ABSTRACT
One of the key levers that could be used to promote or force changes in the way disabled students are viewed or treated in higher education is the fact that the numbers of disabled students in higher education are increasing. For example, in the UK, figures from the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) suggest that the numbers of disabled undergraduate students has increased between 1995 and 2000. In the year 2000/1 almost 5 per cent (26,000) of UK undergraduates self-assessed themselves as having a disability. In 2000/1 dyslexia was the most commonly declared disability (35 per cent), with unseen disabilities (e.g. epilepsy, diabetes, asthma) coming next at 26 per cent. Students who were deaf or had a hearing impairment accounted for 7 per cent, and a similar percentage had multiple disabilities (HESA 2002). Hurst and Smerdon (2000) note that according to the US 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study roughly 6 per cent of all undergraduates reported having a disability. Among 1995-96 undergraduates with a disability, approximately 29 per cent reported having a learning disability (e.g. dyslexia), and 23 per cent reported an orthopedic impairment. About 16 per cent of students with disabilities reported having a hearing impairment; 16 per cent a vision impairment, and 3 per cent a speech impairment.
