Experiences and recommendations for disability offices: a qualitative study in Italian and Spanish universities

2025/10/21 by Gilda Biagiotti, Rosa Bellacicco, Anabel Moriña +1 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Health Professions · #Disability Education and Employment #Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility #Retirement, Disability, and Employment

paper · doi:10.1080/03075079.2025.2573214

openalex publication_date 2025/10/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

This study analyses the experiences of graduates with disabilities in Italy and Spain concerning university disability offices, as well as their recommendations for improvement. Based on semi-structured interviews with 62 graduates (31 Italian and 31 Spanish), three main themes are identified: reasons for engaging in offices, contributions of the supports offered to university success, and recommendations for improvement. The thematic data analysis reveals that most attended disability offices for guidance, emotional support and mediation with faculty members. The study underlines the importance of these offices for both university success and emotional well-being. Recommendations include the need for better staff training and greater visibility of the disability offices. The findings also suggest that universities should tailor their support programmes to the individual needs of students with disabilities while adopting a universal design approach. This involves incorporating their voices in designing policies and practices and fostering closer collaboration with other initiatives for the general student population, both on campus and in the wider community, to create a more inclusive and equitable university environment.

Citations

• 'Learning Difficulties', the Social Model of Disability and Impairment: Challenging epistemologies
• Researcher Positionality - A Consideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative Research - A New Researcher Guide
• Academic accommodations for university students living with disability and the potential of universal design to address their needs
• Changing the medical model of disability to the normalization model of disability: clarifying the past to create a new future direction

Discussions

• Por otro lado, la investigación coordinada por Gilda Biagiotti analiza la gestión institucional. A través de un estudio comparado entre universidades se determina que la burocracia excesiva y la falta [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]

Related

• The voice of students with disabilities: reasons for going to university and criteria for choosing the institution
• Perceptions of Disability in Higher Education and Employment: Voices from Campus and the Workplace
• The History of Disability Services in higher education
• Incorporating disabled students within an inclusive higher education environment
• Personal, Social and Vocational Outcomes of Inclusive University for People With Intellectual Disability