Disabled Students Seeking Higher Education in Kashmir: A Study of their Experiences

Abstract

The present study aimed to understand the experiences of disabled students while gaining higher education in Kashmir. According to the conference on the ‘Rights of Persons with Disability’, Article 24, 2(a), disabled persons should not be barred from broader education organizations due to their disability. Besides, the ‘Millennium Development Goals’ and ‘Education for All’ insist on justice, equality and quality education for all. Yet, like in other societies, in Kashmir too disabled people face a large number of obstacles while attempting to achieve higher education. The study was conducted on 21 disabled students studying at the University of Kashmir during the year 2018. The results revealed that disabled people face a large number of obstacles while accessing education and come across a vast amount of challenges such as experiencing harassment, being excluded from the university, lack of institutional support, accommodation, financial support, seminars and infrastructure and facilities necessary to obtain benefits from the equivalent quality of education as their colleague.

Keywords

Disabled students higher education University of Kashmir obstacles experiencing harassment

Introduction

Disabled people are not only the most deprived human beings in the developing world; they are also the most neglected.

—Amartya Sen

Disability is a relative concept, which differs according to time, place and socio-cultural contexts (Shah et al., 2004). According to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008), ‘people with disabilities include those who have enduring physical, cognitive, psychological or sensory impairments which in collaboration with a variety of obstacles may impede their complete and efficient contribution in the society on equivalent basis with other members of their society’ (Matonya, 2016). Disability is an intricate experience, imitating an interface between characteristics of a person’s body and characteristics of the culture in which they live (WHO/World Bank, 2014). Historically, disabled persons have been looked upon as charity cases or from a solely medical point of view; however, this perspective is gradually changing (Abosi, 2007). Nowadays, disability is analysed within a human rights perspective. This change in perspective and the marginalization of disabled persons have hard-pressed the issue of the rights of a person with a disability to the vanguard of the international contest (Hughes, 2005). Globally, more than 180 million young people live with some form of disability, bad enough to make their day-to-day living complicated, and the majority of these reside in the developing countries (Nel et al., 2015).

Profile of Disabled Persons in India and Jammu and Kashmir

According to the Census of India (2011), in India, out of the 121 crore population, 2.68 crore persons are ‘disabled’, which is 2.21 per cent of the total population. Out of these, 56 per cent (1.5 crore) are males and 44 per cent (1.18 crore) are females. In the total population, the male and female population is 51 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively. A majority (69%) of the disabled population belong to rural areas (1.86 crore) and (0.81 crore) in urban areas (Census of India, 2011). According to the Census of India 2011, in the case of the total population also, 69 per cent are from rural areas, while the remaining 31 per cent lived in urban areas. The same Census reported 19 per cent to have a disability in seeing, 20 per cent in movement, 19 per cent disability in hearing, 3 per cent mental retardation, 7 per cent in speech, 8 per cent with multiple disabilities and 6 per cent with any other type of disability. In terms of age group, among 10–19 years is the highest age group followed by the age group 20–29 years for both the male and female disabled persons. Among the disabled females, 23 per cent of the female disabled are elderly, and, among the disabled males, 18 per cent are elderly. So far as educational status is concerned, 55 per cent of the total disabled population are literates, 62 per cent are the male disabled literates and 45 per cent constituted the female disabled literates. The literacy is higher among the disabled persons belonging to urban areas: 67 per cent literates of the total disabled persons reside in urban areas as against 49 per cent of the literate disabled persons in rural areas. In the context of higher education, 15 per cent of them are graduates who belong to urban areas, and only 5 per cent of the graduate disabled persons are living in rural areas of the country (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Government of India, 2016).

