Higher Education: AHEAD and the Scale of Disability

UDL is most established in Irish higher education, where AHEAD has been the primary driver of adoption since the early 2000s. In 2023/24, 22,519 students — representing 8% of the total higher education student body of 281,847 — were registered with disability support services, a 364% increase over 15 years. However, 20.2% of new entrant undergraduates disclosed at least one disability through the HEA Equal Access Survey, yet only 10% registered with disability support services, suggesting a significant disclosure gap.