathered by means of individual interviews and reflective writing exercises. Interpreted within the social wellbeing framework of Keyes, the findings are consistent with international research and illuminate the pivotal role of parents, peers, and institutional support structures in the lives of first-year students living with disability. This enabling environment (with elements of inclusion, belonging, meaning-making, and reciprocity) is associated with a greater sense of interdependence and has the potential to contribute to all five dimensions of social wellbeing (integration, acceptance, coherence, actualisation, and contribution). Support from parents, peers, and the institution is pivotal in the lives of first-year students living with disability. An enabling environment includes elements of belonging and meaning that are beneficial to first-year students living with disability. Acceptance and integration of first-year students living with disability into university life can increase social wellbeing, enabling the students to realise their full potential and providing the opportunity for the students to contribute. A greater sense of interdependence is found in healthy relationships between first-year students living with disability and their significant others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the subjective nature of some disability diagnoses, one way to mitigate the disproportionate referral of students of color for Special Education in the United States is by unearthing teachers' deep-seated biases regarding race and ability. Drawing on Freire's (1970) theory of critical consciousness, we unpack the role that teacher dispositions play in upholding racism and ableism, and we offer strategies aimed to address teacher bias and ableist/racist practices. We use the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as an example of institutional racism and ableism in the United States and consider how teacher dispositions can fuel disproportionality. Because of the importance of teacher training as an entry point into one's career in education, we specifically focus on the teacher preparation period as a time and space where pre-service teachers (PSTs) can engage with their dispositions and offer concrete strategies that teacher educators can employ with PSTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of disabled research higher degree (RHD) candidates in Australia and other countries is slowly increasing. However, little research has examined the experiences and perspectives of disabled RHD candidates. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with six disabled PhD candidates at an Australian university, aiming to understand the experiences and challenges of undertaking postgraduate study while living with disability. We present participants' experiences of seeking – and commonly being refused – 'reasonable adjustments'. Our findings invert the expectations of institutional adjustment, highlighting instead the constant adjustments made by the participants: temporal adjustments, workspace and equipment adjustments, supervision adjustments and emotion and body adjustments. We argue that these adjustments are necessitated by, and often reinforce, ableist assumptions about normative academic practices, assumptions that reward those who can conform and punish disabled candidates even as they work to adjust to institutional demands. Disabled PhD candidates in this study were often denied reasonable adjustments or accommodations over their course of candidature. The denial of reasonable adjustments was distressing and impacted upon the PhD candidates' understandings of their research ability and sense of belonging at their university. In the absence of institutional ajustments, the PhD candidates in this study had to make adjustments to their use of time, where and how they worked, their supervisory relationships and their expectations of their bodies and emotions. For the PhD candidates in this study, adjustments often came at high financial, time, professional and social costs. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles may offer a more effective framework for making research higher degrees programmes more accessible and welcoming for people living with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency situations such as pandemics typically widen inequities, and Australian children and young people with disability already face significant inequities in the education system. In this paper we draw on survey data from over 700 respondents exploring education experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families reported being left behind, finding it difficult to access education remotely, and that this was having a significant impact on wellbeing and mental health. We find that of all support offered by schools, social supports have a stronger association with learner engagement than educational interventions. This finding indicates the importance of social and emotional supports in learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted education for most learners; There is good evidence to suggest this impact is felt more keenly by students with disability, because there is disability discrimination in the Australian education system; This paper reports survey responses from over 700 families of students with disability exploring the impact of COVID-19 on education; Many families report being left behind and that students found it difficult to learn away from the school campus, which for many students and families led to poorer wellbeing and mental health; Our results suggest that supporting students to have social contact with peers made the biggest impact on students with disability feeling engaged with learning during this time. This shows it is important for teachers and schools to pay attention to social as well as educational aspects of school life when thinking about how to educate students with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite big advances, in recent years, students with disabilities have not been greatly present in the university world, and those who do enter higher education are confronted with architectural and psychosocial barriers. Among the latter category, it is necessary to highlight the attitudes of their classmates and teachers towards students with disabilities; but we also need to take their own ideas and beliefs into account. This study therefore examines the ideas and beliefs of university students in Spain with disabilities about attitudes towards disabilities. Taking their responses into consideration, it can be concluded that the students in question consider neither their disability nor the university to be an obstacle to them accessing and finishing their studies. Furthermore, they perceive the attitudes of their teachers and peers to be positive, thus feeling themselves to be fairly well integrated into the