DescriptionIncreasingly, students with disabilities are attending college and using accommodations to ensure equal access to academics and college life. Students with disabilities have insight into their accommodations, have opinions on the instructional practices that support their learning, and have thoughts about the abrupt transition to remote education in the spring of 2020. Relatively few studies explored the impact of accommodations and the academic experience from the student's perspective. Often, college disability service offices approve accommodations without knowing how they influence the students’ educational access.
A mixed-method study was conducted to explore the experience of students approved for academic accommodations through the Office of Disability Services at a northeast public research university. Sixteen college students who utilized approved academic accommodations for at least one semester agreed to be interviewed. Three interviewees also participated in a focus group to explore emergent interview themes. In addition, responses to questions from the institution’s 2020 Office of Disability Services (ODS) student survey were analyzed. The following research questions were explored:
1. How do students with disabilities describe their experience using academic accommodations?
2.According to students, how do accommodations facilitate academic access?
3.What instructional methods do students identify as supportive of learning?
4.How do students describe their transition to remote learning during the spring 2020 semester?
The interview and focus group participants stated that accommodations had a positive academic impact, provided access, and allowed them to demonstrate their learning. Although the participants identified a range of supportive instructional practices, there was no consensus on specific methods. Supportive instruction for some participants was considered a hindrance for others. Similarly, the transition to remote learning removed academic barriers for some and created obstacles for others. There was consensus on the need for flexibility, but the participants needed the flexibility differently. This study illustrated the diversity among a subset of the university community and the value of having multiple options to create an inclusive learning environment.