“I’m Not Asking for Special Treatment, I’m Asking for Access”: Experiences of University Students with Disabilities in Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa

Dureyah Abrahams, Beata Batorowicz (), Peter Ndaa, Sumaya Gabriels, Solomon M. Abebe, Xiaolin Xu and Heather M. Aldersey
Additional contact information
Dureyah Abrahams: Department of Health Sciences Education, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7935, South Africa
Beata Batorowicz: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Peter Ndaa: Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Ghana, Korle Bu, Accra P.O. Box KB 143, Ghana
Sumaya Gabriels: Department of Health Sciences Education, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7935, South Africa
Solomon M. Abebe: College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar 6200, Ethiopia
Xiaolin Xu: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Heather M. Aldersey: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada

Disabilities, 2023, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: It is often challenging for youth with disabilities to access university education in Africa, and for those who manage to make it to university, while there, their experiences are still not barrier-free. The purpose of this study was to uncover the experiences of the barriers and facilitators to inclusion for youth with disabilities in universities in South Africa, Ghana and Ethiopia. This qualitative project applied a critical, participatory research approach to exploring youth experiences. Youth with disabilities and their colleagues conducted seven focus group discussions, with an average of five students in each focus group, and we used a qualitative descriptive method to analyze data. The findings uncovered similarities and differences in the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education among students with disabilities across all sites. Participants noted limited financial support and university services, and how inaccessible spaces and harmful attitudes are all barriers that hinder their access to education and inclusion. The identified facilitators include support systems and self-directed facilitation. Although the students self-advocated and reported some support to assist in their inclusion in university, it was still insufficient. Notably, some universities are making a concerted effort toward inclusion and accessibility, but more work needs to be done.

Keywords: disability; education; inclusion; university; accessibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/3/1/9/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/3/1/9/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jdisab:v:3:y:2023:i:1:p:9-128:d:1084309

Access Statistics for this article

Disabilities is currently edited by Ms. Cici Zhou

More articles in Disabilities from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().