This article was published by Inside Higher Ed on May 4th, 2026. 

Find out why individual actions hold the key to moving higher education institutions from compliance to success for disabled students.

Disabled students make up the biggest minority group in U.S. and U.K. higher education, accounting for about a fifth of undergraduates in both countries.

While efforts to improve access to higher education for disabled students have contributed to increased enrollment, people with disabilities are still less likely than their counterparts to enter college, to feel at home in higher education settings and to secure a degree. And research suggests that many do not disclose their disabilities once enrolled in an institution, which may limit the support available to them.

So this week, we speak to a U.S. researcher who has dedicated the past decade to studying the experiences of disabled students in higher education and the barriers to full access and inclusion for all.

Katherine Aquino is a social scientist and educational researcher who currently serves as the executive director for research training and development in the School of Graduate Studies at Rutgers University. Her research examines the complexity of disability in the postsecondary setting, and her most recent book, The New Accessibility in Higher Education: Disrupting the System for an Inclusive Future, co-authored with Adam Lalor, was published by Oxford University Press last year.

Katherine explains why existing efforts to improve access and inclusion have so often fallen short of their ambitions, why a shift in mindset is needed for systemic change to take hold and how individuals have the power to drive big change.

For more advice and insight on improving accessibility for all in university teaching, head to our spotlight guide: Make learning accessible to all in higher education.