Cogen Educa ion
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Coping s a egies used by uni e si y s uden s
wi h disabili y: a sys ema ic e iew
Ra ael Ca ballo & The ese M. Cumming
To ci e his a icle: Ra ael Ca ballo & The ese M. Cumming (2025) Coping s a egies used by
uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili y: a sys ema ic e iew, Cogen Educa ion, 12:1, 2512695, DOI:
10.1080/2331186X.2025.2512695
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UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis
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INCLUSIVE & SPECIAL EDUCATION | REVIEW ARTICLE
Coping s a egies used by uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili y: a
sys ema ic e iew
Ra ael Ca ballo
a
and The ese M. Cumming
b
a
Depa men o Didac ics and Educa ional O ganisa ion, Uni e si y o Se ille, Se ille, Spain;
b
School o Educa ion,
Uni e si y o New Sou h Wales, Sydney, Aus alia
ABSTRACT
The e a e cu en ly a la ge numbe o s udies ha ocus on analysing he di icul ies
encoun e ed by s uden s wi h disabili y a uni e si y. Howe e , he e is a need o mo e
knowledge abou he coping s a egies ha s uden s ind help ul and how uni e si ies
can p omo e and suppo hei use. This sys ema ic e iew analyses he scien i ic li e a-
u e on coping s a egies used by uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili y du ing hei aca-
demic ca ee s. The e iew analyses 17 s udies ha included a o al o 674 s uden s wi h
disabili y as pa icipan s and analysed hei coping s a egies. The esul s o he analysis
o hese s udies compiled he di e en ypes o coping s a egies ha pa icipan s used
o success ully comple e hei s udies. In addi ion, ecommenda ions a e d awn o
Highe Educa ion ins i u ions o imp o e he academic expe ience o s uden s wi h dis-
abili y h ough he p omo ion and suppo o hese s a egies. The esul s o his s udy
highligh he eali y o he ha dships expe ienced by uni e si y s uden s when ha ing
o make ce ain e o s due o hei disabili y, as well as he need o ins i u ions o o e
g ea e suppo o acili a e hei uni e si y expe ience.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Recei ed 31 Oc obe 2024
Re ised 15 May 2025
Accep ed 23 May 2025
KEYWORDS
S uden s wi h disabili ies;
highe educa ion; coping
s a egies; ecommenda-
ions; sys ema ic e iew
SUBJECTS
Disabili y S udies; Highe
Educa ion; Inclusion and
Special Educa ional Needs;
Disabili y
1. In oduc ion
The numbe o s uden s wi h disabili y en olled in uni e si ies has inc eased globally. Fo example, in
Aus alia, he p opo ion o domes ic unde g adua e s uden s wi h disabili y has mo e han doubled,
om 46,493 in 2012 o 116,422 in 2023. This ep esen s a subs an ial inc ease in he p opo ion o he
s uden body, wi h s uden s wi h disabili y inc easing om 5% o 10.6% o e ha same span (Aus alian
Disabili y Clea inghouse on Educa ion & T aining [ADCET], 2024). Simila numbe s can be ound globally,
o example in he Uni ed Kingdom, he numbe o s uden s wi h known disabili y has expe ienced a
47% inc ease since 2014–2023 (House o Commons Lib a y, 2024). S uden s wi h disabili y make up
app oxima ely 19% o he s uden body in uni e si ies in he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica (De B ey e al.,
2021). While hese ends indica e a posi i e mo emen owa ds g ea e inclusion and suppo o s u-
den s wi h disabili y in hese coun ies, challenges emain in ensu ing ha hese s uden s ecei e he
suppo s hey need o succeed (Elbehe i e al., 2020).
1.1. Ba ie s o inclusion
Despi e he signi ican inc eases in en olmen o s uden s wi h disabili y in e ia y educa ion, educa-
ional a ainmen o his popula ion is s ill lowe han ha o s uden s wi hou disabili y. In 2018, only
17% o people wi h disabili y o e 20 held a leas a bachelo ’s deg ee, while o hei nondisabled
pee s, he numbe inc eased o 35% (Aus alian Ins i u e o Heal h and Wel a e [AIHW], 2024). This could
be due o he ba ie s s uden s wi h disabili y encoun e a uni e si y, including physical accessibili y
CONTACT Ra ael Ca ballo [email p o ec ed] Depa men o Didac ics and Educa ional O ganisa ion, Uni e si y o Se ille, Pi o ecnia
S ee , 41013, Se ille, Spain
ß2025 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which
pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. The e ms on which his a icle has been
published allow he pos ing o he Accep ed Manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o wi h hei consen .
COGENT EDUCATION
2025, VOL. 12, NO. 1, 2512695
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2512695
issues, echnology accessibili y issues, lack o app op ia e accommoda ions and suppo in hei cou se-
wo k, adminis a i e challenges, and social s igmas (Dumi u, 2023;P
e ez-Jo ge e al. 2021; Shpigelman
e al., 2022). While he e a e ongoing e o s o imp o e accessibili y and suppo o s uden s wi h
disabili y en olled in Highe Educa ion (HE), s uden s mus o en ely on hei own coping skills o
ensu e hei success (Ca ballo e al., 2024; Mana e al., 2022).