university community. However, they also call for better training on disability. This article examines the ideas and beliefs held by university students with disabilities in Spain on the attitudes of their teachers and classmates towards their inclusion. This article looks in detail at the real-life interactions between students with disabilities and people without disabilities. The students with disabilities, although considering their peers and teachers to have positive attitudes towards them and feeling themselves to be included, called for the educational community to be better informed about their disabilities. For them, it is essential to have a welcome plan and a central unit coordinating and advising the entire educational community on this issue. This type of research is important, because it can help to give students with disabilities a voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although higher education typically strengthens people with disabilities' chances to be in a competitive job market as a leverage to break away from poverty, the contemporary marketization of higher education within the era of neoliberalism has made degrees and diplomas increasingly unaffordable. The federal government responded to this predicament by increasing the Canada Social Transfer to offer up-front targeted funding to students with disabilities in 2008. However, virtually no literature has acknowledged whether financial grants meaningfully provide students with disabilities with an equitable opportunity to engage in post-secondary education. Using critical discourse analysis on government online materials that address federal and provincial disability grants for post-secondary students with disabilities in Alberta and Ontario, this study reveals how the neoliberal rhetoric of personal responsibility shapes the practice of government disability grants. This practice can leave students with 'more responsibility' while rendering 'less control' over their finances in an already disabling world. This study looks at how language is communicated by federal and provincial government grants to post-secondary students with disabilities in Alberta and Ontario. The research found that Canadian financial assistance programs for students with disabilities have been operating using techniques that largely reflect self-reliance and personal responsibility. Students with disabilities are left with more responsibilities to prove their worthiness for assistance. At the same time, students cannot know for sure whether they will receive the necessary funds to continue their studies. Medical understandings of disability are strictly used to determine the eligibility for financial assistance, leaving little room for students to decide what they need to suit their individual needs best. The findings suggest that government financial assistance programs are not firmly committed to providing students with disabilities with an equitable opportunity to engage in PSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been increasingly acknowledged that universities need to include and support students with disabilities in order to benefit these individuals. Yet, university students with disabilities often face significant barriers that impact their ability to succeed. Traditional higher education practices and belief systems have been identified as problematic, in how they influence students' feelings and attitudes towards disability, and their self identity construction. Our qualitative research study was thus originally designed to understand how higher education students engaged with medical and social constructions of disability. The study findings prioritise these students' perspectives and voices through interpretative phenomenological analysis and poetic interpretations. The findings are further nuanced in terms of how several students took up positions of identity that reflect social relational and affirmative disability conceptions. Aside from individuals with disabilities, this study has implications for university staff, medical and human services professionals, and disability researchers focused on higher education. Despite increased enrollments of students with disabilities in higher education, concerns have been raised about these students' university achievement and completion. There is a gap in research when it comes to examining the views and experiences of university students with disabilities, from their own perspectives and voices. Research was carried out with university students with different disabilities in order to gauge the impact of the social and medical models on their perspectives. The research found that there was no single model that dominated their individual identities, as various life experiences resulted in complex and multifaceted understandings of disability. This research is important not only for the service providers who work with individuals with disabilities, but also family members, researchers, and other university staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from basic education to higher education and, finally, to work, can be difficult to negotiate for any young person. Such a transition can be challenging, particularly within the current labour market conditions accompanying the social and economic changes facing developing industrial nations. Students with disabilities face additional challenges in their career development and school-to-work transition. The Open Distance Learning (ODL) institutions tend to be the first and only choice due to the limitations posed by contact universities. Drawing from the life stories of two female students with disabilities at an ODL institution, this article interrogates how these young women negotiated (and continue to negotiate) their respective career pathways. The students share specific aspirations for their career and life development, their experiences of studying at an ODL institution, as well as their perceived employment opportunities. Also discussed here, are recommendations for practice. People with disabilities do not receive adequate career development at school, or even upon entering higher education. Disability can influence how high, how quickly and how realistically young adults set career goals. People's negative attitudes, have created career barriers for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can succeed in their careers, if they have formed a solid identity, are determined, have a support network and create an environment which is conducive for their growth. The role of career practitioners is critical in providing the necessary career path materials in accessible formats, opening the conversation with the students with disabilities so that they make informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of students with chronic illnesses in UK universities. Sixty-seven students with chronic illnesses completed an online survey with