Academic motivation and contextual influences in well-being for students with disabilities in higher education

<b>Objective:</b> The purpose of this study was to utilize self-determination theory (SDT) incorporating the person-environment contextual factors as a framework to examine how the SDT factors may interact with functional disability and contextual factors to influence well-being for students with disabilities in higher education. <b>Methods and participants:</b> A quantitative descriptive design utilizing a convenience sample of 210 students with disabilities in higher education was used. <b>Results:</b> The final regression model accounted for 64% of the variance in well-being. When controlling for all other predictor variables in the model, functional disability, autonomy, learning competence, and relatedness were found to be predictive of well-being, with autonomy being the strongest predictor of well-being, followed by relatedness, learning competence, and functional disability. <b>Conclusion:</b> This study offers critical insights for higher education institutions, emphasizing the need for fostering environments that prioritize autonomy, competence, and relatedness to promote the well-being of students with disabilities.