Disclosing accommodation needs: exploring experiences of higher education students with disabilities

ABSTRACT

Despite increased access, students with disabilities in higher education face barriers and report greater dissatisfaction than peers without disabilities [Mullins and Preyde 2013; Strnadová, Hájková, and Květoňová 2015]. Many U.S. institutions require students to present faculty with documentation prior to receiving academic accommodations; qualitative research indicates that this process of disclosing and requesting accommodations is uncomfortable. The current study sought to identify specific areas of discomfort associated with the accommodation request process and to identify individual differences related to apparentness of condition. One-hundred and fifty-five students from 2 universities responded to a survey addressing disclosing, requesting and using accommodations. Survey results indicated that participants lacked opportunities to privately disclose to faculty and revealed a significant relationship between lack of private disclosure opportunities and increased discomfort. Participants also reported discomfort and disrespectful treatment when disclosing to peers, echoing previous research and underscoring the need for private disclosure opportunities. Students with mental health related nonapparent disabilities reported significantly higher discomfort when disclosing and more negative peer interactions than students with apparent conditions or nonapparent learning difficulties. Findings highlight barriers present in systems that require students to present accommodation documentation and emphasise the role of peers in fostering inclusive environments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by California State University East Bay [grant number Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Grant].

Notes on contributors

Sara A. Smith

Sara A. Smith received her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition from the University of Oxford. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of South Florida. Her research interests include within-population diversity among bilinguals, cognitive and educational implications of bilingualism, developmental differences that impact language.

Erin Woodhead

Dr. Erin Woodhead joined the San Jose State University Psychology Department in 2012. She is a licensed psychologist and holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University (2009). Dr. Woodhead's research interests are substance use across the lifespan, use of mental health services among older adults, and mental health problems, disabilities, and accommodations among college students.

Christina Chin-Newman

Christina Chin-Newman, Ph.D., is Professor of Human Development and Women's Studies at California State University, East Bay. Dr. Chin-Newman is interested in creativity and the arts, and inclusive performance. She also conducts research on social support and college student success, recently focusing on students with learning differences or any type of disability. She earned a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.