To be or not to be ‘a disabled student’ in higher education: the case of a postgraduate ‘non-declaring’ (disabled) student

Abstract

This paper draws on data from a research project that was funded by the UK's Higher Education Academy. The project focused on the experiences of disabled students in one English higher education institution, and a key feature of the project was to attempt to access the perspectives of 'non-declaring' disabled students. This paper draws on the experiences of one of the 'non-declaring' respondents, Anna, a postgraduate student. In the UK, some students declare their disabled status on entry to a higher education institution, some do so once at the institution and some never let the institution know of their impairment. It is the perspectives of this latter group that are particularly difficult to access. Anna's experiences as a postgraduate student provide some insight into what may affect decisions about declaration of impairment. Drawing on a social-relational understanding of disability, factors that influenced her decision not to 'declare' and the consequent effect on her experience of higher education are explored. 2010 nasen