Hotline: Students with Disabilities Speak Out!

Hotline: Students with Disabilities Speak Out! Natalie Martiniello1, Maria Barile1, Jillian Budd1, Mai N. Nguyen1, Catherine S. Fichten1,2 1 AdaptechResearch Network 2 Dawson College Presentation at the AQICESH ConferenceMontreal, Quebec, June 6, 2012

Introduction • Adaptech Research Network • The Study: What & Why • Team Members • Funder: SSHRC/CRSH

Agenda • Methodology • Pre-Employment • Self-Management and Course Workload • Disability Related Academic/Access Supports • Financial Concerns • Access to Information/Environment • Recommendations

Methodology • Academic retention of postsecondary students with disabilities and graduation • Data collected in 2010 and 2011 • Online questionnaire • Open-ended question: “Please indicate any other issues related to your education and/or job search experiences that are important to you.”

How Responses Were Evaluated • A coding manual was developed • Two coders • Coded up to 3 comments • 10 distinct categories • Categories of comments coded as • Positive or negative • Based on how comments were written

Open Ended Demographics • 397 participants • Female: 67% • Male: 33% • English: 70% • French: 30% • Provided up to 3 comments • 497 comments total

Academic Status • 75% Current students • 20% Recent graduates (past 2 years) No longer studying • 5% Leavers (left without completing their program)

Ranking by % of Responses • Negative • Pre-employment concerns 23% • Self-management and course workload 17% • