Succeeding at university can be a complex matter, and the barriers are manifold for students with disabilities (SwDs). Accommodations are available for those with needs, but these alone do not meet the political goals of inclusive educations. Student ambassadors act as experienced representatives on campuses, supporting others and gaining individual benefits themselves. Approaches building on SwDs’ experiences and capacities can be a means to overcome the complex barriers often faced throughout education. This scoping review aimed to map research on student ambassador interventions for SwDs in higher education and identify the interventions’ key concepts. The result will inform an ambassador intervention in higher education. Six electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles of any design published between 2010 and December 2020. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. A thematic synthesis resulted in three key concepts: peer guidance and supportive relationships; building strategies and transferable skills; and advocating for change. However, no program utilises exclusively students with disabilities in ambassador roles. The results indicate a lack of research as well as awareness on the unexplored potential of actively involving SwDs in ambassador roles.

Although education is supposed to be an empowering process, some students experience the opposite. Disabled university students face multiple discriminating mechanisms during their studies, indicating that they are out of place. This study explores a participatory action research (PAR) study where 11 disabled students collaborated with university staff in planning and implementing measures to promote inclusion at a Norwegian university. The study aims to contribute knowledge of the processes empowering disabled students during co-production of inclusive higher education. Qualitative data were collected during the PAR study from January 2021 to March 2022 including audio recordings from workshops, reflection meetings and a group discussion, field notes from observing students in action as well as the students’ reflections notes and notes from shared analysis and shared writing. A reflexive thematic analysis resulted in the generation of four processes that were believed to support student empowerment: being united with inclusive faculty allies, belonging in a student fellowship, identifying an injustice, and experiencing meaning and change. This study indicates ways to strengthen the universities’ capacities to work towards inclusion, social change, and justice.

Background: A hearing impairment is associated with reduced work participation. Research suggests a lack of focus on vocational rehabilitation among a growing population of employees with hearing impairment. Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experience of people with hearing impairments managing their everyday work situation and conditions that promote work participation. Methods: Ten participants – six woman and four men – participated in two audio-recorded focus group interviews, with five participants in each group. The mean age was 57 years (range: 45–70 years). Five participants reported having a sensorineural hearing impairment, two had combined of neurological and conductive hearing impairments, and three were unsure of their diagnostic classification. Eight participants had an acquired hearing impairment, whereas two participants had congenital hearing impairment. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed by systematic text condensation. Results: The analysis resulted in four intertwined concepts: control; disclosure; support and understanding; and accommodation and technical aids. Further reflection on what it means for participants to be at the ‘top of things’ revealed three overarching interpretive themes: chasing consistency, managing inconsistency and expecting normalcy. Conclusions: This study emphasises the importance of for professionals, employer and the employees themselves recognising the vast complexity and dynamic challenges associated of having a hearing impairment in working life. A stronger emphasis on vocational rehabilitation has the potential to enhance work participation for individuals with hearing impairment, with substantial benefits for both individual well-being and broader societal welfare.