Barriers in higher education: perceptions and discourse analysis of students with disabilities in Spain
Abstract
Spanish universities must guarantee optimum accessibility to facilitate the teaching-learning process of students with disabilities. The objective of this study was to investigate how Spanish students with disabilities perceive access to Higher Education and the day-to-day of their academic life. A qualitative design was performed, using sequential discourse analysis adapted to the area of studies with people with disabilities. Two focus groups and sixteen interviews with university students with disabilities were analyzed. The discursive strategies of the students presented an asymmetry between the normative and the factual, although within a framework of inclusion and integration into university life. Six types of barriers were identified: computer, bureaucratic, and architectural -more intense in the traditional universities-, and learning, personal, and social barriers -stronger in online universities. To ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities, there is a need to increase information and training and to establish common procedures across Higher Education institutions.Points of interestDespite the legislative measures regarding inclusion in Higher Education, the representativeness of students with disabilities in Spain is low.Students with disabilities found six different types of barriers in accessing university studies in Spain.Research shows that Spanish university students with disabilities consider dropping out of Higher Education due to the difficulties t…
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Digital content and online learning platforms are regularly found to be inaccessible.
“Furthermore, even if digital learning materials are often better than printed ones handed in classrooms (Fichten et al., 2020), digital content and online learning platforms are regularly found to be inaccessible (Alcaraz Martínez et al., 2021;García-González et al., 2021).”
From Exploring the role of generative AI in higher education: Semi-structured interviews with students with disabilities (2025) · cites this paper as García-González et al., 2021
Administrative procedures to receive reasonable accommodations can be burdensome and require a lot of additional energy.
“Nevertheless, administrative procedures to receive reasonable accommodations can be burdensome and thus require a lot of additional energy (García-González et al., 2021;Osborne, 2019).”
From Exploring the role of generative AI in higher education: Semi-structured interviews with students with disabilities (2025) · cites this paper as García-González et al., 2021
There is a general lack of awareness concerning accessibility and disability-related issues.
“There is also a general lack of awareness concerning accessibility and disability-related issues (García-González et al., 2021;Jembu Rajkumar et al., 2020;Schultz & Azadbakht, 2021).”
From Exploring the role of generative AI in higher education: Semi-structured interviews with students with disabilities (2025) · cites this paper as García-González et al., 2021
Academic platforms (e.g., journal platforms, learning environments) can be inaccessible.
“Considering that academic platforms (e.g., journal platforms, learning environments) can be inaccessible (Arias-Flores et al., 2020;García-González et al., 2021;Saripudin et al., 2019), it is essential to ensure that checking the validity of information is not more tedious for students with disabilities.”
From Exploring the role of generative AI in higher education: Semi-structured interviews with students with disabilities (2025) · cites this paper as García-González et al., 2021
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References 38 · Cited by 57
- Authors
- García-González, J. M., Gutiérrez Gómez-Calcerrada, S., Solera Hernández, E., & Ríos-Aguilar, S.
- Affiliations
- Department of Sociology, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Psychology, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
- School of Engineering
- ORCID
- Venue
- Disability & Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2020-04-16
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 579-595
- ISSN
- 0267-4645 (ISSN-L)
- 0968-7599
- 1360-0508
- OpenAlex
- W3017384836
- Cited by
- 57
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 7.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Disability & Society (publishedVersion)
- Re-Unir (International University of La Rioja) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Rights and Representation
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
- Keywords
- students with disabilities, higher education accessibility, inclusive education, online universities, architectural barriers, administrative barriers, computer accessibility, student perceptions, disability law, Spain
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