How can higher education better support international students with disabilities?

International students with disabilities are especially vulnerable when navigating higher education in the UK, despite often having high levels of self-advocacy skills. First, they are not afforded the same level of support as UK domicile students. They have to learn quickly how to manage their disability(ies) in a different cultural context. And this is all while adapting to perspectives on disability that may be very different from their lived experiences to date. 

Yet international students with disabilities can also be powerful disruptors and provide valuable guidance on how to enhance disability inclusion within universities for all students. The suggestions they make are especially pertinent given that disclosure rates for international students with disabilities remain stubbornly low. For example, 10 per cent of EU students and 4 per cent of international students from the rest of the world declared a disability compared with 19 per cent of UK domicile students, according to 2023 figures from Advance HE.

• Stop treating disability support as an afterthought
• Careers services must step up to support students with disabilities
• Creating inclusive spaces for inclusive events

A key factor impacting international students with disabilities’ lived experiences of UK higher education is the quality and timing of communications with them. International students with disabilities whose universities had contacted them about their needs before starting their courses were much more positive about their experiences of support, found a British Council report. The extent to which students felt valued by their academic community(ies) and their sense of belonging to their universities correlated with their reported ease in accessing supports, and assessment of the relative value of them. Given the relationship of such variables to student retention and success, universities clearly need to initiate early and transparent communication with international students with disabilities. 

Supporting international students with disabilities in their transition to UK higher education

In their consultations with the British Council, international students with disabilities identified specific challenges at different stages in their higher education learning careers in the UK. How universities can address these challenges is outlined in a checklist on supporting international students with disabilities’ learning transitions. 

This guidance is especially pertinent to supporting postgraduate international students, who comprise over 51 per cent of postgraduates in UK higher education, according to Higher Education Statistics Agency figures, but is also relevant to all students and staff in higher education. 

Anticipatory support is fundamental. Other key recommendations for institutions include:

1. Be clear about what support is available

Clear and obvious information about support enables international students with disabilities to use their knowledge of their own needs more effectively as they transition into an institution. Their self-advocacy skills will help reduce the physical and emotional load as they access support, but universities can share the load by making processes more obvious and accessible as part of a shared advocacy approach.

Rather than placing the onus for change on the person with disabilities, shared advocacy addresses institutional structures, cultures and practices that reproduce deeply embedded inequalities within higher education.

In practice: Explain to international students with disabilities before they arrive in the UK what supports are available. Make contact early and provide a clear map of the supports and how to access them. British Council alumni highlighted the importance of timely training in the use of assistive technologies, which allowed them to access and engage fully in their studies.

2. Explain early how the disclosure process works 

Clarifying what disclosure involves and the benefits of disclosing is crucial. This is especially true for international students from countries where disclosure of disability may not have previously been an option. For institutions, this includes reducing the need for multiple acts of disclosure, and addressing systems, data protection and training issues as part of these processes.

In practice: Provide explicit guidance to students and relevant stakeholders (for example, agents) on the disclosure process at the earliest point in the application process, and follow up. Provide a clear point of contact and set time aside during orientation to explain how disclosure works and the benefits of it. 

3. Develop better understanding of cultural contexts

Many disabled students are balancing the risks of disclosure with managing multiple identities. They might not disclose in their home country but do so in the UK. Universities should work with students and international agencies to better understand their lived experience, the challenges they face in disclosing, and what this means for them in different contexts.

In practice: Tailor onboarding initiatives to draw on students’ lived experiences. Work with international students with disabilities to better understand the ways in which disability is viewed in different countries to inform training to enhance the awareness of staff and students. Engage international students with disabilities in mapping out the key barriers they face within UK higher education to support design of services and curriculum delivery.  

4. Minimise the need for individual disclosure

An inclusive institutional approach that minimises the need for individual disclosure of disability should be part of a shared-advocacy approach.

In practice: Reduce the need for a student to have to disclose by centring inclusion in infrastructure and curricula where possible. Where disclosure is necessary, streamline and integrate processes so a student only has to disclose once. Ensure all key staff have access to essential information on students in good time, subject to permissions from students. 

5. Integrate shared approaches to disability inclusion 

A shared approach to disability across the institution will reduce duplication of efforts and ensure more holistic and coordinated support for students. For example, academic and social supports should dovetail with wider supports such as housing and transport. The institutional disability inclusion approach advocated by co-author Carol Evans and Xiaotong Zhu is an example of this. This research-informed framework highlights 12 key areas of practice, including integrated delivery and enabling student and staff voices, and provides a reliable tool for universities to measure progress towards this.

In practice: The framework calls for strong institutional leadership of disability inclusion, a focused strategy, alignment of policy and practice, investment in high-quality training and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of disability inclusion. 

6. Embed inclusive assessment within curricula 

Assessment practice should be equitable, in that all students have equal access and equal opportunities to do well. 

In practice: Reasonable adjustments need to be built into curriculum design so students know from the outset what adjustments are possible. Assessment methods should be rigorously analysed to ensure that no groups of students are being disadvantaged, and that all assessments are reliable and valid. 

7. Support transitions into the workplace or further study

Gaining employment and opportunities suited to their knowledge and skills is a significant issue for many students with disabilities. Some international students may face additional challenges when transitioning back into cultures where disability may be less well supported and infrastructure limited. 

In practice: Provide early opportunities to engage students in work-integrated learning opportunities. Other measures include workplace skills training, confidence-building supports (such as coaching, mentoring and interview preparation), access to research networks, and support with building communication networks and a professional profile (for example, on LinkedIn).

International students with disabilities highlighted that disability-inclusive practice varies considerably within and across universities. They have identified the need for more effective translation of policy into practice, and for better monitoring of initiatives to support disability inclusion. Engaging with these students to better understand their lived experiences and using their knowledge and experiences to impact co-delivery and co-design of training for staff and students are essential in advancing the disability-inclusion agenda within universities. 

Carol Evans is the pro vice-chancellor for education and student experience at the University of Salford. Maurie van den Heever is an information management system coordinator at GoodX Software, South Africa. Ralph E. McKinney Jr is an associate professor of management at Marshall University, West Virginia, US.