As far as the population profile of disabled persons in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, its total disabled population is 363,153, out of which 204,834 (56.7%) are males and 156,319 (43.2%) are females. From 2001 to 2011, the disabled population increased by 19.3 per cent. The proportion of the disabled people in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is frequently growing as compared to other states of Indian because of conflict based violence. Making use of pellet guns has generated a new category of disabled persons often goes by the name of pellet victims or half blinds. Most of the disabilities, particularly in Kashmir, are the by-product of violence. In terms of disabilities, 12 per cent of the disabled are crippled as compared to the national average of 27.9 per cent. The mentally disabled population of the state is 8.2 per cent against 10.3 per cent of the national level. In the context of classification of disabilities in the union territory, the hearing disability counts for 20.5 per cent, seeing 18.3 per cent, speech 5.15 per cent, movement 16.0 per cent, mental retardation 4.6 per cent, mental illness 4.3 per cent, any other 18.5 per cent and multiple disability 2.3 per cent (Naik & Selvarajan, 2015).

Disability in the Context of Education

The disabled people are often omitted from many social, educational, financial and cultural opportunities and are among the underprivileged and most marginalized groups universally (Groce, 2004). Although education is exceptionally significant for all individuals in spite of one’s age, sex, ethnicity, financial standing as well as one’s ability or disability, disabled persons are usually perceived as underprivileged groups in this area (Block, 1992). Therefore, they are in a situation of missing several social, financial and political benefits together with the right to access good and quality education (Barnes et al., 2010).

Humankind is presently fighting for open, impartial and quality education for all, beginning with elementary education, then secondary and lastly, higher education through ‘Education for All’ objectives. The Universal statement for Human Rights in the year 1948 affirmed education as an essential right for each individual together with disabled people. The Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons, which came into existence in 2008, recognized that disability is not merely a societal welfare issue but also a component of human rights. The Department for International Development (2012) has additionally established that Article 24 of the Convention on Education stressed that all State parties shall make sure that disabled people are not barred from education on the roots of their disability. According to the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010, accomplishing the underprivileged children with disabilities continues to be one of the critical challenges, leading to the broad exclusion of the group from quality education (Macleod, 2014). Historically, disabled people have been deprived and refuted equal participation opportunities, together with partaking in higher education. They have been illegitimately maltreated in society’s institutions, typically due to pessimistic reasons such as negative approaches, narrow-mindedness, stereotypes and stigmas (Hughes, 2005). Students with disabilities furthermore experience an insufficient infrastructure, a sharp scarcity of professionals in general and comprehensive educational schools in particular, and a dearth of and/or non-existent of effectual identification and intrusions for problems faced by majority of people with disabilities predominantly in Sub-Saharan African nations (Matonya, 2016). Notwithstanding all the attempts to certify the right to education for all people together with those with disabilities, the World Health Organization (2011b) demonstrates that the majority of disabled people are deprived of access to education.

Research Methods

Approach and Participants

The study aimed to explore the experiences of disabled students while gaining higher education in Kashmir. A qualitative approach is employed because qualitative researchers acknowledge that, to understand people’s experiences, we must try to comprehend the meanings and interpretations that people offer to their experiences. This approach is mainly helpful when we have diminutive information of the participants and their worldviews (Liamputtong, 2013).

The study was carried at the University of Kashmir due to the reason that it is the largest university in Kashmir division. The university is located in the Hazratbal area of Srinagar district. We used both purposive and theoretical sampling to recruit and interview participants. The primary consideration in purposive sampling is the researcher’s judgement as to who can provide the best information to achieve the objectives of the research study. The researcher went only to those people who, in their opinion, are likely to have the required information and be willing to share that information (Kumar, 2011). Purposive sampling was used to identify and recruit students who met the criterion of being disabled. As the study progressed, theoretical sampling was used to probe emerging data. Participants were recruited through following inclusion criteria:

Having any disability

Currently achieving master’s degree from the University of Kashmir

Residents of Kashmir

Ready to participate in the study

A number of participants were achieved using data saturation theory, that is, researchers continue recruiting participants until no new information is gained. Data saturation occurred at the time researchers finished interviews with 18 participants. To ensure that no data is left, three more participants were recruited and interviewed. Hence 21 participants were interviewed in total (Table 1).