1.2. Coping s a egies
Algo ani and Gup a (2023) de ine coping as, ‘ he hough s and beha iou s mobilized o manage in e nal
and ex e nal s ess ul si ua ions. I is a e m used dis inc i ely o conscious and olun a y mobiliza ion
o ac s, di e en om ‘de ence mechanisms’ ha a e subconscious o unconscious adap i e esponses,
bo h o which aim o educe o ole a e s ess’. They go on o classi y coping in o eac i e coping, which
happens a e a s esso occu s, and p oac i e coping, which has he aim o neu alising u u e s esso s.
Coping is ypically g ouped in o ou ca ego ies: (a) p oblem- ocused, (b) emo ion- ocused, (c) meaning-
ocused, and (d) social coping (suppo -seeking) (Folkman & Moskowi z, 2004).
When a s uden is ac i a ing p oblem- ocused coping, hey a e aking di ec s eps o sol e wha e e
p oblem is causing hem s ess. This could ake he o m o c ea ing and seeking ou in o ma ion, c ea -
ing an ac ion plan, and aking s eps o change he si ua ion. Closely ela ed is emo ion- ocused coping,
whe e he indi idual is aiming o manage he emo ional dis ess caused by he si ua ion. This could
include seeking emo ional suppo , p ac icing elaxa ion me hods, and pa icipa ing in ac i i ies ha
educe s ess. Meaning- ocused coping in ol es inding meaning o pu pose in he si ua ion ha is caus-
ing s ess. This can include philosophical app oaches whe e he s uden inds meaning o pu pose in
he s ess ul si ua ion (‘making lemonade’, a eason o e e y hing), inding pe sonal g ow h oppo uni-
ies o connec ing wi h one’s alues and belie s. Las ly, social coping includes seeking suppo om
o he s, such as alking o amily o iends, joining suppo g oups, o seeking ou p o essional help o
gain di e en pe spec i es on he si ua ion (Algo ani & Gup a, 2023).
1.3. Uni e si y suppo s
One o he answe s o ensu ing ha all s uden s, including hose wi h disabili y, ha e access o eaching
and lea ning is o design cou ses and hei associa ed lec u es, u o ials, and assessmen s using he p in-
ciples o Uni e sal Design o Lea ning (UDL). The h ee pilla s o UDL a e: p o iding s uden s wi h mul-
iple means o ep esen a ion, exp ession, and ac ion/exp ession (Cen e o Applied Special Technology
[CAST], 2024). Cumming and Rose (2022) ound ha HE s uden s we e mo e sa is ied wi h cou ses ha
u ilized UDL, as i helped o cla i y cou se con en and inc eased hei eelings o engagemen and cap-
aci y o pa icipa e in hei cou ses. In e ec , by inco po a ing he p inciples o UDL in hei cou ses,
ins uc o s we e suppo ing hei s uden s wi h disabili y o s eng hen hei coping skills.
O e all, he si ua ion o s uden s wi h disabili y in HE has imp o ed, al hough challenges emain.
Uni e si ies a e inc easingly p o iding suppo se ices, such as disabili y ad iso s, assis i e echnologies,
men o s, and indi idualised lea ning plans (Ca ballo e al., 2024; Hillie e al., 2019;P
e ez-Jo ge, A i~
no-
Ma eo, e al., 2021). Howe e , he e ec i eness and a ailabili y o hese se ices can a y widely among
ins i u ions, and s uden s mus disclose ha hey ha e a disabili y, in o de o ecei e se ices (Pe e a
e al., 2021). Ins uc o pe cep ions and knowledge abou s uden s wi h disabili y also a ec s whe he
cou ses a e deli e ed inclusi ely (Lipka e al., 2020;P
e ez-Jo ge, Rod
ıguez-Jim
enez, e al., 2021).
The e a e also ongoing e o s o imp o e policies and p ac ices o suppo s uden s wi h disabili y
(Cumming & Rose, 2022), including be e da a collec ion and epo ing, as well as ini ia i es o c ea e
mo e inclusi e lea ning en i onmen s (Cumming e al., 2023). An o e all pic u e o he coping skills ha
s uden s wi h disabili y a e e ec i ely using o suppo hei own lea ning can assis hese e o s and
hope ully ad ance e o s o make uni e si y s udies mo e accessible.
When designing his sys ema ic e iew, we s a ed om he p emise ha s uden s wi h disabili ies
use di e en ypes o coping s a egies o success ully comple e hei uni e si y s udies, in esponse o
di e en di icul ies ha a ise om uni e si y sys ems ha a e no ully inclusi e. The e o e, he objec i e
o his sys ema ic e iew was o p o ide empi ical knowledge abou e ec i e coping s a egies used by
2 R. CARBALLO AND T. M. CUMMING
uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili ies o o e come ba ie s and achie e academic success, and o p o ide
ecommenda ions o uni e si ies o enhance he de elopmen o hese s a egies and c ea e mo e
inclusi e en i onmen s. Taking in o accoun he di e si y o s a egies used by s uden s, and he ac
ha he e a e no p eceden s o o he sys ema ic e iews on his opic, his wo k ills a gap in he li e a-
u e by analysing, uni ying, and discussing he esul s om a a ie y o s udies in a single s udy.
