ERIC EJ943697: Facing Challenges: Experiences of Young Women with Disabilities Attending a Canadian University

2011·0.06 MB·English

by  ERIC

Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability 24(2), 101 - 114 101
Facing Challenges: Experiences of Young Women with
Disabilities Attending a Canadian University
Ozlem Erten
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Abstract
This qualitative study examines the perspectives of students with disabilities studying at a postsecondary institution
in Canada. Seven female students, five of them with learning disabilities, participated in focus group meetings and
shared their experiences of studying at a university. Both individual characteristics, such as disability-specific needs,
and contextual factors, including attitudes of faculty members and peers, were reported as barriers affecting students’
full participation to university life. Participants reported that the Office for Students with Disabilities acted as an
important support mechanism at the overall school-level. Findings indicate that postsecondary institutions should
support students with disabilities not only by providing accommodations but also by addressing hidden attitudinal
barriers to enable equal participation opportunities for all. Some recommendations for creating a barrier-free school
community are made based on the suggestions of the participants.
Increasing numbers of students with disabilities Even though the results of the National Longitudinal
choose to pursue postsecondary education in North Transition Study II (NLTS2) of the U.S. Department of
America (Eckes & Ochoa, 2005; Fichten, 1995; Fichten, Education reveal an increase in the number of female
et al., 2003; Roer-Strier, 2002). However, research show students continuing higher education, girls are mostly
that university or college graduates with disabilities ex- attending 2-year colleges while boys attend both 2- and
perience diffi culty in fi nding employment, have limited 4-year colleges (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, & Levine,
independence and low standards of living (Doren & 2005). Research on career development and transition
Benz, 2001; Lindstrom & Benz, 2002; Madaus, 2005). for women also show that female students are less likely
Transition to higher education, and later to work settings, to fi nd employment compared to male students with or
present challenges for every young adult; however there without disabilities (Doren & Benz, 2001; Lindstrom
is a rich literature particularly from the North American & Benz, 2002). Additionally, young women who are
context suggesting that certain student populations such employed tend to have lower incomes and work in low-
as students with disabilities and female students may status jobs compared to their male counterparts (Doren
experience more obstacles during their studies (Doren & Benz, 2001). Thus, the dual presence of gender and
& Benz, 2001; Dwyer, 2000; Lindstrom & Benz, 2002). disability categories may cause limitations for pursuing
Studies reveal that students with disabilities are still an higher degrees and career options for young women
under-represented group and face several barriers which (Lindstrom, Benz & Doren, 2004).
may limit their full participation to postsecondary educa- There is limited research focusing on students’
tion (Duquette, 2000; Fichten, 1995; Weir, 2004). Even perspectives and experiences at the postsecondary level
though there is evidence suggesting that accommodations (Dowrick et al., 2005; Dwyer, 2000; Evans-Getzel &
are provided to students with disabilities at the postsec- Thoma, 2008; Troiano, 2003). The following study
ondary level (Cox & Walsh, 1998; Duquette, 2000; Hill, aims to present voices of students with disabilities
1992, 1996), some research fi ndings show that students studying at a large research university in Canada. The
with disabilities have diffi culty accessing and obtaining participants of the study are Canadian young women
accommodations and supports (e.g. Dowrick, Anderson, with disabilities, majority with learning disabilities
Heyer & Acosta, 2005). (LD), attending postsecondary education. Given that
102 Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(2)
there is research evidence suggesting that female practices, and bilingual language system may be some
students with disabilities may be at a greater risk of of the factors contributing to this lower proportion of
experiencing obstacles in higher education (e.g. Dw- students with disabilities in postsecondary institutions
yer, 2000), we focus on the unique perspectives of of Quebec (Fichten et al., 2003).
this sub-group of students. We discuss both individual With an increase in the number of students with
characteristics (e.g. disability type, severity, and gen- disabilities continuing higher education, many Cana-
der) and context-related barriers to having a successful dian postsecondary institutions have developed poli-
postsecondary education life. cies that respond to the individual needs of students
with disabilities (Wolforth, 1998). By 1992, 30% of
Students with Disabilities and Postsecondary Canadian postsecondary institutions had disability-
Education: A Canadian Perspective related policies, while another 15% were developing
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms similar policies (Hill, 1994). By 1994, this fi gure rose
has created a solid rights-based ground for which all to over 65%, and by 1997, 75% of Canadian universi-
provincial laws, policies, and institutions are developed ties reported policy development for students with
(Roeher Institute, 1996). The following statement: disabilities (Cox & Walsh, 1998).
