Invisible Twice: The Struggles of Asian Students with Disabilities in NZ Universities

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the right to education is enshrined in both domestic policy and international agreements. Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) affirms the right of disabled people to equal access to education. New Zealand has ratified this treaty and incorporated it into the country’s Disability Strategy, which underpins the Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC) Disability Action Plans (DAPs). These DAPs aim to make tertiary education more accessible and inclusive for disabled students.

However, despite these frameworks, tertiary institutions remain challenging environments for disabled students—particularly those from Māori, Pacific, Asian, and international backgrounds. An estimated 38 percent of disabled people (approximately 193,000 individuals) aspire to pursue tertiary education. Yet, 34 percent of those already enrolled report having one or more unmet support needs.

Students of diverse ethnicities may fall through the gaps when it comes to disability support. The student disability service (SDS) often refers students to other services and vice versa, however the service lacks the mandate and thus resourcing to consistently realise this work.

Consequently, my research found students feeling “SDS understood my disability, but they have blind spots working with students with disabilities who do not fit the ‘white disabled kid’ profile.”

Another student explains they are challenged a lot for using disability accommodations making them “feel unwelcome.”

One student feels the service has cultural misunderstandings, "Cultural values are not considered. For example, the service telling my friends to ‘just take medication,’ which does not align with their cultural approach." These experiences made some students of Asian ethnicities feel “apprehensive about seeking support.”

To remedy the cultural disconnection my research sought to better understand why students of Asian ethnicity were having this experience. Literature highlights that many students of Asian ethnicities, do not identify with disability in the same way as their Western peers. Across Asia, expressing vulnerability is discouraged, and identity is often tied more closely to ethnicity or religion than to disability. As a result, some students avoid engaging with disability services altogether, fearing stigma or simply not recognising that they qualify for support. 

Emblematic of this challenge is the University’s progressive yet inconsistent lecture recording policy, mandating universal lecture recordings where feasible.

Students find “politics and history lectures without recordings, even when there were no in-person components that could not be substituted." This is likely due to policy lag, with the DAP being newly introduced; however, for students of Asian ethnicities who may not have English as a first language, lecture recordings are vital for understanding content. "The creation of more social spaces for students with disabilities has helped some feel more connected,” students at UA explain.

Photo: Sean Prenter

At this critical juncture we can turn to students to isolate the problem and posit the solution: Crucially, the University of Auckland has made a broad commitment and atomised steps towards improving students with disabilities experience with social spaces and other initiatives. To really go the distance, however, a paradigm shift is required.

Consider how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) approaches diplomacy across the diverse cultural context of the Asian region. MFAT approaches its policy and operations through Te Ao Māori; whakawhanāungatanga (becoming part of the whānau or community for simplicity) and manākitanga (hospitality for simplicity) foster a relational approach. This approach has seen notable success in the New Zealand–Taiwan Economic Cooperation Agreement (2013), with a relevant focus on education and cultural exchange.

This approach, however, must be sensitive to Asian cultural values abroad and locally, in our context of tertiary education. Asian cultures may not practice physical contact like the hongi in a pōwhiri, instead showing respect through by lowering one’s gaze or indirect speech. These expressions of deference, while different, align with the Māori value of mana—particularly in how both cultures uphold respect for elders and authority. Through navigating these differences and similarities Te Ao Māori’s relational approach offers a powerful opportunity to bridge the gap in support for Asian disabled students.

To fully harness the potential of Te Ao Māori’s relational approach, universities must mandate and resource SDS to be a social sphere facilitator. Here SDS can exist in a mapped, connected web of different supports such as the International Office, The International Students Association of Auckland, K-pop Planet NZ, NZ Hindu Students Forum, Auckland University Cricket Club or University of Auckland Football Club. Within this web, students who experience disability-yet may not fully recognise or articulate it-can begin to access the support they need to succeed.

With University campuses increasing in ethnic diversity other institutions have a unique opportunity to improve access to education by implementing similar initiatives while competing for the funding associated with enrolling students with disabilities. Ara Institute of Canterbury is registering 25 percent of its students as having disabilities; what potential there is for unlocking a future where every learner thrives. Ethnically diverse, disabled and non-disabled students by one another’s side.

-Asia Media Centre

*The opinions expressed are those of the author