Fitting and Misfitting in Higher Education: The Experiences of Disabled Youth in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Drawing on Rosemarie Garland-Thomson’s theory of fitting and misfitting, this article analyzes from a critical disability lens the experiences of disabled students in higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Building on evidence collected from three case studies of misfitting/fitting, I argue that advocacy resulted in innovative, hybridized, and localized solutions to misfitting for minority forms of embodiment. The article traces the operationalization of exclusion and inclusion processes through interviews with students, graduates, and higher education staff conducted from 2016 to 2018. The analysis underlines the importance of a rights-based and context-specific advocacy approach to accommodating minority forms of embodiment in higher education.