Table 1.

Background Information of the Research Participants

S. No.	Gender	Age	Residence	Type of Disability	Family Income/Month (₹)
1.	Male	25	Rural	Vision impairment	5,000–10,000
2.	Female	28	Rural	Physically handicapped	1,000–5,000
3.	Female	23	Urban	Intellectual impairment	Above 15,000
4.	Male	27	Rural	Albinism	5,000–10,000
5.	Male	22	Urban	Physically handicapped	10,000–15,000
6.	Male	23	Urban	Vision impairment	1,000–5,000
7.	Female	23	Rural	Physically handicapped	5,000–10,000
8.	Male	31	Urban	Hearing impairment	Above 15,000
9.	Male	29	Rural	Physically handicapped	5,000–10,000
10.	Male	28	Urban	Albinism	10,000–15,000
11.	Female	23	Urban	Intellectual impairment	5,000–10,000
12.	Female	34	Rural	Physically handicapped	Above 15,000
13.	Male	29	Rural	Hearing impairment	10,000–15,000
14.	Male	32	Urban	Intellectual impairment	5,000–10,000
15.	Female	27	Rural	Physically handicapped	1,000–5,000
16.	Male	23	Rural	Albinism	5,000–10,000
17.	Male	25	Rural	Physically handicapped	10,000–15,000
18.	Female	28	Urban	Vision impairment	10,000–15,000
19.	Female	23	Rural	Hearing impairment	5,000–10,000
20.	Male	22	Rural	Albinism	Above 15,000
21.	Female	25	Rural	Vision impairment	5,000–10,000

Source: Fieldwork (May 2018–November 2018).

Procedure and Analysis

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all the research participants at the time and venue comfortable for them. Interviews were conducted when no one except for the participant and interviewers were present. Interviews were conducted by the first, second, and fourth authors only. Data collection occurred between May 2018 and November 2018. The length of the interview meetings was between 1 hour and 2 hours 45 minutes. Based on the aim of the study, a semi-structured interview schedule was framed for data collection. An interview schedule was pre-tested through a pilot study on four disabled students and necessary modifications were made in it. These four students were not included in the final study. Consent was taken from each research participant, and they were also informed that participation is voluntary.

Given that all respondents were acquainted with English language, interviews were conducted in the same language. The order of questions, which were intentionally kept very simple and free of technical terms, was altered often following the course of the discussion. The interviews were audio taped with the prior permission of the participants. Observational notes were also taken throughout the process of data collection.

The data collected in the field was analysed using thematic analysis method. This method of analysis endeavour to categorize, evaluate and report patterns or themes in the data. First, open coding was done wherein codes were initially identified and named. Then, axial coding was performed to take out the final themes in the data. Axial coding was done by restructuring the codes developed during open coding by formulating relationships between categories and sub-categories. Through this procedure, three themes were generated which described the experiences of the participants. While presenting direct quotes of the participants, we used numbers instead of the names of participants to maintain confidentiality.

Results of the Study

Reasons for Seeking Higher Education

The results of the study highlighted that the recognition of the significance of education was the core factor that stimulated the majority of disabled students to acquire higher education. Disabled students understood and acknowledged the influence of education on their social mobility at the personal, familial, institutional and community level. This perception was the main reason for their participation as well as their achievements at all the levels of education. The awful experience of these students on the life they had lived, together with the higher degree of stigma, social exclusion and disenchantment, had encouraged them to work exceedingly hard to get out of the similar kind of challenges in future.

Some of the respondents even expressed their disability itself as an inspiration for participation in higher education and hard work. Having an awareness of the fact that due to their disability, they are regarded as a burden and are stigmatized, the mere alternative that was on hand for them in surmounting the stigma and dependence was to take part in education.

