This article argues that even though the experiences of disabled students have programmatic implications, their needs should not be isolated from other students'. Instead they should be understood as part of the student life cycle within the pluralistic paradigm of education. In demonstrating the argument this article will: (a) outline some of the literature on experiences of disabled students, (b) outline findings on the experiences of disabled students in some South African higher education institutions; (c) contextualise the findings by explaining the pluralistic paradigm of education and describing the policy framework; and (d) use the idea of the student life cycle and the pluralist paradigm of education to suggest a complementary and extended thinking to the programmatic model of intervention.