"It's a lot harder than it needs to be": university education for people with disabilities

Abstract

This research describes the experiences of a group of victoria University students, who also have a disability, in 1993. The study aims to find out the incidence of disability on campus, to create a profile of students with disabilities currently attending the university and to establish what are the main barriers to their full participation in university life. Students were also asked to identify how they thought these barriers could be reduced or eliminated. Research data was collected through two primary sources; a self-administered questionnaire, followed by a series of focus group interviews. The CAN-DO group (Students with Disabilities at Victoria University) were actively involved in all phases of the project and this was an important part of the methodology employed. The methods were based on the ideal of emancipatory research; the research must aim to empower the participants. There were 132 responses to the questionnaire and 37 people took part in the small group interviews. A wide range of disabilities were reported and students identified a variety of different factors that limit their full participation in university life. Results from the research strongly indicate that people with disabilities are under-represented at university level and those who have made it through face barriers to equal educational opportunities. A series of recommendations have been made at the end of this report.