Disabled tertiary students have different experiences and face different challenges, so having up-to-date and comprehensive information is vital for creating effective, fit-for-purpose policy to improve the tertiary sector for all disabled learners.  

With a lack of up-to-date information on disabled tertiary students – the last piece of reliable data is from 2013 – a research project with a quantitative focus on the lived experiences of disabled tertiary students is currently underway.

The first part of this project is a survey open to all disabled tertiary students, which will then lead to in-person focus groups across the country and virtual ones. The findings from the survey and focus groups will then form the basis for a report we hope to publish early next year to coincide with the start of the academic year.

The survey focuses on the lived experiences of disabled tertiary students and is open to all currently enrolled disabled tertiary students regardless of their provider or qualification and finishes on Wednesday 16 August.

The survey is hosted on Citizen Space which is user-friendly for screen reader-writers and magnification applications, it is also translated into New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).

The project is being undertaken by the National Disabled Students Association (NDSA) with the support of the Ministry of Education, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Find out more and answer the Disabled Tertiary Population Survey.

Survey closes Wednesday 16 August.