While Matthews et al. (1998) began to explore the barriers to study abroad that
specifically affects students with disabilities, no other empirical studies could be found
that directly addressed this topic. Understanding that students with disabilities face
unique challenges within higher education, and that little empirical research has been
done in this area, this study aims to address the gap in knowledge regarding barriers to
study abroad for students with disabilities. By investigating the benefits and barriers that
students with disabilities perceive in regard to study abroad, an appreciation for
individual perceptions is taken with the interpretivist approach. The importance of these
perceptions is further explored with Laura Perna’s (2006) student choice construct and its
application to the decision to study abroad.