Engagement & Belonging for Students with Disabilities
In partnership with Accessibility Services, the Innovation Hub’s design research team sought to understand factors that enable students with disabilities to fully engage in campus life outside of the classroom and to learn where gaps exist. The goal of the project was to gain a meaningful understanding of student perspectives and tangible ideas of steps to take to better champion access and inclusion so that students with disabilities can fully engage with events, activities, programming, social activities, and other aspects of campus life.
Fall/Winter 2024-2025
What factors help students with disabilities feel a sense of belonging and inclusion?
We found that disability adds a unique facet to exploring one’s identity, and students are often still discovering what their disability means. Our data revealed that students ask themselves questions like: Can I be fully myself here? Will I be welcomed as I am? These questions create layers of complexity as students explore what it means to belong in the university, to feel included, and to fully engage with others. When students felt that disability was prioritized, signals of belonging were generated, and students felt their disability was proactively considered.
OUR APPROACH
In the summer of 2024, we conducted group feedback sessions with three student leaders and 13 staff members about their experiences supporting students. In the fall 2024, we hosted six feedback sessions, employing empathetic and story-based research methods to learn about students’ experiences. A total of 32 students attended the group feedback sessions, and two students completed interviews. In winter 2025, we hosted five co-creation sessions and spoke to 17 students over the course of the sessions. We asked students about their thoughts and reactions to the initial findings, visions, and design principles.
KEY FINDINGS
When disability is proactively considered, it generates signals of belonging, and students feel included.
We found that attending university is a time when students explore their identities while learning about topics that matter to them. Grappling with one’s identity is a complex process that happens differently for each student. Disability adds a unique facet to exploring one’s identity, and students are often still discovering what their disability means. Our data revealed that students are asking themselves questions: Can I be fully myself here? Will I be welcomed for who I am? Does my disability matter? Is it considered? These questions create layers of complexity as students explore what it means to belong in the university, to fully engage with others, and to feel included. Ultimately, each time a student felt disability was prioritized, it gave them hope. These small bits of evidence acted as guiding lights; beacons of hope, showing them they are welcome at the University of Toronto.