2. Me hod
In o de o ca y ou his sys ema ic e iew, we ollowed he ollowing sequence: i s , we conduc ed an
analysis o he li e a u e on coping s a egies in uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili y o ind ou whe he
he e a e any p e ious sys ema ic e iews on he subjec . In his case, and as indica ed abo e, we ound
none. Subsequen ly, we we e able o o mula e ou esea ch ques ions o delimi he sea ch and he
objec i e o he e iew. In his way, bo h au ho s de ined he sea ch desc ip o s and selec ed he da a-
bases in which o conduc he sea ch.
We hen de eloped he inclusion and exclusion c i e ia ha would guide he sea ch. The i s au ho
o ganised he sequence o wo k, and conduc ed he sea ch in he di e en da abases. Once duplica es
we e excluded, he e iew o he a icles was ca ied ou by bo h au ho s. The sea ch and selec ion o
pape s ollowed he P e e ed Repo ing I ems o Sys ema ic Re iews and Me a-Analysis (PRISMA) s a e-
men (Page e al., 2021)(Figu e 1). Once he sea ch and selec ion o s udies had been ca ied ou , da a
ex ac ion was pe o med on hose a icles selec ed o inclusion in he sys ema ic e iew. In he inal
phase, an analysis o he da a answe ing he esea ch ques ions was pe o med using a sys em o ca e-
go ies and codes c ea ed induc i ely.
2.1. Resea ch ques ions
This sys ema ic e iew aimed o answe wo esea ch ques ions:
1. Wha coping s a egies do s uden s wi h disabili ies use o o e come di icul ies in hei uni e si y
s udies?
Wi h his esea ch ques ion we aimed o ind ou abou he coping s a egies ha s uden s wi h dis-
abili y use o ace challenges and di icul ies while s udying a uni e si y. To answe i , we sys ema -
ically loca ed and analysed s udies ha we e cen ed on explo ing o hese ypes o s a egies used
by uni e si y s uden s wi h any ype o disabili y.
2. How can he academic expe ience and success o s uden s wi h disabili ies be imp o ed by os e -
ing coping s a egies?
The second ques ion sough o iden i y s a egies, ac ions, and policies ha impac he de elopmen
o pe sonal and coping s a egies ha help o imp o e he academic expe ience o s uden s wi h dis-
abili y a uni e si y. In doing so, we sough o iden i y ecommenda ions o he imp o emen o cop-
ing s a egies by HE ins i u ions. In addi ion, we sough o iden i y ins ances epo ed in he a icles in
which s uden s wi h disabili ies sha ed hei own coping s a egies, in o de o ensu e ha he sugges-
ions o imp o emen eme ged om he academic expe ience o s uden s wi h disabili ies.
2.2. Explo a ion and da abase sea ch
We used h ee in e na ional da abases o ca y ou he sea ch. These we e chosen because hey a e he
mos widely used in e na ionally, especially in he ield o educa ional sciences: Educa ion Resou ces
In o ma ion Cen e (ERIC), Web o Science (WoS), and Scopus. By using hese h ee da abases, we
ensu ed ha we me he c i e ia o su iciency and quali y o he li e a u e e iewed and included in he
e iew. The desc ip o s used a e shown in Figu e 2.
The desc ip o s ‘disabili y’and ‘coping’we e used in all sea ches, while he educa ional le el ha his
e iew ocused on included di e en keywo ds in o de o conduc a comp ehensi e sea ch co e ing
he di e en nomencla u es used o e e o HE (uni e si y; college; highe educa ion; e ia y educa ion;
and pos seconda y educa ion). The desc ip o ‘coping’co e ed esul s om a icles ha included he
concep s ‘coping’and ‘coping s a egies’.
COGENT EDUCATION 3
The i s au ho was in cha ge o sea ching he di e en da abases, c ea ing a documen wi h he
sea ch esul s including i les, au ho s, and abs ac s. He also coun ed and elimina ed duplica e pape s.
The sea ch o a icles was conduc ed in May 2024. The h ee da abases we e sea ched using he
Figu e 1. A icle low diag am.
Figu e 2. Sea ch desc ip o s.
4 R. CARBALLO AND T. M. CUMMING
desc ip o s’ i le, abs ac , and key wo ds. Fo he sea ch in ERIC, we used he il e unc ion o speci y
pee - e iewed a icles, ob aining a o al o 141 esul s. In WoS, we sea ched o a icles in he a eas o
psychology, educa ion, educa ional esea ch, and beha iou al sciences, esul ing in 471 a icles. Finally, a
sea ch was ca ied ou in Scopus o a icles in he a eas o social sciences, psychology, and neu osci-
ence, wi h a o al o 181 a icles. The o al numbe o publica ions ob ained was 793. O hese, 115
duplica e a icles we e elimina ed, esul ing in a o al o 678 publica ions.
2.3. Inclusion and exclusion c i e ia
To ob ain da a ha would speci ically answe he esea ch ques ions, we included a se ies o inclusion
and exclusion c i e ia ha would de e mine he selec ion o a icles o be included in he e iew. These
c i e ia we e de ined by he wo au ho s. Inclusion and exclusion c i e ia a e shown in Table 1.
