Group-specific institutional barriers include:

• Racism and negative stereotyping – a major concern for First Nations learners (Archibald & Urion, 1995).
• Lack of English or French second language programs – a major concern of immigrants and refugees needing to learn the language of the workplace, and of persons needing to become bilingual to obtain a suitable job (Cumming, 1992).
• Lack of suitable literacy and upgrading programs – a major concern for the under-educated (ABC Canada, 2002, Hart et al., 2002).
• Poor access to buildings and convenient parking or transportation services – a major concern for learners with mobility disabilities and for older learners (Carlton & Soulsby, 1999; Dench & Regan, 2000; Fisher, 2005).
• Lack of recognition of previously obtained academic credentials from another country – a major concern for immigrants and refugees (Potter & Ferguson, 2003).
• Lack of understanding of the difficulties that result from learning disabilities – a major concern for adult learners with learning disabilities (ERIC Clearinghouse, 2000; Fitchen et al., 2000; Kerka, 2002).

Sometimes structural barriers are hard to recognize because they are based on unquestioning adherence to “traditional” practices. One member of the research team spent several years trying to convince her institution to provide access to administrative services in the early evening and to keep the central telephone switchboard open during the lunch hour. These were traditional practices that had always worked in the past and therefore were viewed as still functional. She encountered other examples of structural barriers as a member of a graduate scholarship committee. Individuals who had earned part-time degrees were viewed as taking the easy way to a degree and their high grade point averages were viewed by other committee members as the result of taking too many “bird” courses. Some students were denied financial support based on these stereotypes. Another structural barrier is identified by Given (2001) in the design of Canada Census questionnaire. The term “school attendance,” for example, refers only to the September to April academic year, while many adult students take courses between May and August. Such definitions privilege traditional students and lead to stereotypic thinking about the nature of adult learners.

The research team is of the opinion that an educational system should be designed so that it is easily accessible for even the most disadvantaged learners. Our experience is supported by the literature (Fitchen et al., 2000; Stalker, 1997). Designing educational institutions and learning opportunities to serve the adult learners who encounter the most barriers to participation – learners with low incomes, low literacy skills, foreign credentials, and learning, sensory and mobility disabilities – creates a learning environment that equitably serves all learners