Students With Disabilities

Students with Disabilities:

Intersectional Motivations BY E. TUDOR

Accommodations: Not a linear road 

Research is clear that students who would benefit from removing academic barriers with accommodations do better with accommodations.

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Not a mystery at all, well documented in fact:

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Jorgenson, Fichten, Havel, Lamb, James, and Barille (2005), Gonzalez, Elliot, (2016); Becker, & Palladino. (2016)

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So what is there to research then if this is well known?

In an Ideal World

Students Would Benefit from Barriers Removed

Students Seek Accommodations Needed

Students Do Better in College

Reality: Not all Students Seek Accommodations

Students Would Benefit from Barriers Removed

Factors Cause Some Students to Not seek Accommodations

SwD Academic Success Varies

Diverse Background: Diverse Factors

Identities are the threads that make up the fabric of a person. Each person has unique threads that form the whole picture.

There are thousands more boxes that could go here that represent other intersections of an individuals identities.

Protective or Risk Factors? 

So which experiences or traits might make a student more willing to seek accommodations?

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Is the burden to seek accommodations something completely dependent on a students desire to remove those barriers to their education? IE: Grit (Hint: it’s not)

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Bias and perceived bias plays a massive role in students seeking accommodations, these are institutional factors. Jackson, Taylor, Anderson-Fye, Floersch, (2013).

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Again the institutional research is well documented: What we don’t know is what makes students seek accommodations despite institutional barriers?

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Are there protective factors some students carry with them to safeguard their path to accommodations despite institutional barriers?

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How do students resist against societal and institutional barriers?

Study Design 

Qualitative interview based study with eight to twelve participants in the four year university setting.

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Participants must already be receiving accommodations from the university for a period of at least one semester.

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Interviews will be approximately one hour in length.

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Students will be compensated with a fifteen dollar gift card to a major ethical retailor.

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There will be no ties with any disability services centers present at the university setting. This means zero advertising at or around the Disability Resource Center.

Ethical Concerns

Data Details 

Interviews will be recorded with students consent.

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Data will be analyzed using the Dataiku DSS software package which allows for a seamless blend of cost efficiency, analysis and coding tools, and data security.

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Themes will be pulled from data once everything is coded.

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Themes will then be the core of the factors that help shape students decisions to seek accommodations.

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Finally, a paper will be published with

the findings recorded from this research.

Data Collected

Data Entry and Coding Process

Themes Identified

Themes Likely To Emerge 

As people differ greatly in previous lived experiences, there will be a variety of themes that travel along intersectional identities.

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For example, a student with less marginalized intersectional identities might be more likely to seek accommodations from an institutions as they have likely experienced less institutional oppression in their lifetimes.

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Students previous experiences with disclosure of disability are also likely to be impactful on their likelihood to seek accommodations through an institution.

Limitations 

The large diversity in students means that ultimately not all institutional barriers will be addressed via the themes gathered from student responses.

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Barriers may differ at community colleges, private universities, and public universities.

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This study only looks at barriers at public universities.

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Also this study might not apply well to non-traditionally aged students as their needs may vary.

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As always, more research on the subject is needed but this is a pivotal first step.

References 

Stein. (2013). DSS and Accommodations in Higher Education: Perceptions of Students with Psychological Disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 26(2), 145-161.

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Lyman, Beecher, Griner, Brooks, Call, & Jackson. (2016). What Keeps Students with Disabilities from Using Accommodations in Postsecondary Education? A Qualitative Review. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29(2), 123-140.

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Jackson, Taylor, Anderson-Fye, & Floersch. (2013). College Student Disclosure of NonApparent Disabilities to Receive Classroom Accommodations. Journal of Postsecondary Education & Disability, 26(1), 35-51.

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Jorgenson, S., Fichten, C., Havel, A., Lamb, D., James, C., & Barile, M. (2005). Academic Performance of College Students With and Without Disabilities: An Archival Study. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 39(2). Retrieved January 25, 2017.

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Becker, & Palladino. (2016). Assessing Faculty Perspectives About Teaching and Working with Students with Disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29(1), 65-82.

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Gonzalez, & Elliot. (2016). Faculty Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Student Veterans. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29(1), 35-46.