Abstract
In this study, I examined the ways in which students with LDs navigate identity formation in higher education—a meritocratic environment in which the ability to learn is valued above all else. I conducted eight semi-structured interviews with students with LDs at Brandeis University. Additionally, I interviewed two staff members at the University’s department for disability and accessibility services and observed a meeting of a student-run disability advocacy group. My findings show that students with LDs in post-secondary schools create their identities in two tiers: (1) through the navigation of their disability within the academic sector, and (2) through the negotiation of their social network in relation to their disability. From this research, it is clear that any policy changes made to address barriers against students with LDs must do so by jointly addressing both the social and medical models of disability. For LDs specifically, this means addressing the social impacts of academia as an institution and the medicalization of LDs from the medical field.