Wrage, J. (2017). Understanding the perceptual divide between students with disabilities, faculty and administration in an open enrollment environment (Publication No. 10276943) [Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Albany]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1906270126

State University of New York at Albany; ProQuest document ID: 1906270126

Accommodations were not specified in advance of this investigation. The experiences of postsecondary students with disabilities, faculty members, and disability services office directors were investigated broadly; their experiences pertaining to accessing, providing, and assisting with accommodations were emphasized in this summary.

Three participant groups—17 faculty members, 14 postsecondary students with disabilities, and 2 disability services office directors—from open enrollment community colleges in the State University of New York system were interviewed during the 2014–2015 academic year. Faculty members were mostly (82%) employed on a full-time basis at their community colleges, yet some were adjunct or part-time instructors; faculty participants averaged 22 years of teaching experience, with 59% having taught at the postsecondary level for at least 20 years. Faculty participants taught courses in humanities such as fine arts and history, STEM fields such as math and nursing, and various other fields such as criminal justice. Students with disabilities were pursuing degrees in one of five majors: business administration, liberal arts, human services, criminal justice, and art education. Many students were in their second year of academic enrollment, although some were in their first or third year, and a few in their fourth year. Their individual disabilities were not reported. The administrator participants had backgrounds in psychology; they reported that their two community colleges had approximately 400 students with disabilities and approximately 585 students with disabilities.

Three sets of 25 interview questions were developed by the researcher, one set of 25 items for each of the three participant groups. Several questions addressed overall learning experiences (for students), and teaching experiences (for faculty). The directors of disability services offices were asked about their experiences with providing support for students with disabilities and providing professional training and information for faculty members. Questions probed the attitudes and perceptions of the participant groups toward one another. Each participant group was asked about positive experiences and about difficulties with seeking, providing, or assisting with academic accommodations.

Accommodations were not examined in terms of their specific identification, or the particulars of their provision, two exam accommodations were mentioned most frequently: extended time and individual administration in a separate testing room. Accommodations, in terms of the request process and their provision in community college courses, were a source of conflict in the relationships between faculty members and students with disabilities. [Faculty perceptions of accommodations] Three themes emerged: (a) the predominance of extended testing time, (b) the presumption of faculty determination of appropriate accommodations, and (c) the perceived hardship of arranging for accommodations. [Student perceptions of accommodations] A central theme emerged: students with disabilities were being refused accommodations by faculty members who had determined that students did not need accommodations, leading to self-consciousness and insecurities. The researcher noted the significant impact of being denied accommodations: "In effect, not receiving reasonable accommodations can jeopardize a disabled student's ability to succeed in college" (p. 87). According to the disability services office directors, faculty members who had formed ongoing working relationships with disability services directors have typically communicated positive perceptions of the disability services offices at their community college, while faculty members who did not seem to support or understand the provision of accommodations have tended to communicate critical views of disability services. Disability services directors noted that students with disabilities have tended to remark positively on their experiences with disability services offices when they have approached the office early in their postsecondary careers, and have tended to express more negative criticism when they were in more urgent academic stress later in an academic term.