“Equality of all people under the law and protection Hill (1992) surveyed the Offi ces for Students with
of individuals against discrimination on the basis of Disabilities at 27 Canadian universities to ascertain the
disability (Roeher Institute, 1996, Section 15[1]),” pro- types of services provided to students with disabilities.
tects people with disabilities from discrimination. Ac- This survey study revealed that although all participat-
cording to this statement, legislation must be free from ing universities attempted to accommodate the needs
discrimination, and recognize that all people have the of students, some problems pertained in the following
right to equal opportunities (Roeher Institute, 1996). areas: (a) identifying those students who require special
Over the past decades, with provincial legislation acts, services, (b) making students aware of the available
infl uences of the move towards inclusive education, services, and (c) developing fair admission policies. An
and changes in the attitudes of the Canadian society, analysis of institutional policies for students with dis-
there has been an increase in the number of students abilities at 47 Canadian universities examined the types
with disabilities attending postsecondary education of academic accommodations provided to students with
(Wolforth, 1998). Leitch (1998) reported that in 1995, disabilities and found that academic accommodations
there was a mere 0.25% of the population of students and procedures show variation across provinces, ter-
with disabilities in 47 Canadian universities. In 2003, ritories, and institutions (Cox & Walsh, 1998).
the average percentage of students with disabilities In general, accommodations included extended
registered to receive disability-related services in time, special seating, the provision of visual language
Canada’s provinces and territories ranged from 1.92% interpreters, change of test format, the use of adaptive
to 5.67% and only 8% of postsecondary institutions technology, and the provision of alternative formats of
reported not having any students with disabilities print such as Braille or large print (Cox & Walsh, 1998).
(Fichten et al., 2003). In a study on technology integration and utilization by
Students with LD make up the largest proportion students with disabilities, Fichten, Asuncion, Barile,
of this population of students with disabilities attend- Fossey, and Simone (2000) found that 41% of Canadian
ing postsecondary education in Canada (Stewart, college and university students with LD, physical, and
Cornish, & Somers, 1995). This is a similar pattern sensory disabilities required special accommodations
compared to the American higher education institu- and adaptations to use them effectively.
tions (Hart, Mele-McCarthy, Pasternack, Zimbrich, There is limited research on academic and social
& Parker, 2004; Vogel, Leyser, Kwyland, & Brulle, experiences of students with disabilities in Canadian
1999). Results of a Quebec-based study implemented higher education system (Dwyer, 2000; Jorgensen et
as a part of a Canadian-wide study showed that there al, 2005). In a longitudinal study extending over a
are signifi cantly smaller proportions of students with period of 12 years, Jorgensen et al. (2005) compared
disabilities in Quebec colleges and universities when the academic outcomes of students with and without
compared to rest of the provinces (Fichten et al., disabilities attending a college in Quebec. Although
2003). Researchers suggest that provincial policies, students with LD had similar grades and graduation
Erten; Voices of Young Women with Disabilities 103
rates, they required lighter course load and took longer dents with Attention Defi cit/Hyperactivity Disorder
to graduate (Jorgensen et al., 2005). In a recent online (AD/HD) and found that when students did not have
survey with 1,174 college and university students enough time to accomplish required tasks they often
in Ontario, Tremblay et al. (2008) found that nearly ended up blaming themselves for their diffi culties. The
two-thirds of a total of 72.9% female students and half author suggests that female university students with
of male students have experienced various kinds of AD/HD may be at risk for experiencing barriers due
negative social interactions during their postsecondary to both gender- and disability-related characteristics
studies. These negative social interactions, although (Dwyer, 2000).
