Inclusion in Higher Education: Learning Experiences of Disabled Students at Winchester University

The qualitative study reported on in this article was motivated by the widely held belief that an inclusive approach to teaching and learning is a productive way of enhancing the participation and achievement of all students. In particular, the study was informed by theories of inclusion and the view that disability as a social construct recognizes the challenges that exist within a social setup. In total, four students and three lecturers participated and the interviews were loosely structured and conversational in order to elicit as much information as possible. The emerging findings were analysed using a rhyzoanalytic approach extracted from the philosophies of difference. The findings suggested that inclusive education in the context of higher education is informed by a complex set of understandings and does not revolve around the mere identification of barriers and associated solutions but involves a whole range of factors. In addition, there is need for continuous reflection among practitioners to make the experiences of all the stakeholders rewarding. Inter-departmental discussions on the best practices should not focus exclusively on disabled students but should include all members of staff as well as the rest of the student population.