open-ended questions about their experiences in higher education. Questions covered four main topics: academic work; university staff; social and extracurricular activities; and participants' miscellaneous opinions. Using thematic analysis, the data were analysed with references to the social model of disability and social representations of chronic illness. Participants wrote of misconceptions surrounding chronic illnesses, a sense of inequality, and feeling undervalued. Many staff members seemed to lack understanding and so 'policed' academic regulations rather than accommodating for their chronic illnesses. However, some participants wrote of social and academic 'allies' who offered understanding and proactive support. The findings add substance to the chronic illness literature with the focus on students at university, and we offer recommendations to universities for improving inclusivity for students with chronic illnesses. Disabled students with energy-limiting chronic illnesses are frustrated by a lack of support and feel that they have fewer opportunities than non-disabled students. Some university staff may hold negative views of disabled individuals, and so provide inadequate support. This can lead to students' reluctance to disclose chronic illnesses. Students with chronic illnesses felt that some staff and peers did not class chronic illnesses as 'real' disabilities and felt that they were perceived lesser than those with visible disabilities. Some students proudly owned the label of 'disabled' to educate others, including staff, who sometimes used university regulations inappropriately to excuse not adjusting support for disabled students. Some staff and students were perceived as supportive allies. Universities must listen to disabled students and those with chronic illnesses to ensure they fulfil their legal and moral obligations of providing equality of opportunity, enabling all students to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study which aims to know what faculty members who develop inclusive pedagogy do to foster the inclusion of students with disability. Using a qualitative methodology, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 faculty members, who were recommended by their students with disabilities. The data were analyzed inductively through a categories and codes system. The results show the participants' experiences working with disabilities and the active and participatory methodological strategies used by the interviewees to ensure the participation of all the students, as well as some key elements to foster inclusion. Lastly, the participants offer some recommendations for other faculty members to move toward inclusion in the university. The conclusion section discusses the results of this work with those of previous studies, and offers some suggestions for further work in the scope of inclusive pedagogy and Higher Education. Faculty members need training and information on inclusive education to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Faculty members who develop inclusive pedagogy do not distinguish between students with and without disabilities, and treat all students in the same way. Active and participatory teaching methods are the most effective and beneficial for all students. Inclusive Faculty members recommend that other teachers become informed about disability, develop a good and close relationship with their students and value their abilities, not their limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the globe, disabled girls of color have unique school experiences and perspectives. However, they are often left out of educational research. In addition, their experiences are not included in conversations focused on transforming school systems and practices, even though they have solutions for educational equity and justice. Grounded in intersectionality and critical spatial theory, this study expands current understandings of how school systems and practices impact disabled youth of color broadly by considering the distinct intersectional educational trajectories of disabled girls of color in middle and high school in the United States. Through their counter-narratives, photographs, and maps, focal participants revealed how materializations (e.g. school geographies, learning tools) and adult actions impacted their academic and social opportunities at school. This study adds to the current literature with a purposeful focus on the experiences and solutions of disabled girls of color. Implications for research and practice are discussed. This article looks in detail at the experiences of disabled girls of color in the U.S. in one middle school and one high school. Disabled girls of color were often accompanied by adults throughout the school day. Few girls could travel to classrooms on their own or with friends or store personal materials in their own lockers. Disabled girls of color had limited access to many school spaces and classrooms. Most disabled girls of color did not have access to preferred writing tools (e.g. pencils, pens). Most girls had fewer math and science materials and electronic devices (e.g. laptops, tablets) to learn with compared to other students at their school. The researchers recommend teachers ask disabled girls of color about their experiences to ensure they have access to spaces and materials for meaningful learning. Teachers could use photography and map-making to learn about student experiences and modify their teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial component of the United Nations' Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is to promote 'inclusive education' for the disabled population. As a member of the CRPD, China has made transformative efforts to promote inclusive education for disabled students in the past decades, including policy changes in the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). Through reviewing Chinese disabled students' participation in the NCEE, this article concluded three historical stages – Exclusion, Specialization, and Integration –of China's disability higher education. Although the past few decades have seen significantly increased access to higher education for disabled students due to legal, institutional, and social changes, the goal of 'inclusive education' is yet to come true. The NCEE Physical Examination Criteria shed light on the fundamental limitations in China's current education system predisposed by the state's political lens predicated upon managerialism and productivism. Considering China's present conditions, we outline three ways of promoting disabled students' right to higher education in reference to the CRPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, access to education is regarded as a right enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution yet issues of inequality, poor access and exclusion remain as intense as they