Not There Yet: Disability and the Illusion of Inclusion in Higher EducationClaire Tait-DoakVrije Universiteit AmsterdamJune 29, 2026 Today we live in an era where the topic of inclusion seems to be everywhere. However, it is often emphasised by practitioners, scholars, and those within marginalised communities themselves that discourse around inclusion does not necessarily translate to comprehension and practice of inclusion. In higher education especially, the prospect of inclusivity and diversity is seen as a hallmark of progressiveness and enlightenment (Barnes, 2007), but in practice, good intentions and inclusivity programmes often don’t translate to success for disabled students as hoped (HOP Translation Taalcentrum-VU, 2022). Solving the problem of disproportionate difficulty and poorer outcomes for disabled versus non-disabled students is a matter of closing the gap between what we think inclusivity is and what it really looks like. One of the most common hurdles to broad scale inclusion is challenging the misconception…...