This paper presents findings from a survey on disclosure by students with disabilities at a New Zealand tertiary setting. A research group in Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand, a New Zealand initial teacher education provider （herein after TRM team）, carried out a case study to understand lived experiences of disabled learners. The only criteria for participation were identifying as having a disability, whether this had been disclosed and/or diagnosed or not. The three most prevalent disabilities identified were mental health 67％, neurodiversity 37％, and learning difficulties 29％. Then with 51％ of survey participants choosing not to disclose, TRM team needed to consider what factors were influencing this. A very important finding was that majority of those who did disclose felt it was the right decision and did not regret disclosing their disability information. The data showed that one of the significant factors that influenced non-disclosure was the fear of discrimination and bias. Understanding information about studentsʼ disabilities is highly useful for educators in planning lessons and providing instruction in Japan as well.
竹本 et al. (2026) studied this question.