This presentation will bring participants on a journey of the key findings from doctoral research on the social engagement experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland. There will be a specific focus on the barriers and enablers to their social engagement. The presentation will be of particular interest to those working to develop an environment within their institution which leads to student success for all students.

Transition to, and participation in higher education (HE) has been identified with greater quality of life and as a major pre-condition for accessing employment, and correspondingly, to social inclusion (Ebersold, 2012). Historically, disabled students have been under-represented in HE. The number of disabled students attending HE in Ireland has increased (Ahead, 2019) in response to national and EU strategies to promote inclusive education (European Commission, 2010). During the transition, and once disabled students progress to HE they face additional challenges, including attitudinal, structural, and academic barriers that their peers do not face (McGuckin, Shevlin, Bell, & Devecchi, 2013). A successful transition and full engagement in college life have been linked to student success and greater retention (Thomas, 2012). Early and ongoing engagement has been identified as especially beneficial for students least prepared for the transition or those from under-represented groups (Trowler & Trowler, 2011). Engaging socially in all aspects of college life, allows students to develop social and cultural capital, graduate attributes, and a sense of belonging. Developing friends through student clubs and societies are a vital part of a positive first year experience. Friendships result in a reduction in social isolation, creation of a sense of belonging, and a greater commitment to the institution (Eivers, Flanagan, & Morgan, 2002; Thomas, 2012; Wilcox, Winn, & Fyvie‐Gauld, 2005; Yorke & Longden, 2008). Those who feel like they belong, report higher levels of enjoyment, leading to greater student retention (Cashmore et al., 2014). Although many Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have made progress towards creating accessible academic programmes and providing academic supports, co-curricular aspects of campus life have received significantly less attention (Quaye & Harper, 2014). Internationally, disabled students have been found to face barriers to their social engagement (Papasotiriou & Windle, 2012), impacting upon their sense of community and belonging. In Ireland, disabled people face barriers to their wider social participation (Watson & Nolan, 2011) and there has been very little research focus on the social engagement experiences of disabled students in HE.

The four research questions of this research were;

1. What are the barriers and/or enablers to the social engagement of disabled students in higher education?

2. Do disabled students feel like they belong within higher education?

3. How do national and/or institutional level policies foster/impede the social engagement of disabled students in higher education?

4. What, if any, institutional practices are being implemented to promote the social engagement of disabled students in higher education?

By adopting a framework which combined a transformative approach with the bioecological model it allowed the researcher to place the student at the heart of the research. As a disabled person with a human rights perspective, the philosophical assumptions of the transformative paradigm offered the researcher a framework to directly engage disabled people, and through the bioecological model permitted the examination of the barriers and enablers to their engagement in the system around them.

To answer the research questions, the researcher developed a four-phased, sequential, and concurrent qualitative data collection research design. A diverse range of qualitative methodology including focus groups and interviews enabled the removal of barriers to participant involvement. The sampling strategy brought together data from 65 participants, with representatives from 19 HEIs across Ireland. By capturing a diverse range of data from diverse sources (Walton, 2014), including current students, disabled graduates, students union full time officers, senior managers, and disability support personnel, the research provided the integral knowledge for transformational research (Mertens, 2017) whilst viewing the many layers of the system within which the student was embedded (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). This approach yielded a large quantity of extremely rich data. This was analysed using a thematic approach as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). Through this process four superordinate themes were identified: transitions, engagement, college climate, and structures and the key findings were synthesised and discussed.

The research findings demonstrated the value disabled students place on their social engagement and its contribution to their sense of belonging. The majority of disabled students considered themselves to be socially engaged and to have a positive student experience. However, almost all disabled students and graduates spoke of barriers to their social engagement, with a cohort having very limited or no social engagement. Social engagement was recognised as being vital to the formation of connections that lead to a sense of belonging. The research found that persistent barriers had a major impact on students’ sense of value, ability to maintain friendships, develop a sense of belonging, including in class, and engagement with leadership opportunities. There was little evidence of a strategic approach to disabled students’ social engagement, or knowledge of how to achieve it. The research demonstrates that the development of effective policy in relation to disabled students in HE requires a clear understanding of their lived experience. The research highlights the need for the implementation of national and institutional level policy, structures, support and resources to enable the social engagement of all disabled students along with a mechanism to ensure their voice is heard within HEI. The relevance of this research is particularly significant in an environment in which the delivery of HE has had to change, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How students engage socially with their HEI has changed permanently. There is an appreciation among the public of the impact of social isolation, something disabled people face daily. We must consider how we ensure the social engagement of those who are not in the room, those who do not have a place at the decision-making table. These changes, in the context of the ratified UNCRPD offer an opportunity to reimagine how we support and engage all students.

Association for Higher Education Access & Disability. (2019). Numbers of students with disabilities studying in higher education in Ireland 2017/18. Dublin: AHEAD. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (6th ed.). New York: John Wiley. Cashmore, A., Scott, J., Cane, C., Bartle, C., Dorum, K., Jackson, P., & Pennington, M. (2014). “Belonging” and “intimacy” factors in the retention of students: An investigation into the student perceptions of effective practice and how that practice can be replicated. Evaluation, 3, 6. Ebersold, S. (2012). Education and training policy transitions to tertiary education and work for youth with disabilities: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Eivers, E., Flanagan, R., & Morgan, M. (2002). Non-completion in institutes of technology: An investigation of preparation, attitudes and behaviours among first year students. Dublin: Educational Research Centre. McGuckin, C., Shevlin, M., Bell, S., & Devecchi, C. (2013). Moving to further and higher education: An exploration of the experiences of students with special educational needs. Ireland: NCSE. Mertens, D. M. (2017). Transformative research: Personal and societal. International Journal for Transformative Research, 4(1), 18-24. Papasotiriou, M., & Windle, J. (2012). The social experience of physically disabled Australian university students. Disability & Society, 27(7), 935-947. Quaye, S. J., & Harper, S. R. (2014). Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations. Abingdon: Routledge. Thomas, L. (2012). Building student engagement and belonging in higher education at a time of change: Final report from the 'What Works?' Student retention & success programme. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/What_works_final_report_0.pdf Trowler, P., & Trowler, V. (2011). Student engagement: Toolkit for leaders. Lancaster: Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. Walton, J. (2014). What can the ‘transpersonal’ contribute to transformative research? International Journal for Transformative Research, 1(1), 25-44. Wilcox, P., Winn, S., & Fyvie‐Gauld, M. (2005). ‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’: The role of social support in the first‐year experience of higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 30(6), 707-722. doi:10.1080/03075070500340036 Yorke, M., & Longden, B. (2008). The first-year experience of higher education in the UK. York.