have always been for students with disabilities. When universities closed due to Covid-19, all students suffered in one way or the other but those with disabilities suffered the most as their support is not mainstreamed. This highlighted the need to create a seamless system of student support if we are to leave no student behind. To do this, the paper proposes the adoption of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that supports inclusive teaching and learning. Adopting UDL is critical in ensuring curriculum access and in addressing fragmented student support. Supporting students with disabilities should be everyone's responsibility and the sooner we adopt the principles of UDL, the better the learning outcomes for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this piece, I share my thoughts about how the field of public health can better understand the impact of intersectionality in disability, higher education and health care. Intersectionality can create a compounded burden that is only exacerbated in the midst of this pandemic. I begin by describing how my life changed at the onset of the pandemic in terms of my daily life, including the impact of shifting to online classes and rising racial tensions within our country. Next, I offer advice to those who are newly diagnosed with long term disabilities in self-acceptance and grieving. To conclude, I call for a shift in public health with holistic approaches and reducing the achievement gap while enhancing support provided by university offices for Disabled students. Being disabled is a part of who I am, not just a list of conditions on my medical chart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 has globally affected many countries and territories. Among COVID-19 influences, the education sector is really becoming an area of public concern. According to UNESCO report, due to COVID-19 more than 1 billion students were affected by school closures in 106 countries. Among that large number of students, students with disabilities need to be given specific attention as they tend to have fewer educational opportunities outside school because of various barriers. Take China as an example, the current study considers there are four challenges that inclusive education for students with disabilities are facing during the pandemic: education policy design lacks a disability perspective; technology offered is not accessible; mainstream schools overlook the responsibility for educating students with disabilities, and parents of students with disabilities are unprepared for distance and home-schooling. The experiences of some related stakeholders being affected by COVID-19 are shared in the article. Additionally, we offer some recommendations to improve the inclusive education provision for students with disabilities during the COVID-19 period, as well as in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions in Spain are required, by law, to make anticipatory reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities. This work explores the contributions of 119 faculty members for the inclusion of students with disabilities. Specifically, the aim was to know their beliefs and knowledge about reasonable adjustments, which types of adjustment they carried out, what implications that affect faculty members were associated with making such adjustments, and what support they had to apply them. A progressive data analysis was performed using a system of categories and codes. The results show that the faculty members made different types of reasonable adjustments in the classrooms, and that they had a favourable attitude toward this. However, there was a lack of knowledge about the needs of the students, as well as doubts of the faculty members based on such lack of knowledge. The research explores how inclusive faculty attend to the needs of university students with disabilities. Faculties showed predisposition and a favourable attitude toward making adjustments. The participants make different types of adjustments depending on students characteristics. University faculties need support to address to the needs of students with disabilities. The study shows that students with disabilities are a professional challenge for faculty, providing new learnings and greater professional satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voice of disabled students in higher education (HE) has been widely explored in the global North but relatively little is known about the experiences of their counterparts in the global South. The paper attempts to address this lacuna by focusing on disabled students in HE in India. A part of the author's doctoral study in 2013–14 explored the lived experiences and aspirations of 29 students with a visual impairment using phenomenological methodology. Their access to courses and subsequently, career opportunities were found to be restricted by an interplay of systemic exclusion, lack of information, internalised oppression, pedagogy, and employment opportunities. While disability legislation in India focuses on widening participation in HE, the issue of access to courses for students with a visual impairment has received little attention. This paper emphasises the importance of facilitating their access to their desired courses in HE and to this end, provision of support in school. This article highlights the experiences of students with a visual impairment regarding enrolling in different courses in higher education (HE) in India. The research found that four main factors prevented many students with a visual impairment from pursuing science-and mathematics-based courses in HE. These were i) exclusion from science and mathematics in early education, ii) inadequate support systems, iii) inaccessible teaching practices, and iv) limited work opportunities. Little or no support and motivation was available for them to study these subjects. The research recommended that HE authorities must recognise the ability of students with a visual impairment to learn visual-based subjects. It also highlighted the need to provide support for learning mathematics and science to these students in school so that they can study mathematics- and science-based courses in HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on transition to higher education and young people with disabilities has increased in recent years. However, there is still limited understanding of transition issues and how digital technologies, such as social media and mobile devices, are used by this group of students to manage these issues. This article presents the findings of an empirical study that addressed this matter based on young people's views and experiences. The qualitative study was conducted in the context of a group of students with vision impairments transitioning to a New Zealand university. The findings draw from observations, a researcher diary, focus groups, individual