Structural and Attitudinal Barriers in Education and Training: The Lived Experiences of Disabled Women

Abstract

Structural and Attitudinal Barriers in Education and Training: The Lived Experiences of Disabled Women. Abstract The Malaysian government has developed significant disability provision, policies and legislations since the period of colonialism, but disabled people still encounter major barriers in education and training. Although disability is argued to have some relation to gender and culture, significant research involving Malaysian disabled women in terms of education and training is very limited. This paper therefore sets to explore the lived experiences of Malaysian disabled women in education and training. This study used a full qualitative research approach in which the data was collected from in-depth interviews with 33 Malaysian women with physical (mobility) impairment. 17 Malays, 8 Chinese and 8 Indian women were interviewed twice in Peninsular Malaysia within the period of six months. The majority of women came from low-income and rural families. Findings suggested that structural and attitudinal barriers were found to be the main barriers for many women to access education and training. Hence, their situation was aggravated by complex interactions between individual, familial, sociocultural and gender factors. dystrophy, marfan syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, traumatic brain injury, gestational diabetes mellitus, osteosarcoma, spina bifida, teratoma, dysmelia, leg amputation and leg injury.