often very mild and verbal in nature, were experi- Self-advocacy and determination skills become
enced more by female students and students with LD essential skills in overcoming barriers, particularly at
(Tremblay et al, 2008) suggesting that these students a postsecondary education setting where there is less
may be at greater risk for experiencing obstacles at the direct guidance and greater expectation to achieve
postsecondary level. individually, compared to the earlier schooling levels
(Evans-Getzel & Thoma, 2008; Dwyer, 2000; Field
Individual Characteristics: Challenges of Being a & Hoffman, 1994; Thoma & Evans-Getzel, 2005;
Female Student with Disabilities Trainor, 2007; Troino, 2003). Self-advocacy or self-
Each disability presents different characteristics. determination refers to an individual’s ability to make
Students with LD require unique accommodations at decisions, establish goals, and assume responsibility
the postsecondary level as they may be at risk for expe- for outcomes (Ryan & Deci, 2000). In a series of
riencing diffi culties in school (Trainor, 2007). Some of focus groups conducted by Thoma and Evans-Getzel
the unique characteristics of this life-long disability in- (2005) with postsecondary students with disabilities
volve cognitive diffi culties including solving problems, in Virginia, self-determination skills were reported
organizing thoughts, transferring previously learned as one of the most important factors contributing to
information to new contexts, carrying out learning students’ academic achievements. When students
strategies, remembering, and integrating information had an understanding of their needs, they asked for
from a variety of sources (Learning Disabilities As- appropriate support services and created opportuni-
sociation of Canada [LDAC], 2002; Smith, Polloway, ties for their success (Thoma & Evans-Getzel, 2005).
Patton, Dowdy, McIntyre, & Francis, 2010). Research Likewise, Evans-Getzel and Thoma (2008) examined
shows that university graduates with LD may continue experiences of students with disabilities through focus
to experience diffi culties in work settings particularly groups and found that self-determination skills were
with writing skills, processing and organizing informa- the most important student-related factor that helped
tion, reading comprehension, computation, and time students in obtaining appropriate support services.
management (Madaus, 2005). Roer-Strier (2002) conducted a six-year case study of
In addition to cognitive diffi culties, several re- social work students with LD in Israel. Questionnaires,
search studies revealed that students with LD may in-depth interviews, focus groups, and other docu-
experience social-emotional diffi culties such as poor mentation methods were used to learn about students’
self-concept, depression, and social isolation as a result experiences. As an alternative to individual therapy,
of continuous academic failure (Heath, 1996; Roer- participants worked on empowerment and advocacy
Strier, 2002; Shapiro & Rich, 1999; Smith et al., 2010; skills training in small groups. At the end of this train-
Troiano, 2003; Valas, 1999). Heath (1996) suggests ing period, dropout rates amongst students with LD
that the underlying theory of how students with LD reduced from 20% in the fi rst year to 0% in the sixth
interpret continued school failure can be examined by year and more students with LD started to receive
the phenomenon of “learned helplessness.” According recognition for their success by receiving scholarships
to the learned helplessness theory, individuals may give and academic awards (Roer-Strier, 2002).
up trying as a result of a misconception that every ef-
fort and trial will result in unsuccessful consequences Contextual Barriers: Attitudes Towards Disability
(Paris, Byrnes & Paris, 2001; Seligman, 1975). Dwyer Students with disabilities attending colleges and
(2000) conducted a qualitative study to examine the universities can face challenges not only due to limited
experiences of eight Canadian female university stu- accessibility and delivery of support services but also
104 Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(2)
due to negative attitudes of peers and faculty members Method
(Duquette, 2000; Tremblay et al., 2008). Faculty attitudes
towards students with disabilities are found to be one Participants
of the most important factors affecting their academic In this study, we used purposeful sampling which
achievement (Cox & Klas, 1996; Fichten, 1995; Hart et is based on the assumption that the investigator wants
al., 2004; Hill, 1996; Duquette, 2000; Rao, 2004). Hill to discover, understand, and gain insight from a sample
(1996) found that students’ academic achievement was one can learn the most (Patton, 2002). Participants
negatively affected when professors did not provide ap- were seven undergraduate and graduate students from
propriate accommodations. In another study examining various programs and faculties studying at a large
perceptions of students with disabilities in a Canadian research university in Canada. All participants were
university, Duquette (2000) found that professors were registered at the Offi ce for Students with Disabilities
one of the most important sources of either support or (OSD) and were receiving support services from the
barrier affecting students with disabilities’ success at the OSD. Three participants studying at the graduate level
postsecondary education level. were receiving additional services from their faculties
How students with disabilities are perceived in the such as writing exams in a room designated by their
school environment may affect their participation. In departments. All seven participants were female. The
traditional models of service delivery, students with most common type of disability was LD with a popula-
disabilities are viewed as passive recipients of services tion of fi ve out of seven students. Table 1 provides an
(Danforth, 2001). This model, also referred to as the overview of participant characteristics.
