Abstract:

This study critically examines the persistent systemic exclusion of persons with disabilities from educational opportunities in Eswatini. It investigates how historical legacies and contemporary institutional practices constrain access and participation. Employing a qualitative interpretive methodology, this research triangulates data from semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 16 students with disabilities, 4 lecturers, and 4 policymakers, alongside direct observations of educational settings and critical documentary analysis of policy frameworks. Ethical integrity was maintained through rigorous protocols for informed consent, confidentiality, and reflexive engagement with participants. Credibility was ensured through member-checking of data with participants and prolonged engagement in the field. Thematic and critical discourse analyses reveal that educational access remains structurally limited, perpetuating marginalization. The findings advocate for a decolonial reconfiguration of knowledge systems that perpetuate exclusion. Consequently, the study asserts a pivotal role for universities in cultivating an equitable knowledge economy through integrating critical disability studies into curricula, championing inclusive policy reform, and generating research that centers marginalized epistemologies. Such scholarly engagement is presented as essential for addressing historical injustices and advancing transformative inclusion.

Keywords:

Disability, educational access, inclusion, decolonization, knowledge economy, Eswatini, higher education policy.