Research and analysis

Disabled people's lived experience of education in the UK

A qualitative evidence review that explores evidence on disabled people’s lived experiences of education.

Documents

Executive summary: Easy Read

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Executive summary: large print

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Executive summary: Welsh translation

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Details

This research was commissioned under the previous government and therefore does not necessarily reflect the policies of the current government. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the government.

This report explores the evidence on disabled people’s lived experience of education. 

It builds on the findings from the systematic evidence review conducted by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds, and Disability Rights UK. 

The findings of this evidence review show that:

  • staff often lack the knowledge and skills to effectively support disabled learners 
  • students face barriers when moving between educational settings or into employment 
  • education systems tend to be inflexible, restricting participation in decision-making
  • effective support for disabled students requires an increase in staff training, flexible and tailored adjustments, and a systemic shift towards practices that are truly inclusive

Alternative formats

Alternative formats of this research are available online. This includes:

  • British Sign Language (BSL) 
  • Welsh translation
  • Easy Read
  • large print
  • HTML

Please contact us for paper copies or alternative formats of this research document.
Braille and audio versions are also available on request.

Updates to this page

Published 29 January 2026

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