Support for Students with Hidden Disabilities in Universities: A Case Study

Abstract

More students with disabilities are accessing the tertiary sector with many disabilities not easily observed (or hidden), because there are no physical indicators. These “hidden” disabilities affect a variety of cognitive processes and may be developmental or acquired. To ensure students with hidden disabilities can enrol, engage in and benefit from tertiary education, universities generally provide a range of supports. Typically these supports and any reasonable adjustments are negotiated with students taking into account a number of factors including, where available, any supporting documentation that they might be able to provide. This case study reports efforts within one large Australian university to support higher education students with hidden disabilities on campus. Perceptions on the use of and barriers to support available were collected from seven undergraduate students who self-identified as having hidden disabilities and from eight support staff. Results indicated that students found their informal networks to be their most effective supports, closely followed by clear, caring and flexible lecturers and tutors. There were mixed positive and negative perceptions reported on the universal and disability-specific supports available. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords:

• adult learning
• attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
• autism
• higher education
• learning disability
• universal design for learning

Acknowledgements

Data reported in this paper were collected as part of a larger international study comparing the establishment of universal design for students in higher education. The project leader for the international project was Associate Professor Mika Kataoka, from Kagoshima University. The authors also acknowledge the work of Munehisa Yoshitoshi PhD (Okayama University) for his collaboration and recording of the interviews used in this paper. Finally, they would like to thank the staff and students who shared their stories for this research. The findings reported here are based on research conducted as part of an international research grant in 2009 for a “Comparative Study in the Establishment of Universal Design Education System for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education”.

Notes

1. In Australia, the term adjustments may be used in place of accommodations.

2. Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions are State and Commonwealth funded institutions offering an array of post-school offerings predominately providing students with trade or technical qualifications.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by an international research grant from the Heiwa Nakajima Foundation (Inc.). The international research grant was funded by Heiwa Nakajima Foundation (Inc.) to Kagoshima University, and by an endowment from Kagoshima University to the University of Queensland, and no restrictions have been imposed on free access to, or publication of, the research data. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Heiwa Nakajima Foundation (Inc.) nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organisations imply endorsement by Heiwa Nakajima Foundation (Inc.). Opinions reflect those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agency. The author(s) had no financial or other conflicts of interest.