Not lazy, not faking: teaching and learning experiences of university students with disabilities

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• learning and teaching
• disability
• epistemic ignorance
• social justice
• higher education

Acknowledgements

The researcher would like to extend thanks to the students who participated in this study, for their candid responses and willingness to share their experiences of many difficult events. The researcher would also like to thank the groups who helped recruit students to the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.