Exploring the uptake of disability support amongst international students.
Within the BA Fine Art Photography course I work on I take the role of disability co-ordinator, which entails supporting students to access UAL support services and ensuring that students and staff understand and abide by the access requirements of each individual student. Within this role I have observed a particularly low number of Chinese students that identify as disabled- more so than any other international group.
On our course, Chinese students represent the significant majority of international students, making up 30% of the Year 1 cohort in 2024/25, increasing from 22% in 2023/24 and 15% in 2022/23. Within this course, the total number of students declaring a disability has remained consistent over the past three years at approximately 23.4%. Yet, the number of international students from China that declare a disability or access disability support is closer to 2% in each of the three year-groups.
It is not clear from the data available whether this is due to there being less international students with disabilities registered on the course, or whether international students (particularly in this case, from China) are less likely to identify themselves as disabled within the university context. ‘Little is known about the specific experiences of disabled international students’ (Soorenian, 2013) and so the intersectionality is hard to explore, particularly given the need for sensitivity and a respect for student privacy. However it seems important that we attempt to understand the statistics if we are to provide a positive and supportive education system for all our students.
Crenshaw (1991) discusses how a ‘failure to consider intersectional dynamics’ impedes women who have been subject to domestic violence accessing existing support mechanisms. It seems probable that an intersectional approach may also be required to ascertain more information about the experiences and perception of disability specifically amongst Chinese students to ensure we are providing accessible and beneficial disability support for all.
Soorenian (2013) discusses some of the practical challenges faced by disabled students, and how these are exacerbated in the case of international students. In many examples a language barrier is an additional obstacle for students that are required to advocate for their own accessibility needs, in addition to the challenges faced by students moving to an unfamiliar country with no support network. It may be that requiring students to define the support they require creates yet another layer of stress and complexity for disabled international students, that many would prefer to avoid.
Research also suggests traditionally more negative approaches to disability in China, which might explain reticence to self-identify as disabled. Qu (2019) writes how, despite increased legislation and support for those with a disability in China, many are still perceived to contribute less towards society, and so remain ‘equal in theory but marginalized in practice’.
The notion that the worth of an individual reflects the contribution they make towards society at large is directly at odds with the social model of disability, which places the onus on society and the institution to remove the barriers to access for individuals. Perhaps these conflicting perspectives may provide a starting point to begin to unpack the complex intersectional issues at play here.
References
Crenshaw, K. (1990) ‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color’, Stanford Law Review, 43, p.1241-1299.
Soorenian, A. (2013) ‘Housing and transport: access issues for disabled international students in British universities’, Disability & Society, 28(8), pp. 1118–1131. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2012.758033.
Qu, Y. (2019) ‘Understanding the body and disability in Chinese contexts’, Disability & Society, 35(5), pp. 738–759. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2019.1649123.
UAL (2025) Student Profiles by Characteristic. Available at: dashboards.arts.ac.uk (Accessed: 2nd May 2025).
This is such an important and thought-provoking post. The contrast in disability declarations among Chinese students really highlights how cultural perceptions, stigma, and institutional systems intersect in complex ways. Your point about the burden being on students to self-advocate – especially in a new language and context – I find it so powerful. It makes me wonder how we might shift responsibility more onto institutions to proactively build trust and culturally sensitive pathways to support.
Thanks for the comment Elisenda- I agree with what you’re saying. I think it’s likely that a difficulty in self-avocading extends beyond students working with language barrier and impact all students to some extent, especially those who are perhaps less confident or don’t come from a background of privilidge. In my experience, it can often take a long time to build a trusting relationship with a student that results in them accepting signposting towards support. With the increasing workload we all experience it’s hard to imagine how we might achieve this without considerably more hours allocated towards pastoral care.
This is very insightful and a great reference to include from Qu (2019) thanks for that. You express the situation so clearly regards cultural differences and social values such that identity does not always translate into such concepts as visible/invisible, or even able/disabled, etc. There may be material you would find interesting and helpful regarding Confucian values and culture and even forms of shame, which might extend from notions of ‘face’ to family shame and that a burden of ‘worth’ or productivity, or social value that are germane to south east asian cultural groups; when we factor in age and generational change there are further complicating factors to consider. I’m sure material on Chinese art and artists is equally relevant in beginning to have these cross cultural discussions with anything like a meaningful, levelling platform of genuine sharing and learning ; i.e. exchange. You have sensitively raised numerous issues in a concise and focussed way. Thanks so much for this contribution!
Thanks Tim- yes Confucian values and culture are definitely something I am keen to learn more about, especially given the increasingly global student body we now work with. Perhaps it would be valuable to think of it in terms of decolonising (or decentering) approaches to pastoral care and student support?
Hi Claire, thanks for pointing us to the Qu (2019) paper, it really offers insights into hidden barriers in accessing disability support, particularly in the cultural context of China and potentially broader south-eastern Asian groups. Your later comment on decolonisation has prompted me to think that creating an inclusive learning environment isn’t just about offering support, but also about questioning whether our systems are accessible and culturally responsive enough for all students to feel safe and empowered to engage with them. It is indeed worth thinking about the situation through the lens of decolonisation, to examine and transform institutional assumptions and practices that might have marginalised students from non-Western cultural backgrounds to access student support.