Logo image
Back
Experiences and challenges of students with disability in Australian universities: a scoping review
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Experiences and challenges of students with disability in Australian universities: a scoping review

Renee Punch, Jill Duncan and Ruth Talbot-Stokes
International journal of inclusive education, pp.1-19
07/07/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2025.2526009
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Health Publications
url
Experiences and challenges of students with disability in Australian universities: a scoping reviewView
Published (Version of record) Open CC BY-NC-ND V4.0

Related links

Metrics

1 Record Views
6 Times Cited - Web of Science

Abstract

Education & Educational Research Social Sciences
Successful participation in higher education can be life-altering. Although people with disability are attending university globally in increasing numbers, they continue to be underrepresented and have significantly lower retention and completion rates than their peers without disability. This scoping review aimed to examine the most recent studies investigating the experiences and challenges of students with disability in Australian universities. The review identified and summarised five themes: disclosure of disability, student experiences with disability support services, student experiences with academic staff, reasonable adjustments, and the physical environment. The findings indicated that barriers to full inclusion continue to exist and compliance with the mandates of disability legislation for education is incomplete. In response to the findings, universities, academics, and students are offered recommendations to improve the experiences of students with disability in higher education. Although this scoping review focused on Australian higher education, the findings and recommendations are relevant to all countries where barriers to full academic inclusion continue to impede the success of students with disability.

Details

Logo image