"WE ARE NOT ANYTHING ALIKE": MARGINALIZATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Background: Marginalization occurs when individuals are systematically excluded from meaningful participation and are thus denied opportunities to reach their potential. Despite inclusive rhetoric, students with disabilities... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Marginalization occurs when individuals are systematically excluded from meaningful participation and are thus denied opportunities to reach their potential. Despite inclusive rhetoric, students with disabilities face barriers which lead them to be less likely to attend and remain in university compared to their abled peers. This inequity is especially pronounced in the health and human service (HHS) sector, where there exists a tension between promoting inclusion and maintaining professional competencies. Thus, people with disabilities are faced with occupational injustice via exclusion from HHS education programs.
Method:
In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 HHS students and stakeholders, such as faculty or clinicians, focusing on barriers and facilitators related to inclusion. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative approach.
Results:
Marginalization is a major barrier experienced by students with disabilities in HHS programs. This occurs through: 1) dominant discourses about disability and professionalism, 2) discriminatory design within programs and university structures, and 3) interactions characterized by imbalanced power.
Conclusion:
Our findings demonstrate how insidious forms of marginalization exclude individuals with disabilities from HHS education and professions.
Application to Practice:
The inclusion of people with disabilities is vital for ensuring HHS professionals, including occupational therapists, represent the populations they will serve. By challenging the views of educators, professionals, and scholars, these findings may be part of the foundation upon which change can be created, such that occupational therapy and occupational science scholars/educators can lead the way in enabling individuals to attain their goals, and become change-leaders.


Financial support by the UBC TLEF.