medical model, functions on the basis of diagnosing
disability categories and ascribing any characteristic Data Collection and Analysis
of a disability to the whole individual (Danforth, 2001; The study was composed of three stages: recruit-
Söder, 1989). Labeling or categorizing an individual ment of participants, focus group meetings, and data
with a particular type of disability may affect an in- analysis. The primary researcher approached the OSD
dividual’s self-worth (Söder, 1989; Troaino, 2003). In to recruit participants for the study. In this particular
contrast, the social model focuses on the role of society university, it is voluntary to request services through
in creating the notion of disability (Söder, 1989). Ac- the OSD and students need to self-identify to the OSD
cording to Oliver (1990), any kind of disability is a to receive support services. Self-identifi cation to the
result of social exclusion and creates barriers to people OSD is suffi cient to access accommodations and stu-
who do not conform to the society’s norms. Thus, the dents have the option to choose disclosing their dis-
social model views disability as an equal opportuni- abilities to their course instructors. This is a common
ties issue, similar to race, social class, and gender, and approach to access disability services in Canadian
requires the removal of barriers for full participation higher education institutions (Cox & Walsh, 1998).
to society (Danforth, 2001). All instructors and faculty members are required to
inform and invite students with disabilities to contact
Purpose of the Study the OSD by stating this information on course outlines.
The purpose of this study was to learn about the In the beginning of the study, all students registered
experiences of students with disabilities studying at a with the OSD received an information fl yer published
large research university in Canada. We aimed to pres- in the electronic newsletter of the center, explaining the
ent voices of students with disabilities. Specifi cally, we purpose of the project and inviting them to participate.
addressed the following research questions: A poster version of the same fl yer was displayed on the
bulletin boards at the OSD for two months.
1. What are the experiences and perspectives of Three weeks following the advertisement of the
students with disabilities regarding access to study, four students responded by sending an e-mail to
and participation in university life? the primary researcher. First a focus group meeting was
2. How can postsecondary institutions address the held with these four students. One month after the fi rst
unique needs of students with disabilities? focus group meeting, three more students came forth
and wished to participate in the study. For that reason,
a second focus group was held with new participants.
Erten; Voices of Young Women with Disabilities 105
Table 1
Participant Characteristics
Name Age Type of Disability Level / Major
Terry 27 LD Graduate / Medicine
Francesca 22 LD and ADD Undergraduate / Arts
Laura 28 Mobility and cognitive diffi culties Graduate / Anthropology
Victoria 23 LD Undergraduate / Arts
Sarah 24 Mobility Diffi culties and LD Undergraduate / Engineering
Claire 27 Chronic Health Graduate / Education
Sophie 24 LD Undergraduate / Arts
The facilitator of the focus groups was also the princi- • What do you think about university’s support
pal researcher who was a graduate student completing services?
her Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. The • How would you defi ne your ideal university?
primary researcher did not have any disabilities but What do you think could be done to improve
she was interested in inclusive education issues. She these issues?
did not work at the OSD, did not know the OSD staff,
and did not know any of the participants. Rapport with Both of the group meetings were facilitated and
participants was established solely for the purposes of audiotaped by the primary researcher. The transcrip-
this study through e-mails and telephone conversations tions were used as the only source of data. Every
involving the purpose and nature of the research. Par- participant received a copy of the transcript of the
ticipants and the researcher met in person for the fi rst focus group session by e-mail within a week follow-
time on the day of the focus group meetings. ing the meeting. This procedure served as participant
Focus groups are a form of group interview where verifi cation, which is a procedure to ensure reliability
participants engage in a discussion on a topic guided by a and to ensure that the researcher has captured the in-
facilitator (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 1999; Krueger, 1994). Fo- tent of participants carefully (Krueger, 1994). During
cus groups allow respondents to hear each others’ views discussions, participants had every right not to reveal
thus providing a context for participants to express feel- information that they found private and intimate. They
ings or opinions that may not emerge during individual chose what to discuss and share during the group
interviews (Gall et al., 1999). The following questions meetings. Each focus group meeting lasted about 45
were asked during each focus group meeting: minutes to 1 hour.
