Inclusion in Postsecondary Education

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  Am I Good Enough to Be Here? A Photovoice Project Examining Students’ Experiences of Ableism in Higher Education

  Sylvia Mac Ph.D. and Niki Elliott Ph.D.

  The enrollment of students with disabilities in postsecondary education has continued to increase (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2024). Nevertheless, these students’ stories often remain invisible. This Photovoice project centers the voices of students with disabilities in postsecondary education and uses polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011, 2021) to understand the importance of considering the nervous system when seeking to create and sustain inclusive higher education spaces.

  This study revealed the ways the participants’ nervous system experienced life as college students with a disability, organized around the themes of their perceptions of felt safety, of belonging, and of being liked. Findings from this study have significant implications, not only for improving the quality of student life and access at the university featured in this study, but for institutions of higher education nationwide.

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  “Am I Good Enough to Be Here?”: A Photovoice Project on Disability and Belonging in Higher Education (Plain Language Summary)

  Sylvia Mac Ph.D. and Niki Elliott Ph.D.

  Many college students with disabilities face invisible barriers that go beyond access to ramps or extra time on tests. This study asked: How do students with disabilities actually feel in higher education? Do they feel safe? Do they feel like they belong? Do they feel liked?

  Six students at a small private university shared their stories and took photographs over several weeks, using a method called Photovoice. These images, combined with interviews, reveal how deeply ableism and exclusion impact their sense of safety, belonging, and worth.

  The study used polyvagal theory, which explains how our nervous systems respond to environments. For students to engage, connect, and succeed, they must feel: safe (no physical or emotional threat), that they belong (they are valued and respected), and that they are liked (they matter to others).