The i les and abs ac s o he 678 publica ions we e ead agains hese c i e ia du ing he mon h o
June 2024. As a esul , 605 s udies we e excluded o no mee ing he inclusion c i e ia, unde he clea
ag eemen o he wo au ho s. Subsequen ly, he ull ex s o he emaining 73 a icles we e ead by
bo h au ho s o de e mine which a icles ully me he inclusion c i e ia. All disag eemen s be ween he
au ho s we e esol ed h ough discussion. The disag eemen s laid mainly in he main objec i e and
esul s o he a icles, and i was inally decided o elimina e hose a icles in which coping s a egies
cons i u ed a minimal pa o he s udies and did no p o ide speci ic in o ma ion ela ed o he
esea ch ques ions. This esul ed in excluding a u he 56 a icles, lea ing 17 pape s included o ana-
lysis in his sys ema ic e iew. The selec ion o hese a icles was based on mee ing all he inclusion c i-
e ia, aluing he esul s o a icles ha p o ided ele an , use ul, and su icien in o ma ion on coping
s a egies used by uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili ies, as well as ecommenda ions and p oposals o
imp o emen based on hei academic expe iences.
2.4. T us wo hiness & alidi y
In o de o include each o he 17 a icles, he wo au ho s had o ag ee on which a icles ully me he
inclusion c i e ia. In addi ion, he me hodological quali y o he chosen ex s was assessed h ough he
C i ical App aisal Skills P og amme [CASP], 2018). Fo he assessmen o he a icles h ough CASP, we
used wo o he CASP checklis s a ailable: one o quali a i e s udies (10 i ems) and one o quan i a i e
Table 1. Inclusion and exclusion c i e ia.
Inclusion c i e ia Exclusion c i e ia
Popula ion Uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili ies, ei he
alone o oge he wi h o he membe s o
he uni e si y communi y o amilies.
S udies ha do no include uni e si y
s uden s wi h disabili ies.
Focus o he a icle S udies ocusing on/ con aining analyses o
coping s a egies o uni e si y s uden s
wi h disabili ies du ing hei s udies.
S udies ha include an analysis o he
ela ionship be ween academic success and
coping s a egies.
S udies including ecommenda ions o
enhance coping s a egies o s uden s wi h
disabili ies.
S udies whe e coping s a egies in s uden s
wi h disabili ies is no he main opic.
S udies unde aken a educa ional s ages
o he han uni e si y.
S udies ocusing on special p og ams o
peoples wi h disabili ies (e.g. educa ional
p og ams o in ellec ual disabili ies).
Clinical s udies ou side he ield o
educa ion looking a coping s a egies in
o he ields (e.g. pain coping).
Type o publica ion Pee - e iewed jou nal a icles.
P ima y empi ical s udies.
Full ex a ailable.
A icles published any ime.
Non-pee - e iewed s udies.
Documen s o he han a icles (books and
chap e s, con e ences, hesis …).
Seconda y s udies (e.g. heo e ical s udies).
No ull ex a ailable.
S udy design S udies o any ype o design (quan i a i e,
quali a i e, mixed) wi h a ull desc ip ion o
he me hod.
S udies wi h ill-speci ied o incomple e
esea ch designs.
Language Full ex s published in English o Spanish. Full ex s published in any language o he
han English o Spanish.
COGENT EDUCATION 5
s udies (11 i ems). The CASP checklis s include h ee sec ions wi h di e en i ems: (A) A e he esul s o
he s udy alid? (B) Wha a e he esul s? (C) Will he esul s help locally?
P io o he assessmen o he a icles, a minimum le el o posi i e i ems was se o each a icle o
be included in he sys ema ic e iew: 8/10 o quali a i e s udies and 9/11 o quan i a i e s udies. This
analysis con i med ha all 17 a icles me he quali y c i e ia and we e included o analysis in his sys-
ema ic e iew.
2.5. Da a ex ac ion and analysis
The i s s ep o he da a analysis was da a ex ac ion o he cha ac e is ics o he s udies. To accomplish
his, a able was comple ed wi h he cha ac e is ics o he a icles: au ho s and i le, yea o publica ion,
coun y, pa icipan s, me hod and objec i es (Appendix 1). This able allowed o a compa ison o he
s udies and a gene al desc ip ion o he di e en ypes o esea ch ca ied ou in ela ion o he subjec
o analysis. Each o he au ho s was esponsible o ex ac ing hese da a om hal o he a icles, and
hen hey me and c oss-checked he esul s.
Subsequen ly, in he second phase o analysis, bo h au ho s de eloped a sys em o ca ego ies and
codes induc i ely om eading he a icles (Table 2). In his way, codes eme ged om mul iple eadings.
This sys em was used o he da a analysis o each o he a icles. Each o he au ho s ca ego ised he
in o ma ion om all he a icles independen ly. In his p ocess, new codes eme ged. The wo analyses
we e compa ed and discussed by he wo au ho s, uni ying hem and esul ing in he inal analysis sys-
em and ca ego isa ion. The analysis o he esul s was comple ed in Augus 2024.
3. Resul s
3.1. Da a desc ip ion
Fi s ly, we p esen a desc ip ion o he cha ac e is ics o he s udies de eloped in he a icles analysed.
While he li e a u e we examined was in e na ional, he majo i y o s udies ook place in he USA (8/17).