interviews, and data from social media. The study shows that, like their non-disabled peers, the students actively engaged with interactive and collaborative digital technologies to make sense, individually and collectively, of different transition issues before, during and after the first academic trimester of their university journey. This research shows that, from the perspective of students with vision impairments, key issues for transitioning to higher education include the academic system, social connections, disability support, family involvement and their own impairment(s). Transition issues in higher education, in the context of disability, are complex and interconnected. Students with vision impairments actively engage with and adapt digital technologies to manage transition issues. These findings expand the current understanding of transition as well as student retention in higher education in the context of disability and the role of digital technologies. This research recommends tertiary institutions use creatively collaborative and interactive digital technologies to complement transition services and activities for students with disabilities so their participation and inclusion in higher education can be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the voice of faculty members, this article analyses the barriers and aids that students with disabilities encounter at university. As part of the study, we conducted interviews with 119 faculty members from 10 Spanish universities. We then analysed the data using an inductive system of categories and codes. The results are presented in relation to two topics: barriers and aids to learning and participation. Some of the barriers identified included physical obstacles, faculty, peers, and a lack of resources and information; and some of the sources of aid and support were disability offices, peers, human and external resources, faculty and the university itself. The study shows how each faculty member's unique experience determines their view regarding potential barriers and aids for university students with disabilities. Indeed, throughout the article, it becomes clear that what are perceived by some as barriers are regarded by others as supports. Higher education represents an opportunity for students with disabilities. Few studies have sought to analyse the barriers and aids from the perspective of faculty members. This study explores, through the narratives of 119 faculty members, the barriers and aids that students encounter at Spanish universities. What is needed is the application of Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education. The UDL proposes that the curriculum should be designed so that everyone is able to access and participate in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attainment of a college degree is an opportunity for upward social and economic mobility. The benefits of a college degree are wide-ranging and include lower rates of unemployment, higher income, increased job security, and a higher quality of life. Historically underrepresented students, including students with disabilities, are attending college and attaining degrees in increasing numbers in the United States. However, there is evidence from prior research suggesting that not all underrepresented students are being discussed equally by the higher education academic community. For all students to succeed in college and beyond, they must all be part of the important conversations surrounding the American higher education system. This research project investigated the academic discourse of four major academic organizations by analyzing the topics presented at their national annual conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disabled students remain underrepresented in medical education and encounter barriers in the educational environment. Analyses of disclosure tend to focus on logistical acts and suggest that students are likely to 'cover' their disabilities in order to manage others' perceptions of their capability. Using data from a grounded theory study conducted at four US medical schools, the article demonstrates how some medical students reveal their disability experiences for collective benefit and to counter stigma. These strategic acts, political disclosures, resist ableist conceptions of disability in medicine. Students described ways they disclosed politically, compelled by certain drivers: desiring belonging, connecting individual concerns to systemic problems, having certain individual attributes, and acquiring status. Against this, a sense of risk to future career and a lack of structural support hindered such acts. Structural measures to support positive identity development and address ableist culture are offered in response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws from an ethnographic study of a group of school-aged disabled white working-class and self-proclaimed 'bad boys' in one Alternative Provision (AP) in an English further education college. These young disabled students' disabilities contribute to the formation of their revalorised – yet stigmatised – identities. Stigma also facilitates the governance of their educational careers. The article considers how this group understands its precarious existence in and beyond AP and how these young men resist the conditions of their devaluation. Despite multiple, stigmatising experiences, the article shows how they appropriate space and (social) capital, often in tension with other students and college staff. The article suggests that there are questions about AP as an appropriate means to confer value upon young disabled students. White, disabled, working-class male students are increasingly placed into Alternative Provisions intended for young people who would otherwise not receive suitable education for various reasons. The experiences of such students have received limited research attention. This article is based on research conducted with young people who attend a provision located within an English further education college. The research found that these young people experience a lack of support, low trust and disregard from peers and some professionals at a crucial time in their educational careers. It is important to understand disability in relation to other social differences – social class and gender, for example – as the combined impact of these in educational settings may undermine future career prospects and life chances. The article emphasises the importance of education practices that develop reciprocity, trust and cooperation in improving the often oppressive circumstances young disabled people face in post-school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the learning and teaching experiences of 105 disabled students mostly based in England, but with international voices. Students with disabilities are under-represented in universities and tend