Professional practice placement as a unique challenge for students with disabilities in health and human service educational programmes

ABSTRACT

Students with disabilities face barriers to full participation in Health and Human Service (HHS) programmes. Few studies have focused on students’ experiences in practice placements, an aspect of HHS programmes which yield unique barriers. This study aimed to understand the barriers that disabled students in HHS programmes experience during practice placements and their perspective of how to better support and accommodate them. Disabled students from 12 HHS programmes at a Canadian university and 14 Canadian occupational therapy programmes were invited to participate in a survey about their placement experiences. Eighty-two students responded to the survey. Of these, eleven volunteered to engage in follow up interviews. Results showed that students with disabilities are navigating accommodation practices that frequently lack communication, clarity, ease of use and are structured in ways that are less conducive to ever-changing practice environments. Students expressed relying on relationships with practice educators and placement coordinators to facilitate their accommodations. However, negative attitudes and stigma complicate these processes. Collaboration across HHS programmes is needed to develop clear and effective placement accommodation procedures. Those who support disabled students in placement should receive education on supporting students with disabilities and legal obligations of accommodation. Students may benefit from advocacy and disclosure skill education.

KEYWORDS:

• Accommodations
• professional education
• disability
• students
• inclusion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In this paper we intentionally move between person-first and identity-first language in recognition of the varied preferences of disabled people for these language constructions. For more detail, see Dunn and Andrews 2015; Gernsbacher 2017; Linton 1998.

2 In this paper, practice placement refers to education outside the classroom (e.g., practicum, rotation, fieldwork).

3 Placement coordinator (PC) refers to the individual at the university programme in charge of practice placement aspects of the curriculum. Practice educator (PE) refers to the person on-site who supervises students during placement.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy University Programs (ACOTUP); 2019 Equity & Inclusion Scholars Program, the Equity and Inclusion Office, UBC.

Notes on contributors

Elisabeth Gross

Elisabeth Gross, MOT, BA, is an occupational therapist working in public practice. She completed work in disabilities and higher education as a student occupational therapist, and research work promoting inclusive health and human services education practices as a student researcher.

Tal Jarus

Tal Jarus, PhD, FCAOT, Reg. OT, is a professor at the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Jarus's focus of research is justice, diversity and inclusion in the health professions.

Yael Mayer

Yael Mayer, is a senior lecturer at the Department of Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.

Shahbano Zaman

Shahbano Zaman, is a research coordinator at the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Fernanda M. Mira

Fernanda Mira, is an occupational therapist who has practiced as an Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, pediatrics instructor and school system therapist, with research interests in disabilities and educational systems.

Jeff Boniface

Jeff Boniface acknowledges and gives thanks to the Tsleil Waututh Nation whose traditional territory where he lives and works. Jeff has over 28 years' experience as the owner and front-line clinician of a community-based private occupational therapy practice in Greater Vancouver. Currently, he also works as an clinical associate professor and associate academic fieldwork coordinator at the UBC Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy.

Manon Boucher

Manon Boucher erg, M.Ed, Clinical instructor, Department of rehabilitation, Medecine Faculty, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.

Laura Yvonne Bulk

Laura Yvonne Bulk, PhD, MOT, OT(Reg) is an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Stephanie Chen

Stephanie Chen, MOT, is a UBC alumni working as a front-line clinical occupational therapist in long-term care in Greater Vancouver, Canada.

Donna Drynan

Donna Drynan, M.Ed., OT(Reg), Professor of Teaching, Associate Head, Fieldwork and Clinical Faculty Affairs, Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Karen Falcicchio

Karen Falcicchio is a Faculty lecturer and Associate Academic coordinator of Clinical Education in Occupational Therapy at McGill University. She engages in planning, teaching, coordinating, adapting and reviewing all related components of the student learning experience in the program's fieldwork courses; specifically for students who require accommodations during their fieldwork.

Elizabeth Anne Kinsella

Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, PhD, is Director and Full Professor in the Institute of Health Sciences Education, in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, at McGill University. Dr. Kinsella's scholarship focuses on professional education in the health professions, with interests in reflective practices, critical reflection, ethics and justice.

Rosemary Lysaght

Rosemary Lysaght, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.

Carmen Moliner

Carmen Moliner is academic clinical coordinator of the occupational therapy program at the Université de Sherbrooke. Her primary areas of interest are experiential learning and development of rehabilitation programs in low-income countries.

Kathy O’Flynn-Magee

Kathy O'Flynn-Magee, is an Associate Professor of Teaching Emeritus at the UBC School of Nursing.

Cori Schmitz

Cori Schmitz, MEd, Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Bette Shippam

Bette Shippam, BEd, MEd, is a Program Coordinator at the Teacher Education Office, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Margot Young

Margot Young, is a Professor at the Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.