From access to inclusion: a call for a cultural shift in higher education

Abstract

This study explores accessibility barriers in higher education (HE), by centering the voices of 50 disabled students. Drawing on the frameworks of critical disability studies (CDS) and in particular disability justice, we argue that access without belonging is not enough; disabled students need to be fully included in institutional life. Weaving these two frames allows us to simultaneously examine individual experiences and the impacts of systemic ableism within institutions and social structures. From the standpoint that all people have strengths, knowledges, challenges, and barriers and that accessibility and disability are constructed, we examine whose bodies and knowledges are included, whose bodies and knowledges are excluded, and whose bodies and knowledges are dependent on institutional approval and accommodations to be included. We see the participants as knowledge holders, whose experiences give them a perspective that might be hidden from those who design and run HE institutions. This is reflected in the structure of the paper in which, after each section that identifies barriers to access, the participants share their ideas and suggestions. We focus on four main issues of access to (1) receiving and (2) implementing accommodations, (3) physical accommodation, and (4) pedagogy and curricula. This study argues that it is not enough to grant disabled students access to HE by providing limited academic accommodation; rather, it is necessary to listen to disabled students to re-imagine all facets of HE with inclusion in mind.

Appendix: Interview and Debrief Questions

We want to provide you with some choices for your participation. You can contribute in one of the following ways:

• Answering the questions in an interview over Zoom or Teams (no longer than 90 min)

• Answering the questions in writing by email

• Creating a piece of art with an artist’s statement and follow-up debrief

Section 1: Interview Questions

Note: If you’re responding in writing, rather than a face-to-face interview, you don’t have to respond to every question and can omit any question that doesn’t apply or that you do not want to answer.

• 1. Tell me a bit about how you self-identify (age, gender, culture, ethnicity, nationality, religious, disability, etc.)

• 2. Tell me a bit about your academic path (For example, one student might start off at one university, take medical leave, then start again at a different university, etc.). What stage are you currently at?

• 3. Why did you decide to pursue higher education? What were your initial goals?

• 4. Have these goals changed since you started your higher education journey? If so, how?

• 5. Are you the first person in your family to attend university? Did your family support you in attending university? Can you give an example of their support or their lack of support?

• 6. Did you identify as disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent before you started higher education?

  • a. If so, did you seek out accommodations through an office for students with disabilities? Why or why not?

  • b. Tell me about that process. What was it like? Did you run into any barriers?

  • c. If not, when did you begin identifying as disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent?

  • d. When you began identifying as disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent, did you seek out accommodations? Why or why not?

• 7. How do you feel that your disability, chronic illness, or neurodivergence impacts your studies? (This could be negatively or positively). Can you share examples?

• 8. What are some “hacks” or workarounds that you’ve used to navigate higher education? For example, some students who don’t learn well through big chunks of text might seek out an audiobook or a video with the same content.

• 9. Tell us about a barrier you experienced in navigating higher education. What did you try? Was it successful? Did anyone help you?

• 10. Think about your most supportive or inclusive instructor. What made them supportive?

• 11. Think about your least supportive or inclusive instructor. What made them unsupportive?

• 12. Overall, based on their teaching practices, how much would you say that your instructors in general value accessibility or inclusivity?

• 13. If you had to choose, would you prefer an instructor who did a lot of accessible actions (such as providing captions on videos, offering information in multiple ways etc.) or an instructor who had the mindset of “I believe you can be successful and I’ll work with you to find a solution.” Why?


• 14. What do you wish your instructors better understood about you?

• 15. Describe a course where you experienced the deepest learning (most meaningful). What was it like?

• 16. Do you consider yourself part of a wider disability community? If so, did you receive support from this community in navigating higher education?

• 17. Did you receive support from any other groups? For example, someone might find support from a local queer community, a hobby club etc.

• 18. If you could redesign higher education to make it more inclusive, what would you do?

• 19. Is there anything we missed that you would like to share?

Part B: Questions about learning and design for inclusive learning.

• 20. What kind of teaching practices have you encountered (lectures, active learning, etc.)? Which were the most engaging or accessible? Which were the least engaging or inaccessible?

• 21. Have you ever been offered any choice in how you demonstrate what you’ve learned in your courses? Can you give an example?

• 22. Have you ever had the opportunity to co-design a course, such as coming up with course policies or designing a syllabus? If so, can you share?

• 23. Have you had any instructors connect course content to your lived experiences? If so, tell us about this experience.

• 24. Think of a course you took recently. If you could design your own assessment for that class, what would be best in demonstrating what you learned? (e.g., portfolio, infographic, art piece, creative writing, test, etc.)

Section 2: Debrief Questions

• 1. Tell me about your composition process for this art.

• 2. How does this art speak to your journey in higher education?

• 3. Choose three words that represent this art piece and explain what they mean to you.