Student Experiences Utilizing Disability Support Services in a University Setting

Students with disabilities are a growing population in post-secondary institutions, yet present poorer academic outcomes compared to students without disabilities. The current study examined university students' own perceptions and experiences with disability support services (SDS) including how helpful they found the accommodations they were granted, how regularly they visited SDS and the purpose of their visits, in what ways SDS had been useful, and their recommendations for improving SDS. We also examined the relationship between the number of visits to SDS and grade point average (GPA). The findings indicated that students visited SDS an average of 4.7 times a semester for a variety of reasons but primarily to establish their accommodations. There was a significant relationship between number of visits to SDS and GPA. Results indicated that services provided through SDS were not fully utilized and students highlighted a number of areas for improvement. With increased awareness and accessibility of these services, students with disabilities in university settings may have improved academic outcomes. Keywords: students with disabilities, post-secondary education, disability services ********** Students with disabilities are attending post-secondary institutions in greater numbers than in the past with 55% of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) sample reporting post-secondary enrollment after high-school (Sanford et al., 2011). While federal policies such as the No Child Life Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) have provided students with disabilities more opportunities to pursue higher education, they still face significant barriers in achieving academic success and are less likely to graduate compared to students without disabilities (Sanford et al., 2011). Students most commonly present with specific learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), psychological or psychiatric conditions, or health impairment/ conditions (Raue & Lewis, 2011). Given the unique academic and non-academic challenges experienced by students with disabilities in higher education, strategies which improve access, success and retention are now receiving increased attention. Federal policies require post-secondary institutions to provide accommodations for students with disabilities to support their academic needs. Depending on their disability and specific eligibility, accommodations may include extended time for exams, having a note taker during class, or taking an exam verbally as opposed to a written format (Egan & Giuliano, 2009). Post-secondary institutions reported providing students with disabilities the following types of accommodations: extra exam time (93%), note takers in class (77%), assignments or notes given by faculty (72%), assistance with learning or studying techniques (72%), different exam styles (71%), and adaptive equipment and technology (70%) (Raue & Lewis, 2011). Although services are often in place, barriers to accessing them are multi-layered including concerns surrounding disclosure, navigating the process for requesting accommodations, and the substantial changes between accessing disability related services in college compared to high school (Hamblet, 2014). Research is limited in analyzing the overall experience of accessing disability support services in post-secondary settings from the perspective of students with disabilities themselves. A notable exception is a recent study by Hong (2015) who used reflective journaling to examine the anecdotal experiences of 16 college students with disabilities. Prominent themes identified as barriers and frustrations for these students were faculty perception, fit of advisors, college stressors, and quality of support services. The current study focused on this latter area and examined students' own perceptions and experiences with disability support services. …