DEFINE: unDerstanding Experiences of deaF unIversity studeNts in WalEs - a case study

Deaf people have lower educational qualifications and lower employment than hearing people, reporting isolation and exclusion which impact on their development, engagement and mental health. Many d/Deaf people report lonely and challenging university experiences. 46% of d/Deaf students start university without support, lack targeted resources, with equality issues unmet. BAME individuals are further under-represented in university populations. Freedom from oppression starts with an intersectional lens for understanding exclusion and oppression. It requires addressing multiple cross-cutting impacts on people's experiences of university life, as well as of society and space more generally. Disability geographies advance understandings of how different bodies navigate everyday life and space, and what can be done to empower disabled people.