What hinders or facilitates the participation of neurodivergent students at the University of Malta? The students’ own perspectives

Abstract

The number of neurodivergent students in higher education is increasing across the world as well as in Malta. This study aimed to deepen our understanding of the continuing challenges still being faced by these students in the ableist tertiary environment. This paper presents the results of interviews with autistic students which were part of a larger mixed methods study. Four autistic students at the University of Malta responded to a semi-structured interview on their aspirations, on how far they felt enabled to participate in the university academic and social environments, and on how useful the individual accommodations were for their equitable participation. Reflexive thematic analysis of data firstly showed that these students considered the university as mainly an opportunity for self-development but experienced significant difficulties during their transition to and at the university for developing a healthy self-identity in the ableist university environment. Secondly, students called for the teaching system to be more pedagogically effective and sensitive to diverse student needs, for the physical and social environment to be more autism friendly, and for their involvement in the development of appropriate facilities for students. Thirdly, they reported that individual accommodations were necessary for their equitable participation and called for less bureaucratic processing of applications, and for individual negotiation of accommodations. The study suggests that higher education institutions should listen to the concerns of neurodivergent students and involve them in curricular and environmental planning. They need to create a diversity respectful ethos and socio-emotional support that promotes everyone’s membership in the university community, while adopting a universal design for learning mindset that is open to the diverse needs of students.