A global survey of 184 current, former and prospective Master of Business Administration (MBA) students with disabilities reveals widespread barriers across the MBA experience.
One in three faced disability-related barriers in the application process, two in three needed accommodations while in the program but over 25% of them never requested any, over 60% experienced difficulties with social gatherings, and half had a negative perception of on-campus recruiting.
This study suggests that barriers exist for MBA students with disabilities right from application to graduation. Recognizing that the MBA degree is a gateway to leadership roles, this creates added barriers for people with disabilities seeking leadership roles.
After entering an MBA program, 57% of the respondents faced barriers and frequently cited overly demanding schedules, and inflexible evaluation and testing policies. For example, one respondent was not given an extension despite having a seizure, while another was asked to make a graded presentation from the hospital. Students’ recruiting experiences were also affected, and half of the respondents cited bias, stereotyping, ableism and inaccessibility during on-campus recruiting.
The Access to Success Organization partnered with Graduate Management Admission Council and researchers from the University of Winnipeg and University of Toronto on this report on disability inclusion in MBA programs. Read the full report here.
An Opportunity for a More Accessible and Inclusive MBA
Despite the challenges, there are bright spots. Most respondents reported a high level of satisfaction with their campus Career Centers and the overall MBA experience. Those who requested accommodations generally reported the results to be positive and beneficial.
Respondents identified 25 key actions to improve accessibility of MBA programs – of which 15 do not cost anything to implement. Topping the list of requests were building awareness about accommodations among faculty and administrators, creating resource centers for students with disabilities, waiving standardized testing, and implementing anti-bias and disability awareness training for peers and recruiters.
“We cannot address what we do not know,” says Varun Chandak, Founder and President of Access to Success Organization. “So far, no data existed on the experience of MBA students with disabilities. Now, we hope this report can serve as a launchpad for systemic change for improving inclusion of people with disabilities in MBA programs.”
[Source(s): Access to Success Organization, PR Newswire]
