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Background
Students with disabilities have been designated as one of the six equity groups under-represented in universities in Australia for almost 20 years. The six equity groups designated under the Australian Government’s A fair chance for all policy (DEET 1990a, b) in 1990 as being under-represented in universities were:
People from low socio-economic backgrounds
People from rural or isolated areas
People with a disability
People from a non-English speaking background
Indigenous people
Women, especially in non-traditional areas of study and higher degrees
Despite the provision of significant Government equity policies and funding, the participation rates of students with a disability have not increased significantly over this period. Students with disabilities are heralded, however, as one of the few equity groups that have increased its rate of participation while overall there has been a clear failure of policy to increase the university participation rates of equity group students. The former Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Brendan Nelson, acknowledged this failure in the Higher Education Report for the 2004 to 2006 Triennium by stating: ‘With the exception of women and students with disabilities, however, the rate of participation [for all equity groups] has not changed a great deal’ (p. 15). As stated in this report, students with disabilities accounted for 1.9% of the university student population in 1996. By 2006, enrolment of students with disabilities had risen to 3.6%.
Although this increase looks significant (i.e. almost a doubling of the figure), when compared with the proportion of people with disabilities in the general population comprising around 20% (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005), this increase still falls far short of a true reflection of the proportion of people with disabilities within the general population. So although there has been a small increase in the proportion of students with a disability participating in higher education, this isn’t enough. A focus on an increase in figures alone does not convey the true extent of the continuing under-representation of people with disabilities in higher education. It must be noted, however, that disability is self-reported by students usually at enrolment and there is evidence to suggest that the number of students with disabilities in higher education is probably under-reported (Barr et al. 1996; Payne and Irons 2003; Smith...