The es o he s udies each ook place in a di e en coun y: Canada, UK, Hong Kong, Spain, Ge many,
Finland, Is ael, Tu key, and Ecuado . O all he a icles, 16 we e published in English, and only one in
Spanish. The pa icipan s in all s udies we e uni e si y s uden s wi h some ype o disabili y. The numbe
o s uden pa icipan s included in each s udy anged om 2 (Conno , 2013) o 153 (Su i
a-Ma
ınez &
Table 2. Sys em o ca ego ies and codes.
Ca ego y Code Sub-code
1. Coping S a egies 1.1. Lea ning s a egies S udy s a egies
Managemen s a egies
1.2. Resou ces and ma e ials Technology suppo
Visual suppo
Sound/acous ic suppo
1.3. Social ela ionships and seeking suppo Rela i es
F iends
Pee s
Facul y membe s
Uni e si y se ices
P o essionals ou side he uni e si y
1.4. Skills / pe sonal cha ac e is ics Resilience
Beha iou al s a egies
Hobbies and Leisu e ac i i ies
2. Recommenda ions o
imp o emen
2.1. T aining p og ams o s uden s
wi h disabili ies
T aining in coping s a egies
Counselling p og ams
Need o imp o emen
2.2. P o essionals and se ices o s uden s Uni e si y se ices o s uden s wi h disabili ies
Academic ad ise s
Online counselling
2.3. Social ela ions and awa eness Encou aging social inclusion
Disabili y awa eness p og ammes
Welcome ac ions
2.4. Facul y aining Legisla ion
Inclusi e educa ional s a egies and disabili y
Uni e sal design
6 R. CARBALLO AND T. M. CUMMING
O igosa-Quiles, 2022). One o he s udies (Heiman & Ka i , 2004) also included 146 s uden s wi hou dis-
abili y. In o al, 674 s uden s wi h disabili y pa icipa ed in he s udies analysed.
In e ms o ype o disabili y, he majo i y o s udies (n¼8) included s uden s wi h lea ning disabil-
i ies (LD) (199 s uden s). One s udy ocused on s uden s wi h a en ion de ici hype ac i i y diso de
(ADHD) (68 s uden s); one on s uden s wi h physical impai men s (70 s uden s); one ocused on s uden s
wi h au ism (18 s uden s); and one s udy included s uden s wi h men al heal h p oblems (6 s uden s).
Finally, i e a icles included s uden s wi h di e en ypes o disabili y (313 s uden s). Finally, in ela ion
o esea ch me hodology, he dominan app oach was quali a i e esea ch (13/17). Quan i a i e me hod-
ology was used less (4/17), and no s udies used mixed me hods.
3.2. Coping s a egies
3.2.1. S a egies o enhance lea ning
This sys ema ic e iew aimed o disco e he mos common s a egies ha s uden s wi h disabili y used
o success ully comple e uni e si y s udies and cope wi h di icul ies. In e ms o s udy s a egies, he
s udies (n¼6) e e ed o: (a) s udy skills, (b) managemen s a egies, (c) cogni i e s a egies, (d) com-
pensa ion s a egies, (e) lea ning s a egies, ( ) execu i e unc ions, (g) isk analysis, and (h) p oblem-
sol ing. These s a egies ook he o m o ac ions such as c ea ing hei own ma e ials, using mind
maps, using imagina ion and c ea i i y, using isual aids o imp o e comp ehension and e en ion, o
eading aloud. These s a egies we e e y a ied, h ough which s uden s aimed o imp o e hei lea n-
ing in an au onomous way.
Managemen s a egies we e o pa icula ele ance. In many s udies (n¼9) s uden s explici ly
e e ed o such s a egies. The mos common we e ime-managemen s a egies, ollowed by ou ine
main enance and sel -discipline, pe sonal scheduling, and elaxa ion s a egies o make he bes use o
ime and o cope success ully wi h es s. In Lo and Yuen (2017) s udy, s uden s wi h LD indica ed ha
hey de eloped hese s a egies hemsel es, as no ins uc o e e augh hem o ganisa ional s a egies.
Fu he mo e, he same s udy sugges ed ha s uden s wi h au ism desi ed clea e and mo e s uc u ed
ex e nal o ganisa ion. Howe e , in Meis e ’s(1998) s udy, he s uden s app ecia ed he oppo uni y o
o ganise hemsel es and o be independen . In any case, a common inding was ha s uden s wi h dis-
abili y equi ed good o ganisa ion and ime managemen .
3.2.2. Use o esou ces and ma e ials
Di icul y accessing ma e ials eme ged as a key elemen , as s uden s wi h disabili ies encoun e ed mul-
iple di icul ies in accessing in o ma ion, using cou se con en , and/o managing hei lea ning.
The e o e, s uden s ook he ini ia i e o seek al e na i es in an au onomous way o o e come hese
obs acles. The use o digi al esou ces and ma e ials o access ma e ial app op ia ely was a s a egy
some had o pu in place o achie e adequa e lea ning and pe o mance.
