‘How are you doing?’: college instructors’ relationships and communication with students with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

The Higher Education Opportunity Act has increased the number of postsecondary education programs established to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) in attending college. With the development of these new programs, there is an ever-present need to assess the interactions and necessary strategies to support students with ID in higher education. As college instructors are the primary instructors within these settings and programs, the current study explored this population’s perceptions and experiences related to instructing, communicating, and developing effective relationships with students with ID in their coursework. In-depth interviews were conducted with six college instructors working with students with ID in a higher education program in the United States. Applied thematic analysis identified themes related to the frequency of communication and relationship development, collaboration strategies, and using student feedback to inform future instruction and course preparation. Most instructors found relationships with students developed more effectively via increasing frequency, consistency, and accessibility of communication methods (e.g. scheduling individualised meeting times, video recorded directions, and reminders). Instructors also reported the importance of clear communication with stakeholders, supporting personnel/staff, and students’ peers, which aided student learning and engagement in the classroom. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed.

Keywords:

• Higher education
• inclusion
• college
• intellectual disabilities
• instructors

Disclosure statement

The authors have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The development of this program was sponsored by the Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education grant from the Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education, United States (P407A200021).