See me, hear me: Successes and challenges of students with invisible disabilities at university in Singapore

Singapore has undergone a gradual shift towards a social model of inclusive education since the Compulsory Education Act came into force in 2003 (Republic of Singapore, 2000). With the aim of supporting disabled students, the Singapore government has increasingly provided resources and facilities in schools (Ministry of Education Singapore, 2018), resulting in larger numbers of these students continuing to tertiary education. Eleven individual interviews were conducted with students with invisible disabilities studying at different universities across Singapore. Their lived experiences provides insights into their realities and concerns as they reflected on their first-year at university and the successes and challenges they encountered as students with disabilities. Whilst support has improved since the announcement of support offices at institutes of higher learning (Siau, 2014), challenges remain ranging from attitudes to academic barriers, from systemic hurdles to concerns about career prospects. This has implications for policy, practice and research at tertiary level in Singapore.