What is it about?
This study looks at the experiences of young people with disabilities at Saudi universities. Drawing on a survey of 510 students and in-depth responses from 30, it explores the barriers they face, such as cognitive fatigue, stigma and difficult decisions about whether to disclose their disability, and how they respond through self-advocacy, peer solidarity and collective action.
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Why is it important?
The study centres the voices of students with disabilities and shows that they are not only recipients of support but active agents of change. It argues that youth-led activism can help universities move from simply including disabled students to genuinely empowering them, and it offers lessons for any university seeking to become more inclusive.
Perspectives
This study puts the voices of students with disabilities at the centre. I hope it encourages universities in Saudi Arabia to see these students as partners and leaders in making campuses more inclusive, not only as recipients of services.
Prof Nizar H Bagadood
Umm Al-Qura University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Cripping the Campus: Youth With Disabilities, Agency, and Activism in Saudi Arabia Universities, Children & Society, March 2026, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/chso.70037.
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