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The salience of education for better life outcomes is well accepted, but people with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in higher education. Building on Weedon's approach to the intersection of impairment with socioeconomic factors, this paper identifies the facilitators and barriers encountered and/or experienced by young people with disabilities along their diverse pathways to and through higher education in Sweden. The data comes from longitudinal ethnographic case studies of persons with ADHD. While the findings show similarities in impairment-specific barriers, such as transition and inadequate support available at university, they make even more visible the existing heterogeneity among people with ADHD and the inadequacy of support structures at higher education institutions. Parents, economic security and individual factors, such as ease of learning and belief in one's own capacity, were found to be strong facilitators. ADHD and socioeconomic disadvantage together magnified vulnerabilities and hurdles faced while aspiring to and accessing higher education. The article concludes by highlighting the urgent need for universities to change entrenched structures that perceive students with disabilities as a homogeneous group and disability as an individual problem, in order to enable participation of all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to provide a description of the learning environment at Folk High School for participants with high-functioning autism and to examine their learning experience at Folk High School. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 21 participants who were enrolled at Folk High School which had been adapted to suit young adults with high-functioning autism. The interviews were analysed by means of a thematic content analysis which resulted in the identification of 6 themes related to learning experiences at Folk High School. The participants enjoyed themselves and felt secure at Folk High School. They felt that they and their academic endeavours were suitably recognised, acknowledged, and understood. They reported that the teaching was suitably adapted for them and they felt that they could succeed in their studies. A frequent report that they made concerned their experience of clear structures in the teaching process and its predictability. The participants stated that Folk High School has the ability to satisfy each participant's needs, which entailed lower levels of perceived stress than what they had experienced in their previous schooling. The participants experienced personal development during their time at Folk High School. Folk High School, and its special character, is able to successfully satisfy the needs of participants with high-functioning autism. Many of the participants, for the first time in their lives, experienced a sense of inclusion in an educational system and felt that they could succeed in their studies. However, there exists a risk that they become institutionalised, which entails that the participants function well primarily in Folk High School's safe and caring environment. A supportive environment including both formal and social learning is paramount for people with high-functioning autism. Individually adapted teaching that is structured and predictable improve the conditions under which they can focus on their studies and enjoy academic success. The teachers' relational competence and ability to show interest in each individual are crucial. Social- and special-pedagogic competencies need to co-exist so as to improve learning conditions. Internship/workplace training can provide an important social learning experience for participants, as they learn about themselves and others and as they develop their social competence. To practice living on one's own is a significant challenge, but it can create opportunities to learn about one's self and to develop a sense of responsibility and other social skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine and describe educational leaders’ mindset types related to schooling of students with ADHD in five municipalities with ADHD special education classes and in five pair-matched municipalities without such classes. Selection of the ten municipalities was based on the results from a nationwide survey (response rate 76%) aimed at investigating how Swedish municipalities organise schooling for ADHD students. Interview data was analysed with the use of a theoretical framework presented as a typology table describing mindsets more or less in line with either the neuropsychiatric paradigm or inclusion. The perceived neuropsychiatric influence on ADHD students’ schooling seemed to affect educational leaders’ decision making, leading to different schooling for ADHD students in different municipalities. The findings, presented as municipality profiles, are discussed in relation to the notion of inclusive education and alternative educational paths leading either towards inclusion or exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]