The Road to the Ivory Tower: The Learning Experiences of Students with Disabilities at the University of Manitoba

Abstract

Although qualitative research on the learning experiences of disabled students at university is burgeoning, either/or, medical or social approaches are most often used to study disablement. In this study, I adopted an interpretive phenomenological analysis — which considers the fundamental imbrication of bodies, identities, and environments — to explore the learning experiences of students with disabilities at the University of Manitoba in Canada. While some students received social support to attend university, other students negotiated a challenging journey to higher education, characterized by low expectations for academic success. At university, the students reported bodily-social challenges to academic achievement that hindered the learning process. Students anticipated an uneasy future upon graduation, characterized by poor job opportunities and economic disparity. The findings suggest that great strides and much advocacy are still required for students with disabilities to be viewed as bodies that bear intellectual value in university settings. Researchers should consider the merits of phenomenological approaches to thinking about the body-social challenges that disabled students still face in the struggle for inclusive higher education.