Ableism and disablism in higher education: The case of two students living with chronic illnesses

Abstract

This article offers a contribution to understanding how both disablism (the direct experiences of exclusion and discrimination faced by disabled people) and ableism (the norms and codes that shape our understanding of dis/ability) can manifest in the lives of students attending Higher Education. I use two case studies to illustrate how ableism and disablism manifest in particular ways. This is based in my research with people living with chronic illnesses in England and Portugal. I argue that being attentive to the conditions that produce barriers and exclusion for people living with chronic illnesses attending Higher Education continues to be imperative in order to tackle such barriers, particularly in contexts like Portugal, where such barriers remain prominent. In addition, understanding and unravelling the norms and codes that affect our understanding of normalcy and disability is equally fundamental in order to continue to enable true equality for disabled people.