In se e al s udies (n¼7), s uden s highligh ed he impo ance o using digi al echnology and ma e i-
als. The mos commonly used echnological esou ces we e compu e s, oice eco de s, and assis i e
echnologies. These esou ces enabled lea ne s o ob ain di e en ypes o suppo . In some cases
(n¼5) s uden s used hem o isual suppo , o example, sys ems o o ganising no es, so wa e o
accessing ex s, sub i les in ideos, o no e- aking se ices. O he s udies e e ed o esou ces o
sound/acous ic suppo (n¼5), such as eco ding classes, ex eade s, audiobooks, sound ampli ica ion
aids, and speech- o- ex so wa e. These ma e ials mainly enabled s uden s o o e come senso y di icul-
ies, al hough in he case o s uden s wi h LD, unc ions in wo d p ocessing so wa e like ‘cu and pas e’
and spellcheck we e o undamen al help (Lo & Yuen, 2017). Howe e , no all ma e ials we e
echnology- ela ed, as o he ma e ials such as index ca ds, pos -i no es, and highligh e s also se ed as
s udy aids o s uden s wi h LD (Richa dson, 2021).
3.2.3. Social ela ions and help-seeking
S uden s also iden i ied seeking ex e nal help and suppo as a coping s a egy. Richa dson (2021) no ed
ha asking o help was one o he mos equen ly ci ed s a egies in his s udy wi h s uden s wi h LD.
In Kaminski e al. (2006) s udy, social suppo also eme ged as undamen al o s uden s wi h ADHD.
COGENT EDUCATION 7
These ex e nal agen s ac ed as s udy aids and emo ional suppo . In six o he s udies, s uden s iden i-
ied amily membe s as a key suppo . Ba ga (1996) indica ed ha he mos ecu en suppo o s u-
den s wi h LD was hei mo he , while o he s wi h au ism e e ed o bo h pa en s (Lei & Russell, 2021),
and he amily in gene al (Lo & Yuen, 2017; Wol ne e al., 2023). The a icles e iewed also named
iends (n¼5), pa ne s (n¼2), and classma es (n¼7) as key people. Social connec ions a uni e si y
also eme ged as an impo an pa o uni e si y li e o s uden s wi h au ism and men al heal h disabil-
i ies (Lei & Russell, 2021; Singh & MacDonald, 2022), so seeking suppo om classma es was a common
s a egy.
In addi ion o social suppo , s uden s e e ed o he esou ces o e ed by he uni e si y as a unda-
men al sou ce o suppo . To his end, he s a egies we e based on seeking his suppo h ough acul y
membe s (n¼8) o o he se ices and p o essionals a he uni e si y (n¼9). Some s udies (Conno ,
2012; Vacca o e al., 2019) indica ed ha s uden s we e p oac i e in disclosing hei disabili y, which was
necessa y when eques ing accommoda ions and ob aining he necessa y suppo s (Conno , 2012,2013;
Kaminski e al., 2006; Richa dson, 2021; Vacca o e al., 2019).
Some common accommoda ions o e ed by acul y membe s and he uni e si y we e: aking exams
in p i a e, eco ded lec u es, ex ended ime o comple e es s and asks, quie spaces, in e p e e s, w i -
ing/ u o ing suppo , and/o assis ed echnology. In he case o he pa icipan s in Wol ne e al. (2023)
s udy, he mos commonly used s a egy was seeking ou p o essional help, which included pe sonnel
om ou side he uni e si y such as counsello s, he apis s, and o he suppo se ices. Howe e , Su i
a-
Ma
ınez and O igosa-Quiles (2022) concluded ha suppo -based coping s a egies we e no as widely
used, sugges ing a de iciency in social suppo ne wo ks.
3.2.4. Pe sonal skills and cha ac e is ics
S uden s de eloped emo ional managemen s a egies in o de o con inue wi h hei s udies and no
d op ou . Resilience eme ged as a capabili y in se e al s udies (n¼5). Resilience was de ined as he abil-
i y o be able o cope wi h di icul ies. In he case o hese s uden s, i eme ged as a undamen al abili y
o ace academic challenges and con inue owa ds a goal (Gonz
alez-Rome o e al., 2023; Richa son,
2021; Vacca o e al., 2019). The s udy by Gonz
alez-Rome o e al. (2023) de ined i as ‘a olun a y measu e
o p e en ion agains any e en uali y’.
O he s udies (n¼8) e ealed beha iou al s a egies ha helped s uden s o e come di icul ies. In
Conno (2012), s uden s wi h LD spoke o sel -di ec ed ac ions such as p oac i i y, while Lei and Russell
(2021) showed sel -con ol as a cha ac e is ic s a e in s uden s wi h au ism, a he han a ai . S uden s
wi h LD in Richa son’s (2021) wo k highligh ed pe sis ence as a common a ibu e, while s uden s wi h
di e en disabili ies in Gonz
alez-Rome o e al. (2023) s udy emphasised sel - egula ion, in o de o be
o de ly and me hodical and o pe o m ac i i ies in a con olled manne . Ano he ecu en idea in he
s uden s’discou ses was he impo ance o being mo i a ed o lea n (Gonz
alez-Rome o e al., 2023), and
posi i e hinking and op imism (n¼5). In his sense, s uden s indica ed ha iewing disabili y as a posi-
i e aspec o sel is a ac o o g ea impo ance in all aspec s o hei li es (Vacca o e al., 2019).
