Experiences of Students with Disabilities Enrolling in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study in the United Arab Emirates.

Background: Higher education is experiencing an increase in students with disabilities, necessitating considering their interests and well-being when preparing educational services. Students with disabilities make up one of the most significant minority groups among students in terms of diversity.

Aims: This study explored the experiences of students with disabilities at a university in the United Arab Emirates. It also aimed to understand students with disabilities' social and academic experiences and the factors affecting their university persistence.

Methods: We used a descriptive qualitative research approach to understand how students with disabilities experience the phenomenon under study. Twenty-five students participated, chosen via purposeful sampling. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using content analysis.

Results: We found four themes that emerged from this study: (1) perceptions about the university, (2) socialization and integration, (3) barriers to the university journey, and (4) support for the journey.

Conclusion: We found that students with disabilities indicated positive and negative perspectives and experiences. We recommend modifying the physical, social, and educational environments to support the education of students with disabilities. Future studies should employ a more varied sample and include academics and students to collect different perspectives while stressing the students' experiences.