The purpose of this study is to examine how students with chronic physical disabilities experience the tension between fluctuating access needs and the predictable structures of higher education. Chronic disabilities are often episodic and unpredictable, with symptoms and access needs that may vary daily, weekly, or across academic contexts. However, higher education systems are frequently organized around predictability, including fixed attendance policies, standardized deadlines, scheduled participation expectations, timed assessments, and accommodation processes that often require advance documentation and planning. This study will investigate how students with chronic disabilities navigate these structures and how AI-supported tools may support, complicate, or reshape accessibility practices.

This study will use a qualitative-dominant mixed methods design with participatory design elements. The study will begin with an online questionnaire to gather descriptive information about participants’ chronic physical disability experiences, academic access needs, experiences with higher education accessibility structures, and familiarity with AI-supported tools. Participants will then be invited to complete a semi-structured interview focused on their experiences with fluctuating access needs, barriers to flexibility, accommodation processes, disclosure concerns, and perceptions of AI-supported accessibility. During the interview, participants will also be given brief scenarios or design prompts related to possible AI-supported accessibility tools, such as flexible planning tools, low-burden communication supports, workload management tools, or systems for navigating course expectations.

The research questions guiding this study are:

1. How do students with chronic physical disabilities describe the relationship between fluctuating access needs and predictable structures within higher education?
2. What barriers and supports do students with chronic physical disabilities identify in relation to flexibility, accommodation processes, participation expectations, and academic workload?
3. How do students with chronic physical disabilities perceive the potential benefits, limitations, and risks of AI-supported accessibility tools in higher education?