ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the situation of students with disabilities in higher education institutions, especially in universities. We took the University of Helsinki as a case to elaborate more on personal experiences of students with disabilities regarding their university lives. The study was based on three datasets: (1) the qualitative answers of students with disabilities evaluating equality in student barometer studies, (2) group interviews of students with disabilities, and (3) students’ reflections on the topic in their lecture journals in one of the disability studies’ courses. The students who participated in the study have been through many kinds of crip experiences on different occasions at the University and during their student lives. The study implies that universities and student organizations are not as inclusive as they should be. The students with disabilities experience barriers in physical, social, and pedagogical “environments at universities and in student organizations. Many students with disabilities do not know their rights and do not know whom to turn to in their own educational institution with accessibility issues.
Keywords: ableism, crip theory, disability, disability studies, embodiment, inclusion, students with disabilities in higher education, qualitative methods
