Higher Education of Students with Disabilities: a Literature Review

Abstract

The proportion of higher education students with disabilities is increasing at university
level. In Macedonia, there are no statistics about the number of students with disabilities
included in the academic institutions. The inadequate accessibility of higher education
institutions, the lack of support, the negative social attitudes and social isolation, as
well as the low financial capacity influence the success of students with disabilities and
affect their inclusion in the higher education. Тhis study aims to conduct an in-depth review
of some of these challenges that are present in the higher education of students with disabilities.
A detailed analysis of 11 publications was performed. We can conclude from those
publications that faculty members demonstrate generally positive attitudes towards students
with disabilities, with some research indicating less favourable attitudes towards
those with “nonvisible” disabilities, such as learning disabilities. Also, there are conflicting
results as to whether students with disabilities have an equivalent academic performance
with those without disabilities.