Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University
Disclosure of disability is critical for students with disabilities to receive necessary accommodations. However, some students opt to conceal their disability for several reasons, including the complexity of the disclosure process, fear, stigma, and more. As a result, these students may not receive...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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ERRCD Forum
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research |
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| Online Access: | https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijer/article/view/1813 |
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| author | Emeldah C Munjanja Eleanor Alvira Hendricks |
| author_facet | Emeldah C Munjanja Eleanor Alvira Hendricks |
| author_sort | Emeldah C Munjanja |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Disclosure of disability is critical for students with disabilities to receive necessary accommodations. However, some students opt to conceal their disability for several reasons, including the complexity of the disclosure process, fear, stigma, and more. As a result, these students may not receive adequate academic support, leading to poor performance and, in some cases, dropping out of university. The study aimed to investigate the enablers, barriers, and students’ lived experiences of disability disclosure at a South African university. A qualitative study was conducted with an exploratory research design underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm. Ten students with disabilities at a selected university were chosen through the snowball sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results revealed that students disclosed their disability due to personal motivation and growth, strong institutional support, previous positive experiences, and the need for accommodations. Conversely, reasons for concealment included the complicated disclosure process, fear of stigma, perceived irrelevance of disclosure, and the absence of a university disability policy. The study recommends that institutions simplify their disability processes, raise awareness about disability, and create a safe and supportive environment. The research contributes to existing knowledge by offering insights and guidelines to promote inclusive education in universities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-67a094dd083f43d18080a8719c846d2e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2710-2114 2710-2122 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | ERRCD Forum |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-67a094dd083f43d18080a8719c846d2e2025-08-20T03:12:53ZengERRCD ForumInterdisciplinary Journal of Education Research2710-21142710-21222025-05-0171a17a1710.38140/ijer-2025.vol7.1.171779Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African UniversityEmeldah C Munjanja0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0232-1142Eleanor Alvira Hendricks1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3367-8638University of Fort Hare, South AfricaNorth-West University, South AfricaDisclosure of disability is critical for students with disabilities to receive necessary accommodations. However, some students opt to conceal their disability for several reasons, including the complexity of the disclosure process, fear, stigma, and more. As a result, these students may not receive adequate academic support, leading to poor performance and, in some cases, dropping out of university. The study aimed to investigate the enablers, barriers, and students’ lived experiences of disability disclosure at a South African university. A qualitative study was conducted with an exploratory research design underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm. Ten students with disabilities at a selected university were chosen through the snowball sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results revealed that students disclosed their disability due to personal motivation and growth, strong institutional support, previous positive experiences, and the need for accommodations. Conversely, reasons for concealment included the complicated disclosure process, fear of stigma, perceived irrelevance of disclosure, and the absence of a university disability policy. The study recommends that institutions simplify their disability processes, raise awareness about disability, and create a safe and supportive environment. The research contributes to existing knowledge by offering insights and guidelines to promote inclusive education in universities.https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijer/article/view/1813students with disabilitiesdisability disclosurebarriersenablersuniversity |
| spellingShingle | Emeldah C Munjanja Eleanor Alvira Hendricks Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research students with disabilities disability disclosure barriers enablers university |
| title | Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University |
| title_full | Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University |
| title_fullStr | Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University |
| title_short | Unpacking disability disclosure: Barriers, enablers and the lived experiences of students at a South African University |
| title_sort | unpacking disability disclosure barriers enablers and the lived experiences of students at a south african university |
| topic | students with disabilities disability disclosure barriers enablers university |
| url | https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijer/article/view/1813 |
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