Because I am physically challenged and have to depend on others for every single need, I found studying as the only way to have a better life. I believe that education would enable me to fulfil my needs and become independent and also to gain respect from the community through employment and the ability to make my own living. (P5)

Yet, a few of the respondents described that they were encouraged to participate in education by the likelihood of shifting their standing from ‘nobody’ to ‘somebody’. They deemed education about self-realization and self-respect, which made them feel respected for their crucial contribution.

Primary and secondary education endowed me with admiration from everyone in society. This motivated me to go a level ahead and participate in higher education. It is the first and foremost thing that became a turning point in my worthless life. Education furnished in the growth of self-consciousness and helped me in knowing my personality inside the community I live in; Education aided in transforming me into a well-developed individual. (P14)

A small number of disabled students also reported that they knew that by lacking education, they would be adhering to pessimistic feelings concerning their disability. They further revealed that education assisted them in turning out to be healthy and be competent enough to protect and look after themselves instead of being affected by their family and community. As such, they believed that education would make them capable of standing against the subjugation, deprivation and isolation they face in the family and society at large. Yet others had the sense that due to education, they got self-assurance, strength and capability to live alone anywhere with no fear and panic.

It is a fact that when you became educated, you may get everything in life. You could confidently talk in public and take part in decision-making at both the family and society levels. Education helped me to shape, change and provide chances of being visible to other people, which facilitated me to fulfil my objectives. (P.18)

The findings further uncovered that most of the respondents studied intensively to achieve their ambitions and dreams. Almost half of them stated that they were aiming of becoming lecturers, teachers, businessperson and counsellors. As a result, their aim to accomplish their dreams prepared them to take part in higher education.

The goal of becoming a professor was important for my success because this increased the motivation to join university, study hard and never give up. It reinforced my desire to find different ways of pursuing higher education. My personal goal inspired me to seek advice from friends who were studying at the university to learn about the available opportunities for accessing and participating in higher education. (P8)

I am working very hard so far as my education is concerned because I want to get teaching job in any educational institution, preferably in university or any college so that I can then support and encourage other students like me to work hard and endow them with some direction on how to deal in these institutions and endorse their educational attainments. (P2)

Moreover, it was discovered that several disabled students belonged to very poor backgrounds. Hence, one of the motives that facilitated them to enter higher education needed to get away from their intense poverty. In this backdrop, spending in education was treated as a chief driver of financial development by such students. Some of the disabled students also reported that attaining a job and getting an enhanced salary was necessary so that they could modify their way of living, from being reliant on others to be self-governing and self-sufficient as well as lifting their importance and position in the society.

The education I am getting will help me to get a decent job because without education you won’t get a good job and one will end up doing some menial work. This is why I am putting my efforts into my studies so that I can get a good job and manage my life without depending on anybody. (P12)

The respondents also stated to have been stimulated to achieve higher education so that to challenge and alter the opinion that the mainstream population has about them. These respondents reported that they also took up higher education to prove their capabilities to other people and to change perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards them that people with disabilities cannot become successful and achieve anything big. The attitudinal change among the community members as an outcome of education can be observed in the case of Participant 6, who revealed, ‘The majority of the people with disabilities in Kashmir are deprived of access to education on the belief that they cannot make it in education. Because I am educated, society is now giving me attention, respecting me and seeking advice from me’.

Among female participants, attaining higher education was associated with better chances of marriage.

I decided to study hard because without education I would not get help from anybody. I would think that I was going to get married, but that is not enough; I need to prepare for my own life because getting married is not easy. In marriage, you may encounter many problems or even get divorced because of disability. (P21)

Perception of Family and Community Towards Their Participation in Higher Education

This part of the findings presents the perceptions of family and community towards the participation of disabled students in higher education. Results showed that they were perceived in a different way, depending on the earlier approaches and credence in the direction of educating disabled people. Most of the disabled students reported an optimistic perception from respective families as well as from community members, while a few of them reported a negative one.