Finally, s uden s in i e s udies indica ed ha ha ing hobbies and ec ea ional ac i i ies we e s a -
egies ha helped hem in hei academic li e. Some hobbies doubling as coping mechanisms we e:
physical exe cise (Kaminski e al., 2006; Reis e al., 1997; Vacca o e al., 2019;; Wol ne e al., 2023),
heal hy ea ing, yoga, medi a ion, olun ee ing (Vacca o e al., 2019), eading, wa ching mo ies and TV,
ideo games, lis ening and playing music, w i ing, and social media (Wol ne e al., 2023).
3.3. Coping s a egies o imp o e academic expe ience and success
3.3.1. T aining s uden s wi h disabili y
To answe he second esea ch ques ion, we aimed o ind ou wha ecommenda ions o imp o ing
he uni e si y expe ience o s uden s wi h disabili y could be gleaned om he s udies analysed. Se e al
s udies (n¼7) included aining p og ammes in s a egies and skills o s uden s wi h disabili ies. Koca-
A abey e al. (2011), in hei s udy wi h s uden s wi h physical disabili ies, s a ed ha counselling p o-
g ammes o aining in coping s a egies o p oblem sol ing helped o comba helplessness and
enhance g ow h. Lei and Russell (2021) ecommended ocusing on sel -ad ocacy o help s uden s wi h
8 R. CARBALLO AND T. M. CUMMING
Su i
a-Ma
ınez, R., & O igosa-Quiles, J. M. (2022). P o iles o coping s yles and ela ionship wi h academic pe o m-
ance o uni e si y s uden s wi h disabili y. Beha io al Psychology,30(3), 727–742. h ps://doi.o g/10.51668/bp.
8322308n
Vacca o, A., Moo e, A., Kimball, E., T oiano, P. F., & Newman, B. M. (2019). No gonna hold me back: Coping and
esilience in s uden s wi h disabili ies. Jou nal o S uden A ai s Resea ch and P ac ice,56(2), 181–193. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1080/19496591.2018.1506793
Wise, M. L., Wise, B. L., & Jones, S. (2022). Bea ing he odds: How six pos -seconda y lea ne s o e came common
challenges o a en ion de ici hype ac i i y diso de . Jou nal o he Ame ican Academy o Special Educa ion
P o essionals,22(3), 177–200. h ps://e ic.ed.go /?id=EJ1353969
Wol ne , C., O , C., Upshaw, K., S owe, A., Schwiebe , L., & Lanzi, R. G. (2023). Coping s a egies and help-seeking
beha io s o college s uden s and pos doc o al ellows wi h disabili ies o p e-exis ing condi ions du ing COVID-
19. Disabili ies,3(1), 62–86. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/disabili y3010006
COGENT EDUCATION 15
Au ho /s and i le
Yea o
publica ion Coun y Pa icipan s Me hod/ins umen s Objec i e/s
Ba ga, N. K. S uden s wi h lea ning disabili ies
in educa ion: Managing a disabili y.
1996 USA 9 s uden s wi h lea ning
disabili ies
Quali a i e/ e iewing
academic eco ds, in e iews
and class oom obse a ions
To desc ibe how s uden s who we e iden i ied
wi h lea ning disabili ies a di e en poin s
in hei li es manage hei disabili ies in
educa ion.
To examine he ac o s con ibu ing o he
academic success o s uden s wi h lea ning
disabili ies.
Conno , D. J. Ac i ely na iga ing he ansi ion
in o college: na a i es o s uden s wi h
lea ning disabili ies.
2012 USA 3 s uden s wi h lea ning
disabili ies
Quali a i e/ indi idual
in e iews
To in es iga e he ways ha s uden s wi h LD
s a egize o success ully nego ia e he
academic, social, and pe sonal/ emo ional
ealms h ough hei i s yea o college.
Conno , D. J. Sink o Swim: Managing he
Academic T ansi ion o College o S uden s
wi h Lea ning Disabili ies.
2013 USA 2 s uden s wi h lea ning
disabili ies
Quali a i e/ indi idual
in e iews
To know he ways in which s uden s wi h
lea ning disabili ies (LD) success ully sel -
manage he academic demands placed
upon hem when ansi ioning in o college.
Gonz
alez-Rome o L. M., Bu gos, D. J., Ri e a,
D. A., &
To es, J. E. Resilience capaci y in s uden s
wi h disabili ies a he uni e si y le el.
2023 Ecuado 10 uni e si y s uden s wi h
disabili ies
Quali a i e / in e iew To in e p e he esilience o s uden s wi h
disabili ies a uni e si y.
Heiman, T., & Ka i , D. Coping expe ience
among s uden s in highe educa ion.
2004 Is ael 276 s uden s: 130 wi h
lea ning disabili ies; 146
wi hou lea ning disabili ies
Quan i a i e/ Like scales To examine he coping s a egies among 130
unde g adua e college and uni e si y
s uden s wi h lea ning disabili ies (LD) and
146 s uden s wi hou lea ning
disabili ies (NLD).
Kaminski, P. L., Tu nock, P. M., Ros
en, L. A., &
Las e , S. A. P edic o s o academic success
among college s uden s wi h a en ion
diso de s.
2006 USA 68 college s uden s diagnosed
wi h ADHD.
Quan i a i e/ Like scales To iden i y ac o s associa ed wi h academic
success among a sample o college
s uden s wi h a en ion de ici hype ac i i y
diso de (ADHD). Pa icula in e es we e
s uden s’ esou ces o coping wi h s ess
and hei desc ip ions o s a egies used o
manage hei ADHD symp oms.
