Barriers and facilitators of access to higher education in a weakly institutionalised context: perceptions of disabled students

Abstract

This research investigates the barriers and facilitators of access to higher education for disabled students in Kazakhstan, based on 23 biographical-narrative interviews with undergraduate students. Despite the broad regulatory framework, support institutions for disabled persons are not sufficiently enforced and are not internalised in regular practice in Kazakhstan. Students with disabilities are unaware of actual barriers, universities’ support services and infrastructural capacity. They make a loosely informed choice of the first safe option, as the territorial proximity and opportunity to receive a state grant are the principal priorities. In the context of weakly institutionalised post-secondary transition, interpersonal relationships and self-determination are the key facilitators. Role models of significant others and assistance of relatives and peers act as a substitute for formal supportive institutions at each transition point. We assume that reducing territorial barriers and proactive informing can be the most efficient for improving accessibility.

Points of interest

• Disabled students in Kazakhstan are poorly informed about educational transition support services.

• Despite the possibility to apply to several universities, students usually opt for the only one safe option and say that they would not change universities if they had the opportunity.

• The opportunity to study near home and to receive a state grant are the key criteria for choosing a university.

• Barriers narrated in relation to countries with strong supportive infrastructure, such as deficiencies in adaptive learning or teacher training, almost do not appear in the narratives of our respondents.

• In Kazakhstan interpersonal relationships act as key facilitators that substitute for formal supportive institutions at each transition point.

• For countries with emerging supportive system, the policy should focus on disabled students and their families’ awareness, distance learning options and university-level facilitation of post-secondary transition as even an ordinary intervention can be decisive.

Keywords:

• Disabled students
• access to higher education
• inclusion
• Kazakhstan
• post-secondary transition

Acknowledgements

The assistance provided by Assem Akhmetova and Dana Khamitova is greatly appreciated.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

For Sergey Malinovskiy and Ekaterina Shibanova, support from the Basic Research Program of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University) is gratefully acknowledged.