Majority of the disabled students revealed that they were and still are perceived by their families as an inspiration. They reported that their parents and community members appreciated their overall educational achievements. They showed pride, satisfaction and shock at their success and shared those achievements with others in the neighbourhood. This was because they had earlier been concerned regarding their children’s education, as most of such parents had come across countless disappointing comments and observations from relatives, neighbours and other community members.

Most of the time, the parents and community members use me as an example to other children, especially when they are in school and studying. My parents would always remind my siblings that I performed so well that I have progressed to university now, so why shouldn’t they. (P19)

Few among them further indicated that they are the first disabled people who are pursuing higher education in their community. Some of them also highlighted that others in the neighbourhood were encouraged to send their disabled children to get an education, since successful disabled persons were treated as mentors.

My parents are proud and very happy; that is why they call me boss. No one else in my family had reached to this level. In our clan, you can just count. I have gained high respect not only in my family but also from my whole community despite of my disability. (P17)

However, few of the respondents also revealed that the neighbouring community members were not happy as their normal kids, who had also given the entrance, did not acquire admission in the university. It was also reported that people around were posing questions such as ‘Why are you pursuing higher education?’ ‘What will you become after attaining higher education?’ It proposes that some people were unsuccessful to see the value of people with any kind of disability being studying at the university. They had been discouraged by the people who thought that if they were not able to carry out their work at home then how they can attain and be successful in higher education. Normally, the community members saw disabled people as too stiff to educate, and consequently they were supposed to be at home.

While some neighbours were wishing me well in my education, others were not expecting me to pursue higher education. Some people even told me that people with disabilities are always in need of help and, thus, even if I study, I would not be able to get a job. Others had tried to convince my parents to take me out of higher education because they considered it only a waste of time and money. Now that I have finally succeeded in higher education, my parents still get a lot of gloomy remarks from members of the community. (P11)

Challenges Encountered in the Course of Attaining Higher Education

This part of the findings deals with the challenges faced by disabled students in the process of attaining higher education. The results of the study highlight that such students faced diverse and complex challenges in the course of attaining higher education. Considerable share of disabled students were facing systematic social, cultural and institutional obstacles to quality education and difficulties in terms of the student support material, facilities, physical access inside the university campus and attitude of fellow students and teachers, thus hurting their educational achievement and overall welfare and development.

Majority of the disabled students reported having faced a variety of challenges associated to accessing education. Not like the parents who were optimistic concerning the education of their disabled kids, a few deemed that their parents thought that educating such children was not important, as they were uncertain about the type of job they would find provided that they have a disability. The limited knowledge of most of the parents in relation to the opportunities existing for disabled persons influenced their partaking in higher education.

My parents were overprotective towards me due to my disability, which created lot of hurdles in sending me to school and then of course, to university. My parents also perceived that I could not receive sufficient support in this huge institution and will have to struggle too much. (P1)

A number of the respondents further pointed out that at the junior level of studies, they felt undervalued, more impoverished, apprehensive, discriminated and in the need of deep safety. Their peers and other community members ridiculed them when they saw them going to the school, and these circumstances made them feel awful and were anxious concerning achieving their targets. Hence, the pitiable understanding of the significance of education for the disabled people, among both the community members and their peers, impacted their participation in education. A lot of the unfairness was reported to be experienced by the rural students, where a large number of cultural and established obstructions are found against them.

When I was in college, few of the students there used to make fun of my disability. Due to this thing I used to skip college from time to time, thus affecting my studies. This is the reason it took me a full year to decide whether I should apply in university or not. The heart-breaking words of those students still echo in my ears. (P7)

Some of the disabled students also reported to have experienced challenges in the transition stage of coming out of home and commencing the university life. These include missing their previous companions and making novel ones, making financial plans, feeling nostalgic and dealing with intricate environments, and diverse people and their varied behaviours. The respondents experienced problems in arranging their lives and finances as earlier their parents had provided support to them in these matters.

