Barriers and facilitators for students with disabilities: Results of semi-structured interviews in Swiss universities

Purpose: This paper investigates the following two research questions: What are the barriers and facilitators for students with disabilities while studying at Swiss universities? When do these barriers and facilitators occur for students with disabilities? Research on barriers and facilitators encountered by students with disabilities at higher education institutions in Switzerland is still scarce. Identifying when and how to include persons with disabilities could enable Swiss universities to uphold their commitment to the inclusion of people with impairments. Methods: 31 qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with students with diverse impairments who were enrolled in French- and German-speaking Swiss universities. Interviews were analyzed thematically in a deductive and inductive manner. Results: The study demonstrates that students with disabilities experience many barriers before and throughout the term, as well as during examinations. Awareness of disability and accessibility among staff and peers was revealed to be a key issue, both as a major barrier where awareness was lacking and as an important facilitator where awareness was high. Awareness levels were also shown to be connected to other aspects of accessibility. Factors such as access to accommodations for exams, advanced access to study materials, and digital accessibility, arose as important issues for students with disabilities. Key Message: This study underscores the crucial role of awareness, both as a barrier when lacking and as a facilitator when present. Exam accommodations also emerged as a critical issue, again both as a barrier where experiences were unsatisfactory and as a facilitator where accommodations were received. The interviews emphasize the importance of providing study materials in advance, as well as the impact of course formats on inclusion, particularly the positive effect of online learning. The presence of barriers and facilitators before the start of lectures suggests that support should be offered even before the start of the semester.