Given that conducting focus group interviews is a
• How do you identify with your disability? qualitative technique for generating data, we followed
• What is the major challenge of being a univer- interpretive data analysis which is about identifying
sity student with a disability? and analyzing specifi c words, phrases, or concepts
• What are your professors’ and peers’ percep- (Newby, 2010). Data were divided into segments and
tions of your disability? coded by categories. The aim in categorization was
106 Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(2)
to discover some patterns (Gall et al., 1999; Krueger, to raise your hand on the fi rst day and be like ‘Oh I
1994; Morgan, 1997; Newby, 2010; Patton, 2002). A just want to let you know.’ No, it’s defi nitely not the
second researcher coded the segments separately from fi rst impression you want to give someone. You’d
the primary researcher. Coding data with multiple- rather give the fi rst impression with the essay you
raters increases the trustworthiness of qualitative write or the test you have written with appropri-
analysis (Newby, 2010; Patton, 2002). For ethical con- ate accommodations. So you want to avoid being
siderations, identities of participants are not revealed singled out because you have a disability.
throughout reporting of this study. We use pseudonyms
instead of the participating students’ names. Likewise, Victoria, an undergraduate student with LD, com-
any information that could reveal the identity of the pared her academic success with her best friend. She
individuals has been modifi ed accordingly. stated that even though they followed the same steps
while studying and getting ready for the same exam,
Results her best friend still received higher grades. Victoria
stated that this difference in their grades was a result
Disability Identity and Attitudes of Peers and Pro- of her LD:
fessors
All participants reported that they had accepted It wasn’t for a lack of studying. We’ll discuss the
their disabilities early in their lives. Five of the seven material, and I’ll know the answer to something she
participants reported that they had LD, which created doesn’t. It’s not like I didn’t know it. I just have a
diffi culties particularly in their academic lives. Terry, problem remembering stuff. We’d study the same
who is a graduate student with LD in the School of amount, the same amount! But I just don’t do as
Medicine, shared that her disability had been part of well on the test.
her identity for as long as she could remember:
Additionally, for Sarah who has mobility diffi cul-
I started having diffi culty in reading when I was ties and LD, getting around campus and getting to the
six. It hasn’t been anything new. So as long as school is a very important issue: “Mobility issues are
I can remember, this has been a part of me. It’s really tough at the school because of the hill, ice and
something I am very open about; it’s not something weather.” In terms of time management, students men-
to be embarrassed about. I do things differently. tioned having diffi culty balancing their school lives and
coping with the problems of their disabilities. Sophie,
Francesca, an undergraduate student in the Faculty an undergraduate student with LD in the Faculty of
of Arts with LD, realized that she might also have At- Arts, shared her frustration: “Time and exhaustion
tention Defi cit Disorder (AD/D) last year after consult- and pain and maneuvering!” Sarah also put forth the
ing her advisor at the OSD: issue of understanding as a diffi culty for balancing
their personal lives:
It kind of explains why I have so many problems
in school and it’s not like my fault because I have I would also say understanding, just in terms of bal-
always known that there was something wrong ancing family and friends. I think there is a real gap
and I’ve always kind of wondered…I guess when in people’s understandings. If you are a successful
you are a girl, and you are quiet and you are a student people don’t seem to be able to comprehend
good student what I hear is that is the most under- that you can have a learning disability, and still
diagnosed for ADD. be quite successful. And they think that if you are
successful it means your disability is not really a
Laura, a doctorate student in Anthropology with problem; it must be very mild and they don’t realize
mobility and cognitive diffi culties, expressed that be- how tiring it is and how much you work.
ing identifi ed with her achievements rather than her
disabilities was very important for her: Laura agreed with the issue of understanding:
For someone with a disability it’s not like you want My experience with disabilities is obviously an
Erten; Voices of Young Women with Disabilities 107
invisible one which is a strange thing to cope with the accommodations they needed, seemed to affect
in terms of having people understand. If you don’t their full participation in the university community.
look disabled then people have a really hard time Regarding attitudes of professors, Francesca stated:
internalizing or understanding at all. I defi nitely feel
misunderstood, for sure. I feel it is diffi cult to explain I fi nd professors for the most part are understand-
disability to people who don’t have sensitivity to it. ing because the labels must be adhered to but it’s
That’s something that I have to come to fi nd strategies kind of more like the deeper understanding of what
to cope on my own so that I don’t feel upset. it means to be dealing with this everyday and what
does it mean to be always struggling.
