{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T07:13:18Z","timestamp":1787901198990,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"AOSIS","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,26]],"date-time":"2020-02-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1582675200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Afr. j. disabil."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This research is part of a larger project on the exploration of inequalities in South African higher education. This current study focussed on the implementation of policies to eradicate inequalities in an inclusive education system.Objectives: This article aimed to establish the implementation of policy by researching the lived experiences of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) studying in the university.Method: A qualitative, systematic review was employed as the research methodology. Original peer-reviewed qualitative studies published between 1994 and 2017 were systematically reviewed. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to ensure rigorous reviews. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) was used to guide the process of critical appraisal of the selected articles which resulted in a total of 10 articles being selected for reviewing. The target population of this research comprised undergraduate students diagnosed with SLD. Semi-structured interviews were the main data collection tools used in the studies that were reviewed. Data from the selected articles were extracted and synthesised.Results: The dominant themes that emerged from the review were: (1) fear of stigmatisation; (2) gaps in policy implementation; (3) experiences vary across departments; and (4) self-determination and family support as success factors.Conclusion: An important aspect in the transformation of higher education institution is to ensure the closing of the disjuncture between policy and implementation in support of students with SLD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/ajod.v9i0.647","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,25]],"date-time":"2020-02-25T03:48:52Z","timestamp":1582602532000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":29,"title":["The promise of equal education not kept: Specific learning disabilities \u2013 The invisible disability"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9373-0621","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melanie 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