Mikalik, T. L. (2023). Influences on perceptions of students with disabilities regarding services and supports rendered at their collegiate institution (Publication No. 30560952) [Doctoral dissertation, West Virginia University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://doi.org/10.33915/etd.11798

Also located on U webpage https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/11798

Perceptions of academic services and supports—including exam-related accommodations such as extended time, oral delivery, and separate low-distraction test setting—were elicited from postsecondary students with various disabilities.

Postsecondary students (n=8) with disabilities from a university in a northeastern state in the U.S. participated. Six participants were enrolled in undergraduate coursework and two participants were seeking Masters-level graduate degrees. Demographic data were reported, along with their academic fields. Participants' disabilities included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, learning disabilities, medical conditions including those affecting mobility and stamina, mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, and trauma-related conditions including traumatic brain injury.

Student survey and interview questions pertained to their experiences of having disabilities and making use of services and supports throughout their educational careers, along with their decisions to seek academic assistance in the postsecondary setting. Participants generated timelines to describe their disability experiences and individual support-seeking processes.

Most participants reported using test-related accommodations, including extended time (n=6), low-distraction specialized setting (n=5), and "auditory testing" (n=1); the other two participants accessed other academic supports without exam accommodations. All participants reported that the accommodations and other supports were vital to their academic success, and some noted that when choosing not to use accommodations it was nevertheless reassuring that they were available if needed. While some participants had used accommodations during their K–12 education, others had not been provided access to accommodations during their K–12 education, and some participants had only recently developed conditions requiring academic accommodations. Participants indicated that they had experiences of disability-related stigmatization, yet nearly all had no reluctance to seek academic accommodations.