Participants reported that they felt misunderstood
by their peers who did not have disabilities. They found Sophie added that some professors failed to under-
it diffi cult to explain having a disability. Laura said that stand that certain disabilities may prevent students from
she felt misunderstood by her peers even though she sitting for three-hour lectures or that some students
felt completely comfortable with her disability: with LD and AD/HD may not remember any formulas
for an economics course:
In terms of the people, my peers, I really feel misun-
derstood. I feel it is diffi cult to explain disability to I think there is an assumption with people with
people who don’t have sensitivity to it. Even when disabilities that you need to slow down. I feel like
I do make it apparent to my friends that I have these it does not mean that. Sometimes it means speeding
limitations, people just can’t seem to internalize it up, or doing things differently, that’s how I feel.
or remember it.
Sophie also talked about the legitimacy of accom-
Francesca addressed the general lack of awareness modations from the professors’ point of view:
towards individual differences:
I notice that among a lot of professors there is a
I fi nd people are judgmental. You don’t really think bit of unawareness; especially about how OSD
they would be [judgmental] at some recognized operates. I have taken a lot of care to inform them
institution but I fi nd people are generally less inclu- about the process that exam is sent to the OSD
sive. I think there is a real lack of awareness among and that I am supervised when I write the exam,
students; that difference is not equal to good or bad; that it’s a comfortable place, when I need to take
that you can’t just put people into categories. a break, I can. There is no inappropriateness so I
think that sometimes lack of awareness can lead
Sarah stated that students in her program did not to assumptions about the legitimacy of the way
understand what it meant to be a successful student OSD functions.
with a disability:
Sarah mentioned that some professors’ attitudes
I think they minimize what you’ve gone through changed as they became more familiar with her:
if you succeed. I am told I am lucky all the time
because I am doing a program part-time. Are you Just total resistance with some of the professors..
kidding me? I am working twice as hard as other but others have really changed as they knew me.
people and I pay twice the tuition, that’s lucky? I Several were convinced that I would fail and now
don’t think so! that they’ve gotten to know me and that I am actu-
ally a good student and that I actually understand the
In addition to their peers who do not have disabili- information, their attitude and understanding have
ties, students also reported that they felt misunderstood really changed. But their fi rst impression was that
by their professors. For the most part, professors I was wasting their time by being in the program.
provided accommodations because it is a regulation They didn’t say it straight out but they were assum-
of school policy. However, students also reported that ing I was not going to be able to handle the program.
professors’ attitudes and lack of understanding about There was a very clear unsaid message.
108 Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(2)
Upon listening to the comments of one of the group It does cause physical separation in that respect.
members regarding how professors in her program You don’t get to do things the way everyone else
changed throughout the years, Francesca shared that does. Writing them with extra time and not writing
it had been rather different for her: them with class. You can’t fi x that but it’s always
a little frustrating because you don’t want to be
You said that your professors have been changing ‘abnormal,’ you want to be ‘normal.’ You want to
as they got to know you, I fi nd that also but I also fi t with the rest of the class. (Terry)
fi nd as professors get to know me they get more
hardened with disabilities too because it is almost All of the students stated that throughout their uni-
like you are reaffi rming some of their stereotypes versity years, the OSD had been the most distinguished
that you don’t even know what they are. source of support. The OSD acted as a mediator and
helped them manage their lives more effi ciently. After
Claire, a graduate student at the Faculty of Education going through several incidents both at departmental and
with chronic health problems, added that professors should university levels, Sarah was very close to dropping out of
be even more sensitive to disability and inclusion issues: school: “If it wasn’t for [the OSD staff], I defi nitely would
have left this university because I think there is a lot of
In education that’s how we have been taught; to ignorance.” She added that with the help of OSD profes-
accommodate and to learn about children with dif- sionals, she managed to create a life outside of the campus
ferences, right? But they are not practicing what where she felt safe: “The more I started spending time
they preach to a large extent. outside of school and the less this institution became the
focus of my life, the happier I became.” Laura added:
Laura agreed with Claire: “It’s one thing to under-
stand something theoretically; it’s another thing to deal I think it is important for people with disabilities to
with a person one-on-one.” have resources like the OSD here. Raising general
awareness in society is a really slow process it’s a hard
Accommodations Provided by the University thing to do but I think as more students become more
Laura explained why receiving accommodations successful students in the university then more pow-
were necessary: “The point of accommodations is so erful people with disabilities become because power
that you can be treated equally and operate as any other is so associated with education in our society.
student.” Sarah brought up the issue that receiving accom-
modations sometimes is viewed as having privileges: Looking into the Future: Recommendations by
Students with Disabilities
It is just so funny that it is perceived as privilege, All participants agreed that students, staff, and
when even it isn’t equal. It just kind of helps you faculty members needed to be more sensitive towards
a little bit more, it helps you stay in fl oat, express disability issues. Accepting differences and treating all
what you know and what you have done. students equally by breaking free from certain preju-
dices and stereotypes were seen as crucial points that
Although they are aware that they needed accom- needed to be addressed to overcome hidden attitudinal
modations such as taking exams outside of the regular barriers. In order to create this disability awareness
classroom or getting extra time for writing, Victoria on campus, participants proposed sensitivity training
and Terry also felt that such accommodations created workshops. Laura stated that educating faculty mem-
a feeling of social exclusion from their classmates. bers and instructors could be benefi cial in terms of
This physical and psychological separation made them moving towards changing negative attitudes:
question their status within the student community.
I guess ideally professors would have to go through
You miss the better or worst, you miss the anxiety. a mini-education course or something like that to
I leave thinking that was the worst exam ever, prepare them for the fact that there are many stu-
but did everybody else feel the same way, I don’t dents with disabilities and you should be sensitive
know. (Victoria) about this issue.
Erten; Voices of Young Women with Disabilities 109
Both Claire and Sophie stated that these educa- There were several times when I wished that there
tional seminars on disability awareness should not only could be some sort of a group for students with
focus on disability but look at a spectrum of individual disabilities of who are having a hard time to share
differences: solutions with each other..if there were other stu-
dents who have same types of problems, some sort
I wouldn’t want the seminars to be; here is your of support group where we can share that kind of
stereotype of a person with a disability and here information, share solutions, when we are stressed
is your stereotype for this kind. That’s what you whatever it is. Especially if you are the only one in
constantly run into. (Claire) your program it’s so frustrating to deal with stuff…
on those days when you’re just tired of it, all you
When you introduce it as disability issues you are really need is to have someone understand and next
creating a binary category of ‘normal’ students and the day you carry on as you always do.
‘abnormal.’ It can be looked at as students on a con-
tinuum. I think that would be a lot better. (Sophie) Participants also talked about how professors and
instructors should change their traditional methods
Francesca added: of teaching. They emphasized the need for a variety
of instruction methods targeting all learning styles.
…to actually have professors explore what their Students said they wanted professors to fi nd more cre-
biases do to other people and their lack of insight ative teaching methods and added that using different
to stuff like time management and the accomplish- instructional approaches may end up being effective
ments of the students, and what students with for all students. One participant shared that her peers
disabilities actually have to do above and beyond without any diagnosed disabilities would benefi t from
their academic performance. sensory presentations as opposed to lectures.
Victoria shared that if the purpose of a higher
With respect to Claire’s suggestion, Terry proposed education institution is to make sure that students suc-
other ways of creating disability awareness amongst cessfully obtain their degrees, the assessment methods
faculty members and students: should be changed: “We shouldn’t have to be asked to
memorize. Especially students with disabilities can’t
In terms of educating –this is what I did in my deal with that, you just can’t. You need the concepts to
undergrad- we had a panel of students with dis- understand.” However, Laura was skeptical: “I think
abilities who would talk to groups. This could be a it’s diffi cult to transform the way the curriculum has
group of students talking to professors to just give been set up. This has been like this for years. That
voice and give it a human face. would defi nitely be a hard angle to take.”
Participants suggested that those professors who had
Terry also mentioned that having a mentorship been supportive of students with disabilities and who
experience with professors can be a support mechanism had changed their teaching styles should receive rec-
especially for new students: “Having a role model or ognition, such as awards, to create awareness amongst
someone to look up to with that respect could be very other faculty members. Although there seemed to be
benefi cial.” Laura suggested that all professors should agreement that changing traditions is diffi cult to achieve,
make an announcement in class at the beginning of the students were optimistic about what future held for next
semester and say: “If you are a student with disability generations. They expressed that after coming through
of any kind I encourage you to contact the OSD. Here an education system and work environment where dif-
is the phone number and you can receive the accom- ferences among people are welcomed, future generations
modations you need.” could create a new society.