to have worse post-degree outcomes despite similar attainment rates to their peers. This presents a social justice issue. This article focuses on classroom experiences of these students. Using a survey with qualitative and quantitative elements, students were asked to give details about their experiences in taught settings, about their relationships with academic staff, and about their aspirations. Their responses have been analysed thematically and have been discussed in the context of the discourse around epistemic ignorance and social justice. The study finds that students may feel concerned about anonymity in disclosing disabilities and may be concerned about the way that others perceive them. The study finds that students perceive academic staff as often improperly trained for inclusive teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This disability studies in education informed study unpacks effects of neoliberal reforms on students with disabilities in New York City schools. These reforms proliferated small themed schools, dismantled many large schools, and required students to apply to high school. This multi-site case study researched two high schools, one large and one small, with data from interviews and document review. Findings reveal how reforms forced large schools to accept many marginalized students with disabilities, while small schools employed tactics to avoid accepting many students with disabilities seen as having intensive needs. Finally, contextual analysis reveals how larger city politics perpetuated segregative ideologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite affirmation that students with disabilities should have equal access to education, individuals with disabilities are still not participating to the same degree as individuals without disabilities, particularly within postsecondary institutions. Students in Health and Human Service (HHS) programs experience many unique challenges and disadvantages. In-depth focus groups and interviews were conducted with 14 university stakeholders in HHS programs regarding their perceptions and experiences of working with students with disabilities. We found that the rhetoric of citizenship, specifically notions of rationality, autonomy, and productivity, interacts with beliefs about students with disabilities to allow stakeholders to justify their exclusion or limited participation. Our findings demonstrate how taken-for-granted beliefs can limit the inclusion of students with disabilities in ways that seem natural and unproblematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two recent contributions to this section have drawn attention to the barriers which academics with disabilities have to navigate in academia where ableism "is endemic" (Brown and Leigh, 2018: 4). Hannam-Swain (2018) highlighted the additional intellectual, emotional and physical labour required of her as a disabled PhD student, and Brown and Leigh (2018) queried "where are all the disabled and ill academics?" However, Brown and Leigh primarily focus on those with invisible "conditions" and the dilemmas raised by disclosure in a context where such conditions negate academic status and credibility. In contrast, since my "disability" is visible, I do not share the dilemma/"luxury" of secrecy. My presence announces my status before me, and this negates my personhood altogether in academic settings. It also places a burden of additional unpaid labour upon me which has significant mental health and career impacts as well as violating principles of equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater participation in social, sporting and cultural activities by disabled people is important for inclusion. We discuss the experiences of four students with visual impairment who are partnered with sighted dancers in an inclusive ballroom dancing project. Their talk is discussed against the background of common images about dance, disability and performance. Participants experienced inclusive ballroom dancing as enjoyable. They also indicated the ways in which the dancing involved acting to conceal their impairments and to reinforce norms of non-disabled heteronormativity. We discuss the contradictions inherent in projects which espouse inclusion and are appreciated but which perpetuate exclusionary stereotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes my embodied experience as a disabled academic on a recent academic visit to Armenia. I was led to reflect on interesting contrasts and parallels between the Armenian and British systems, in relation to disabled staff, students and the inclusion of children in the education system. This article begins by contextualising the reasons for and nature of my visit to Yerevan, Armenia. The article then draws on differences and similarities I observed and experienced in such areas as physical access, attitudes, participation in education and the opportunities for disabled students and staff to contribute to academic activities. The article concludes by highlighting some valuable lessons learned from this insightful trip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study highlights how the continuum of alternative placements, a requirement of U.S. federal legislation to ensure that students with disabilities are educated in the least restrictive environment, becomes a discursive tool to exert power. Using institutional ethnography, the researcher investigates the experiences of one set of parents who are experiencing conflict with their school district’s special education administrator over the placement of their child with autism. The use of Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the discussion shows how the continuum of alternative placements is used to create problematic, one-dimensional profiles of students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the experiences of 14 students with severe and complex behaviour, their caregivers, and teachers/principals as the students transition from a disestablished residential school back to mainstream schools, with support from the Intensive Wraparound Service (IWS). Interviews were the primary source of data collection. Data were collated into 14 cases, and analysed using a general inductive approach. Two broad themes are addressed in the article: education and relationships/communication. The research found that the IWS is not living up to its rhetoric. Suggestions made for improvement are based on approaches that participants found worked for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we shed light on the experiences of disabled students attending professional courses in higher education in Norway. The findings from this empirical study are based on interviews with 14 students with diverse impairments, ranging from the visible to the invisible. They faced barriers that they resolved to address on their own, using their capabilities and working 