A spanner in the works: the portrayal of disabled students in assessment adjustment research

ABSTRACT In scholarly research, disabilities are predominantly understood as something that obscures assessment rather than enriches it. In this study, I examine how research on assessment adjustments (e.g. extra time in tests and separate testing rooms) portrays disabled students. I discuss how this area of research plays a role in constructing an image of ‘the ideal student’ and its shadow, the ‘non-ideal student’. I conduct a critical review to analyse how 26 assessment adjustment studies portray their object, disabled students, as being ontologically different from normal and ideal students. The ‘disabled examinee’ is portrayed as ‘a spanner in the works’ that endangers the objectivity of the assessment systems in higher education. Disabled students are framed as ‘Others’ who pose a danger for academic standards and integrity: assessment adjustments are thus seen as safeguarding academia from this danger. I argue that this portrayal contributes to marginalising disabled students in higher education.