Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations
IntroductionThe number of students with disabilities in higher education is increasing, but research shows that they continue to face significant challenges for equitable participation. This study aims to deepen our understanding of these challenges through the perceptions of students with disabilit...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1432682/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832543933918347264 |
|---|---|
| author | Paul A. Bartolo Michelle Borg Anne-Marie Callus Liberato Camilleri Alistair De Gaetano Marchita Mangiafico Edward Mazzacano D'Amato Carmen Sammut Ramona Vella Vidal Jonathan Vincent |
| author_facet | Paul A. Bartolo Michelle Borg Anne-Marie Callus Liberato Camilleri Alistair De Gaetano Marchita Mangiafico Edward Mazzacano D'Amato Carmen Sammut Ramona Vella Vidal Jonathan Vincent |
| author_sort | Paul A. Bartolo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe number of students with disabilities in higher education is increasing, but research shows that they continue to face significant challenges for equitable participation. This study aims to deepen our understanding of these challenges through the perceptions of students with disabilities themselves.MethodsParticipants were students with disabilities enrolled at the University of Malta. Data was collected through a student survey with quantitative and open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews with students on their aspirations, on how far they felt enabled to participate in the university academic and social environments, and on how useful were the individual accommodations provided for their equitable participation. The online questionnaire was completed by 51 students constituting 21% of the total relevant population, while four semi-structured interviews were held with autistic students.ResultsThe findings firstly showed that these students considered the university as mainly an opportunity for self-development but experienced significant difficulties during their transition to and at the university for developing a healthy self-identity in the ableist university environment. Secondly, students called for the teaching system to be more pedagogically effective and sensitive to diverse student needs and for their involvement in the development of appropriate facilities for students. Thirdly, they reported that individual accommodations were necessary for their equitable participation and called for less bureaucratic processing of applications, individual negotiation of accommodations, and a system for informing lecturers of students' needs.DiscussionThe study suggests that higher education institutions should listen to the concerns of students with disabilities and involve them in curricular and environmental planning. They need to create a diversity respectful ethos and socio-emotional support that promotes everyone's membership in the university community, while adopting a universal design for learning mindset that is open to the diverse needs of students and providing a smooth system of accommodations for other individual needs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8f623753c9404902b77e4b8dab2213d5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-8f623753c9404902b77e4b8dab2213d52025-02-03T11:20:48ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2025-02-011010.3389/feduc.2025.14326821432682Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodationsPaul A. Bartolo0Michelle Borg1Anne-Marie Callus2Liberato Camilleri3Alistair De Gaetano4Marchita Mangiafico5Edward Mazzacano D'Amato6Carmen Sammut7Ramona Vella Vidal8Jonathan Vincent9Department of Psychology, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaAccess – Disability Support Unit, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaDepartment of Disability Studies, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaDepartment of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaAutism Advisory Council, Government of Malta, Valletta, MaltaAccess – Disability Support Unit, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaAccess – Disability Support Unit, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaDepartment of International Relations, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaAccess – Disability Support Unit, University of Malta, Msida, MaltaEducational Research Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United KingdomIntroductionThe number of students with disabilities in higher education is increasing, but research shows that they continue to face significant challenges for equitable participation. This study aims to deepen our understanding of these challenges through the perceptions of students with disabilities themselves.MethodsParticipants were students with disabilities enrolled at the University of Malta. Data was collected through a student survey with quantitative and open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews with students on their aspirations, on how far they felt enabled to participate in the university academic and social environments, and on how useful were the individual accommodations provided for their equitable participation. The online questionnaire was completed by 51 students constituting 21% of the total relevant population, while four semi-structured interviews were held with autistic students.ResultsThe findings firstly showed that these students considered the university as mainly an opportunity for self-development but experienced significant difficulties during their transition to and at the university for developing a healthy self-identity in the ableist university environment. Secondly, students called for the teaching system to be more pedagogically effective and sensitive to diverse student needs and for their involvement in the development of appropriate facilities for students. Thirdly, they reported that individual accommodations were necessary for their equitable participation and called for less bureaucratic processing of applications, individual negotiation of accommodations, and a system for informing lecturers of students' needs.DiscussionThe study suggests that higher education institutions should listen to the concerns of students with disabilities and involve them in curricular and environmental planning. They need to create a diversity respectful ethos and socio-emotional support that promotes everyone's membership in the university community, while adopting a universal design for learning mindset that is open to the diverse needs of students and providing a smooth system of accommodations for other individual needs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1432682/fullhigher educationdisabilitymental healthself-identityaccessinclusive education |
| spellingShingle | Paul A. Bartolo Michelle Borg Anne-Marie Callus Liberato Camilleri Alistair De Gaetano Marchita Mangiafico Edward Mazzacano D'Amato Carmen Sammut Ramona Vella Vidal Jonathan Vincent Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations Frontiers in Education higher education disability mental health self-identity access inclusive education |
| title | Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations |
| title_full | Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations |
| title_fullStr | Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations |
| title_short | Students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment, equitable inclusive systems, and individualized accommodations |
| title_sort | students with disabilities in higher education call for personal empowerment equitable inclusive systems and individualized accommodations |
| topic | higher education disability mental health self-identity access inclusive education |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1432682/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paulabartolo studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT michelleborg studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT annemariecallus studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT liberatocamilleri studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT alistairdegaetano studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT marchitamangiafico studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT edwardmazzacanodamato studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT carmensammut studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT ramonavellavidal studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations AT jonathanvincent studentswithdisabilitiesinhighereducationcallforpersonalempowermentequitableinclusivesystemsandindividualizedaccommodations |