The Need for an “Intersectionality Variable”: Examining Differences in Challenging Experiences of Multiply Marginalised Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education STEM Programs

Supporting students with disabilities in higher education requires understanding the nuances of how students’ disabilities are impacted by numerous interwoven factors. Understanding how those factors interplay can help inform whether and when teaching practices, learning environments and other interventions are effective for student learning. Here, we use intersectionality as a lens for examining whether neurodivergent students who are also members of groups marginalised in STEM higher education typically experience different challenges from their singly marginalised peers. We conducted a Wilcoxon rank-sum test to compare the variety of reported neurodivergence-related challenges between two student groups (n = 54), singly and multiply marginalised neurodivergent students. We used chi-squared tests of independence to compare student responses (n = 54) across 10 types of experiences and examined open-ended questions elaborating on students’ choices. Key differences were evident in the variety and type of challenges multiply marginalised neurodivergent students reported compared to peers, such as perceptions in the impact of neurodiversity awareness and sensory safeness of classroom environments. We discuss options for taking intersectional approaches to quantitative disability research in higher education to account for the complexities of disability intersecting with multiple identities and inequities.