When I got admission in university, I applied for a university hostel. After few weeks, I was admitted to the hostel but had to share the room with other seven students. I was very much hesitant to talk to them or ask for help because you don’t know the temperament of every single individual around you, and that too when you are not normal like them. That was a very tough situation for me, and I was not able to cope with that complex situation. (P3)

Scarcity of facilities was highlighted as responsible for reduced educational accomplishment by all the disabled respondents. They reported that they enrolled in the university with the hope that they would be provided enough modern facilities in comparison with their earlier experiences, but the reality was extremely at odds. The shortage of up-to-date equipment computers was one of the major challenges that the disabled students faced; shortage of note-takers, Braille books and machinery, magnifiers, tape recorders and detectors was referred to by a respondent with a visual disability as a key challenge to his academic performance and achievement.

Without a note-taker, a visually disabled student cannot take notes during lectures and, since they can’t take notes in class, they will have to obtain a summary from their peers who have taken notes according to their way and understanding. Sometimes I find myself copying things which I don’t understand or which have been wrongly interpreted. A lack of reading facilities for visually disabled students is a major reason of their poor academic performance. If administration, as well as teachers, do not make efforts to solve our problems, we will continue to suffer. (P18)

The respondents with a physical disability cited the lack of electronic wheelchairs and round the clock transportation facility within the campus as a primary challenge, which then affected their education. For instance, a wheelchair user was not able to come for lectures when it rained as no one would help to drive the manual wheelchair in the rainfall. This frequently forced him to miss lectures, whereas his peers attended the classes without any problem. Another student with a physical disability indicated that an electronic wheelchair would facilitate him to meet his requirements inside the campus and lessen his reliance on his classmates and friends.

If it is raining, for example, I can’t carry an umbrella at the same time as I use my crutches. It then becomes a challenge for me to go to class. Due to this reason, I usually had to miss my classes, which then affects my performance in exams. (P9)

The distance between the different classrooms also posed a challenge to the physically and visually disabled students because they were not able to walk hurriedly or run. These students occasionally failed to arrive at the next lecture area on time and frequently found that the professor had already started the lecture. This condition made it complicated for them to focus on their studies and thus affected their performance. On the other hand, some of them also encountered barriers in accessing the library. The subsequent remarks by a physically disabled student reveal the problem of moving from one class to another.

As you know that I am a student of CBCS due to which I have to go to other departments to take classes, but I encounter many difficulties in doing so as I am a physically challenged student. I try to walk as fast as I can, but my legs hurt, and I don’t manage to get there in time. For example, it takes me 20 minutes to walk quickly to the Urdu department from mine. Sometimes the professor had already started teaching when I arrive and I miss part of the lecture. (P15)

Regarding the bias and attitudinal blockades, some of the respondents highlighted that they felt being discriminated in opposition to their classmates all the time. Even though disabled students were getting assistance from their peers’, they stated that occasionally their peers used them for their advantage. The respondents also reported experiencing prejudice in discussions: Wherein some members retorted more to queries posed by normal counterparts and evading or overlooking those posed by them, while in some cases other peers at times avoided them on the whole by rejecting to admit them in their discussion groupings. They were reported to underestimate and undervalue such students and failed to engage them in the group discussions.

As a person with disability, you can ask someone without disability to join you in a discussion and s/he will claim to be tired. However, if invited, s/he will agree to discuss issues with a student without disabilities. This has been irritating and making me feel bad. I’ve been wondering: What’s wrong with me! I’ve been considering myself as nothing in this world and helpless. They isolate themselves from me. Most of them don’t even talk to me in class and even around campus…. I feel very bad. (P14)

