Is disability an afterthought in British Higher Education?

This public lecture, hosted by the Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID), is part of the Stewart Alan Robertson Lecture Series funded by the Robertson Endowment.

Presentation title: Is disability an afterthought in British Higher Education?

Speaker: Dr George Koutsouris, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Exeter

Chair: Professor John Ravenscroft, Chair of Childhood Visual Impairment, University of Edinburgh

About this event

The number of students with disabilities enrolling and studying within higher education (HE) has increased over the past three decades in England, with 16% of students declaring a disability in 2022-23. Concomitantly, equality initiatives and disability rights movements have sought to facilitate social transformation and consciousness-raising. However, the culture of HE continues to embody ableist ideals (Goodley, 2024), and research indicates enduring barriers around stigma and uneven provision of support (Shaw, 2024).

This presentation will report on the findings of interviews conducted with individuals and leading disability support services across a range of universities to understand how their institutions think about disability and how this affects their policies and provision that are in place to support the learning and participation of students with disabilities. We found that although there has been an increase in disability disclosure over the last 10 years, disability is often the ‘and’, the afterthought, in institutional cultures – with other discourses, including EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) and wellbeing gaining prominence.

The significance of this finding lies in that the language of diversity can be seen as ‘a containment strategy’ (Ahmed, 2012) for educational institutions to avoid wrestling with thorny issues associated with a more active engagement with diversity aspects. We argue that a deeper engagement with disability can unmask and challenge deep-seated inequalities in HE and thus better support the participation of students with disabilities.

This presentation is of interest for those academics interested in Higher Education, Inclusion, and Disability Studies. It is also of interest for Professional Services staff, Disability Officers and members of the public that are interested in how higher education supports students with disabilities.

About the speaker

Dr George Koutsouris is a Senior Lecturer in Education (Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education) and has published about social inclusion, inclusive pedagogies, Lesson Study and early reading interventions. In his research work, he critically explores inclusion in education in its many different forms and expressions. He is currently involved in the Disability Rights and In/Equalities in Higher Education, British Academy funded, project (2024-26). This project reflects an Indonesia/England problem-focused partnership to address the inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education. This project will explore how sociocultural public discourses about disability and inclusion influence expectations and practice, foregrounding the lived experiences of students with disabilities in both countries. The project brings together an interdisciplinary team spanning education, sociology, critical disability studies and media/communications to provide novel insights for practice, policy and research. George has been awarded, together with Prof Brahm Norwich, the British Educational Research Journal Editors’ Choice Award 2019 for an article exploring the role of randomised controlled trials in education.

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