'in silence' to meet the expectations of normal students in academia as strong and independent. In addition to their own motivation and self-determination, what facilitated their progress in their studies was that some of the staff and fellow students met them respectfully as ordinary students, while recognizing their strain and providing support without calling attention to it. Leaning on the Nordic Relational Model of Disability, we call for greater awareness of the complex interactional processes between the disabled students and people in their social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4-A Framework suggests that all inclusive education systems must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. South Africa is committed to establishing an inclusive education system that does not exclude students with disabilities. South African university disability policies translate the imperatives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into institutional mandates that govern the implementation of inclusive education. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent disability policies at South African research-intensive universities addressed the markers contained in the 4-A Framework. The framework was reworked and operationalised for the higher education context, and expanded to include a fifth marker, namely affordability. A deductive thematic analysis, using a protocol based on the five markers, was used to analyse these policies. Results indicate that, of the five markers, affordability was not sufficiently addressed. Various disclaimers also limit policy provisions related to other markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the experiences and experiencing of disability, policies of self-understanding, and the life plans and aspirations of students with disabilities. The article draws on the results of a qualitative survey of students with disabilities taking courses in various faculties of the University of Ljubljana. The results show that students with disabilities are able to reshape their identities in a way that does not consist of the disability experienced, but is independent of it, and they are able to accept their disability as the reality of life without losing their own purpose of living and life plans. This experience is a significant part of the identity formation of people with disabilities, and the social experience of people with disabilities strengthens their selfhood while also producing new responses and challenges to contemporary issues of identity formation and identity policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework offers a promising strategy to address the needs of higher education students with disabilities; UDL aims to support access, participation and progress for ‘all’ learners, resulting in more accessible learning environments. The objective of this qualitative study is to explore whether UDL addresses the learning needs of students with disabilities effectively. Findings suggested that students’ perceptions align well with UDL’s principles, especially with the principle of multiple means of engagement. Additionally, we found that meeting the learning needs of some students may create barriers for others. To overcome these weaknesses, UDL needs to address the individual learning needs of students, not only through setting and curricular changes, but also in a direct way. Therefore, this study argues for responsive teaching whilst implementing UDL in a flexible way. Helping students to articulate their learning needs by asking them the right questions will be crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Differentiation has gained international attention as a strategy associated with responsive teaching, and as a means for ensuring access to the curriculum for all pupils. This study investigates the development of differentiated instruction in 34 Greek co-taught classrooms. The aim is to explore how co-teachers understand the term ‘differentiated instruction’, and to identify the conditions surrounding its implementation as an inclusive strategy. Sixty-eight semi-structured interviews and 57 unstructured narrative observations were implemented with mainstream and special education co-teachers. We suggest that co-teachers understood differentiated instruction as a ‘child’s deficit-oriented activity’ for students with disabilities and not as a ‘context-oriented approach’ for all students. Co-teachers attributed the limited differentiated instruction observed to several contextual factors. However, we argue that the understanding of disability through the medical model and Foucault’s ‘medical gaze’ results in the construction of differentiated instruction as a remedial approach and, by extension, its limited use in mainstream classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1990s, Canadian universities began implementing policies to accommodate learning disabled students. While such policies appear to make post-secondary education more accessible, students must manage considerable complexity and absorb social and financial costs to receive accommodations. Through interviews with learning disabled students, this research explores the effects of socio-economic status (SES) on how, or whether, students access accommodations at a Nova Scotian university. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu and Goffman, this study suggests that SES affects students’ abilities to navigate the accommodation process successfully, and that accommodation policies, while important, may not ensure equal access to accommodations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until comparatively recently blind/vision-impaired young people were generally assigned to particular education settings based on their impairment. Restructuring of the education system commenced in the Republic of Ireland in the 1990s, resulting in significant changes in special education including a language of inclusive education within policy initiatives. In the research upon which this article is based, the educational experiences of blind/vision-impaired people, the factors that impacted on these experiences and how these facilitated or inhibited their future opportunities were the primary foci for the study. This article explores the themes of how the post-primary school curriculum was experienced by blind/vision-impaired students and their future expectations and aspiration. In terms of policy development and practice, it is paramount to ensure both effective curriculum participation and transition opportunities are enabled rather than disabled for these students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are more students with disabilities going to college than ever before. It is important that colleges understand the experiences of students with disabilities when in university. This research project was carried out by 12 students with