Koca-A abey, M., Ka anci, A. N., Di ik, G., &
Aydemi , D. Psychological wellbeing o
Tu kish uni e si y s uden s wi h physical
impai men s: An e alua ion wi hin he
s ess- ulne abili y pa adigm.
2011 Tu key 70 disabled uni e si y s uden s
wi h physical
impai men s
Quan i a i e/ Like scales To In es iga e he psychological wellbeing o
disabled Tu kish uni e si y s uden s by
examining in luences on s ess- ela ed
g ow h and psychological dis ess.
Lei, J., & Russell, A. Unde s anding he ole o
sel -de e mina ion in shaping uni e si y
expe iences o au is ic and ypically
de eloping s uden s in he Uni ed
Kingdom.
2021 UK 18 uni e si y s uden s wi h
au ism.
Quali a i e/ indi idual
in e iews
To in es iga e au is ic s uden s’ e lec ions on
he ex en o which hey shaped hei
uni e si y expe iences h ough sel -
de e mina ion.
(con inued)
Appendix A1. A icles includes in he sys ema ic e iew
16 R. CARBALLO AND T. M. CUMMING
Con inued.
Au ho /s and i le
Yea o
publica ion Coun y Pa icipan s Me hod/ins umen s Objec i e/s
Lo, C. C., & Yuen, M. Succeeding agains he
odds Obse a ions on coping by h ee
in ellec ually e y able uni e si y s uden s
wi h speci ic lea ning di icul ies in Hong
Kong.
2017 Hong Kong 3 in ellec ually e y able
uni e si y s uden s wi h
speci ic lea ning di icul ies
Quali a i e/ Li e s o y me hod To in es iga e and analyze uni e si y
g adua es’sel -app aisal o di icul ies a
di e en s ages, how g adually de eloped
and used coping and ad ancemen
s a egies.
Meis e , J. J. S udy Condi ions and Beha io al
Pa e ns o S uden s wi h Disabili ies in
Ge man Uni e si ies.
1998 Ge many 63 uni e si y s uden s wi h
di e en disabili ies ( isual,
hea ing and physical).
Quali a i e/ in e iews To ind ou how s uden s cope wi h hei
disabili y.
Pi imaa, R., Takala, M., & Ladonlah i, T.
S uden s in highe educa ion wi h eading
and w i ing di icul ies.
2015 Finland 10 uni e si y s uden s wi h
eading
and w i ing di icul ies.
Quali a i e/ in e iews To explo e adul s uden s’desc ip ions and
unde s andings o hei eading and w i ing
di icul ies, and o desc ibe he ways hey
a e copying wi h hem.
Reis, S. M., Neu, T. W., & McGui e, J. M. Case
S udies o High-Abili y S uden s wi h
Lea ning Disabili ies Who Ha e Achie ed.
1997 USA 12 uni e si y s uden s wi h
lea ning disabili ies
Quali a i e / in e iews To in es iga e pa icipan ’s pe cep ions and
expe iences which a e in u n ela ed o he
indi idual’s ex e nal beha io , in his
ins ance, o e coming he obs acle o he
lea ning disabili y.
Richa dson, G. Dyslexia in Highe Educa ion. 2021 USA 30 s uden s wi h lea ning
disabili ies
Quali a i e / c i ical-
e hnog aphic esea ch
To explo e he subjec i e expe iences o pos -
seconda y s uden s wi h dyslexic ai s.
Singh, R. C. B., & MacDonald, J. E. S uden s
wi h men al heal h (dis)Abili ies’s o ied
expe iences wi hin dis ance educa ion.
2022 Canada 6 social wo k dis ance s uden s
wi h men al heal h
disabili ies
Quali a i e / na a i e au o-
e hnog aphy
To esea ch add essing he o e all expe iences
o Canadian dis ance educa ion social wo k
s uden s wi h men al heal h (dis)Abili ies.
Su i
a, R., & O igosa, J.M. P o iles o Coping
S yles and Rela ionship wi h Academic
Pe o mance o Uni e si y S uden s wi h
Disabili y.
2022 Spain 153 uni e si y s uden s wi h
disabili ies
Quan i a i e/ Like scales To iden i y he exis ence o p o iles o coping
s yles based on he mos used coping
s a egies.
Vacca o, A., Moo e, A., Kimball, E., T oiano, P.
F., & Newman, B. M. “No Gonna Hold Me
Back”: Coping and Resilience in S uden s
wi h Disabili ies.
2018 USA 59 uni e si y s uden s wi h
di e se disabili ies
Quali a i e / in e iew To analyze coping s a egies and long- e m
esilience o uni e si y s uden s wi h
disabili ies.
Wol ne , C., O , C., Upshaw, K., S owe, A.,
Schwiebe , L., & Lanzi, R. G. Coping
S a egies and Help-Seeking Beha io s o
College S uden s and Pos doc o al Fellows
wi h Disabili ies o P e-Exis ing Condi ions
du ing COVID-19.
2023 USA 28 s uden s wi h disabili ies Quali a i e / In e iews To explo e he coping s a egies and help-
seeking beha io s o college s uden s and
pos doc o al ellows wi h disabili ies du ing
he COVID-19 pandemic.
COGENT EDUCATION 17