Just about half of the disabled students reported facing challenges so far as their teachers are concerned. It was also revealed that teachers in the lower classes had been more helpful than university teachers. The subsequent account by a participant shows this outlook, ‘I thank those teachers who taught me at lower secondary schools as they were of great help to me. I won’t say anything about the university teachers because we do not interact: They arrive, deliver a lecture and leave’ (P16). They reported that the professors who teach them did not have time to track anything up; they arrive, deliver the lecture and leave the classroom. They provide inadequate help; even when asked frankly for assistance, the teachers’ response looked disappointing. This made them scared to communicate their requirements and explain the challenges they face. The frustrating words of teachers at times caused seclusion, reduced engagement and motivation, and, in some rare cases, it resulted in dropping out of the disabled students. They stated that encouraging words from the teachers could improve their academic performance; they could become extra stimulated to enhance their educational achievement.

A positive teacher–student relationship is decisive and has a constructive impact on disabled students’ success in education. Teachers should be close to students who are disabled and should help them because there are times when you consult a teacher for help only to be told that many people with disabilities are always looking for sympathy. Such responses dishearten, annoy and discourage me from seeking their help. (P13)

Most of the respondents also stated experiencing challenges due to their poor background. They also reported that at times their parents were unsuccessful in procuring them equipment’s like Braille machinery or wheelchairs or provide them university fees, transport charges and study material as well. About half of the respondents revealed that their familial poverty made them enrol late for higher education. Besides, few of them had even to take loans to pay the university fees and accomplish their other needs.

Suggestions

Based on the findings of the present study, the following suggestions can be made:

Government and higher educational institutions should prepare special budgets to accommodate disabled students in higher education.

Awareness programmes and workshops regarding the importance of education should be organized for people in general, and parents of disabled children in particular.

Proper financial assistance should be provided to disabled children to reduce the extra burden of their parents.

Higher educational institutions should hire counsellors to guide students with disabilities.

All necessary facilities and equipment, such as wheelchairs, computers, Braille books, note-taking instruments, projectors, sound systems, etc., should be supplied to disabled students to help them achieve their academic goals and social needs.

Transport facilities should be made available within campuses so that disabled students can travel from one department to another without any problem.

While developing infrastructures, such as classrooms, hostels, libraries, stairs, toilets and playgrounds, authorities should take into consideration the special needs of disabled students.

Counselling and career programmes should be organized from time to time for disabled students to raise their self-confidence.

Workshops sensitizing normal students, staff and faculties regarding the special needs of disabled students should be offered at the higher educational institutions.

Conclusion

From the findings, it is evident that accessing higher education does not eventually result in inclusion and complete involvement of disabled students. Multifaceted challenges yet subsist, and the difficulties in granting sufficient support services for disabled students reveal some important gaps between policies and practice. Advancing the experiences of disabled students’ needs institutional endeavour and attitudinal change both broader in extent and systemic in character. Attitudes and cultural beliefs of community members have a significant impact on their participation and performance in higher education. The deficit of knowledge among parents of disabled students regarding the educational opportunities on hand for such people had a substantial impact on their level of participation and performance in higher education. Scarcity of modern equipment and devices and inaccessible classrooms, toilets, libraries, etc., were also recognized as hurting their participation. Besides, the attitudinal barriers and pitiable relationships with few of their peers, along with inadequate support, a low level of communication and attitudinal barriers from the professors were also reported. Emotional support was lacking, although the majority of the disabled students perceived this to be unnecessary. It is nonetheless hugely expected that they do require emotional support; however, they do not desire to confess it for the apprehension of further inequity and bias.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Author’s bio-sketch

Tanveer Ahmad Khan is currently doing PhD from Aligarh Muslim University. His work has been published by the internationally acclaimed publishers like Sage, Routlegde and Palgrave.

Wasia Hamid is purusing PhD from the Department of Sociology, University of Kashmir.

Mohmad Saleem Jahangir is senior assistant professor of Sociology at University of Kashmir.

Tabbasum Maqbool is presently enrolled as a Research fellow in the Department of Sociology,

University of Kashmir.

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