intellectual disabilities who are enrolled in an Irish university, under the guidance of their lecturers. The project looked at four research questions: (1) what do we like about going to college; (2) what do we dislike about going to college; (3) what supports do students with disabilities experience to participation in college; and (4) what barriers do students with disabilities experience to participation in college? The results show many interesting findings about what students with disabilities experience in college and this information can be used to help colleges better support students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, two adolescent sisters discuss and reflect upon the impact that the special education classification of one of them has had on their lives. The sisters, co-authors of this text, participated in designing the study and analyzing the data we produced; their voices are the core of this article. Issues about inclusion, the harms and benefits of special education classification, stigma, the multi-edged meanings of what it means to be “special,” and the often complicit roles of educators in perpetuating exclusionary policies all arise in the sisters’ discussions with each other, with their co-authors, and with pre-service teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Parent involvement in the process of creating an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law in the United States that ensures children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education alongside their peers without disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Yet much research has shown that parents often feel like outsiders during the process. To understand parent perspectives about how educators might help make the IEP process more collaborative and inclusive, this study collected qualitative data from 35 parents of students with disabilities who have worked to develop an IEP with a school team. Our findings provide insight into parent experiences and evidence that parents have many suggestions for how educators can improve the IEP process. In our discussion section, we provide educators with strategies to address parent suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a list of doctoral dissertations in the field of disability studies including "Assistive products: engineering, design, development" by Ana Correia de Barros, "Staying at work with fibromyalgia" by Margaret A. Oldfield, and "Experiences of disabled students at two South African universities: a capabilities approach" by Oliver Mutanga.

Although research on gender mainstreaming (GM) is extensive, literature on disability mainstreaming (DM) is scarce. This article builds on the experience of GM to explore the conditions affecting DM, focusing on the first Flemish policy cycle of DM (2010–2014) in two policy domains: employment and education. We found no substantive difference in the conditions necessary for the successful implementation of DM compared with that of GM. Also, developments specific to the policy domains had more influence on the inclusive character of policies than did the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or the Flemish approach to DM. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There are limited comparisons between the experience of disabled students in higher education and their non-disabled peers, particularly on practice placements. This article presents the results of such a comparison, across six professional disciplines in one UK university. The results revealed that both disabled and non-disabled students reported positive placement experiences and also similar difficulties. Such difficulties were exacerbated for some disabled students, however, including as a consequence of the attitudes of others to disability. Recommendations for practice are identified that aim to enhance the placement experience of all students and to remove barriers to access. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reviews two core strategies for safeguarding the rights of disabled children and examines the extent to which these processes advance justice for children in accessing an inclusive and equitable education. The article evaluates the adequacy of the legal system in the face of increased evidence of exclusionary practices of schools, and the low uptake of the disability tribunal as a vehicle for redressing discriminatory practices. It reviews the work undertaken with schools to develop procedures and processes to support them in identifying disabled pupils in order to monitor the impact of their policies and practices. Although there were some limitations, this work provided a platform from which to ensure that schools engaged with their responsibilities and understood more about the ways in which a child's impairment impacted on their participation in school life. Instead we are dependent on the work of voluntary associations to safeguard children's rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities face obstacles in their encounters with higher education. The aim of this study is to investigate how the institutional context shapes students’ experiences of unequal opportunities in higher education. In comparing disabled students’ experiences from universities in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States, the study makes visible the kind of experiences that students share and how experiences differ between these countries within the global context of higher education. The study has shown that students’ possibilities for equal participation are shaped by the institutional context that is based on medical diagnosis and compensation for an inaccessible education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This qualitative study described the lived experience of media workers with disabilities in the United States during postsecondary education and their transition to the professional media workplace. While there is ample literature about disability narratives in media products, there is a significant gap in the research about media workers and students with disabilities. Three participants provided face-to-face interviews and submitted media artifacts that they felt provided abstract representations of their experience. Invariant structural themes that emerged were that participants possessed a high level of self-efficacy, and while their colleges provided supportive environments, they faced discrimination in the media workplace. Additionally, they received few or unhelpful educational accommodations and little guidance from faculty as they transitioned from education to work. Findings suggest a need for faculty training in inclusive pedagogies, review of media curricula that considers students with disabilities, and assistance for students as they progress from postsecondary education to the media workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]