Having support groups among students with dis-
abilities was another recommendation. Claire said that Discussion and Implications
sometimes students may not want to elevate every
issue to the OSD: For the participants of this study, it was a com-
bination of disability- and context-related factors
110 Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(2)
that created barriers to full participation in university sult of a misconception that their every effort will be
life. Students in this study focused on disability as unsuccessful and become passive, unmotivated, and
the only individual characteristic that affected their depressed (Field, 1996; Heath, 1996; Seligman, 1975).
participation. Being a female student with disabilities In this study, we did not observe any evidence of such
was mentioned only once by a student regarding her negative affections as the learned helplessness theory
AD/D diagnosis. She stated that females with AD/D suggests. Some of our participants were at the graduate
may often get under-diagnosed. Indeed, there is a large level which may indicate that they were motivated to
body of research evidence showing the predominance continue their education. Nonetheless, we need to be
of males in special education services (Wehmeyer & cautious that the phenomenon of learned helplessness
Schwartz, 2001). Because gender was not identifi ed may exist for different individuals in other contexts.
as a limitation by the participants, we focused only on Similar to previous research fi ndings, the impor-
disability as an individual characteristic. tance of faculty members and their attitudes towards
The purpose of higher education is the same for ev- students with disabilities emerged as an important
eryone: fulfi lling personal goals, fi nding employment, theme in this study. Research suggests that students
and building fi nancially secure lives (Fichten, 1995). with disabilities in postsecondary institutions face
Likewise, for students with disabilities, postsecondary problems not only regarding service delivery and ac-
education is a means to having independent and produc- cessibility but also due to hidden attitudinal barriers
tive lives (Canadian Association of Disability Service (Duquette, 2000; Hill, 1992, 1996; Rao, 2004). Similar
Providers in Postsecondary Education [CADSPPE], to fi ndings of Cox and Klas (1996), Duquette (2000),
1999). Literature suggests that self-determination is Fichten (1995), and Hill (1996), students in this study
essential for student involvement at the postsecondary reported that professors’ attitudes and their lack of
level given that students need to become more indepen- understanding about accommodations affected their
dent by setting personal goals and assessing outcomes full participation to campus life. Students stated that
(Evans-Getzel & Thoma, 2008; Field & Hoffman, they felt misunderstood by some of their peers and
1994; Thoma & Evans-Getzel, 2005; Trainor, 2007; professors. In general, peers and professors knew the
Troino, 2003). Almost all of the participants reported labels of their disabilities but they did not know what it
that at some point in their postsecondary degrees, they meant to live with the challenges of that disability. This
needed assistance from the OSD to act as a liaison in was a major issue for particularly hidden disabilities
approaching course instructors. Support services and such as LD. Since LD is a common type of disability
disability centers in university settings have crucial in postsecondary institutions (Stewart et al., 1995;
roles in terms of accommodating students, educating Vogel et al, 1999), faculty members should understand
professors, and encouraging students to become self- that LD is a real and life-long condition and that those
advocates (Dowrick et al., 2005; Fichten, 1995). The students with LD have adequate intellectual capacities
results of the present study show that all of the partici- that have enabled them to get accepted by postsecond-
pants found the support services provided by the OSD ary education institutions (Rose, 1993).
very helpful. On the other hand, some of the students Attitudes are embedded in society and can only be
stated that the OSD should always play a mediating identifi ed by individuals who are willing to examine
role between the faculty and the student, while others their own conceptions (Söder, 1989). One of the ways
believed that students should also learn to advocate of working with negative attitudes towards students
for themselves. with disabilities that create signifi cant barriers to equal
Students shared that they worked on effectively educational opportunities is to educate instructors
managing their times, but could not meet the expec- and faculty members about disability and individual
tations and requirements that resulted in academic differences in general (Fichten, 1995). The presence
problems. According to the students, this challenge was of negative attitudes may be related to the fact that
both due to their unique disability characteristics and often faculty members have less contact with students
context-related factors such as a lack of understanding with disabilities in large institutions (Fichten, Amsel,
and negative attitudes of course instructors towards Robillard, Sabourin, & Wright, 1997). One of the par-
disability. Learned helplessness theory suggests that ticipants proposed the idea of having student panels to
students with disabilities may give up trying as a re- give voice to students with disabilities. Becoming more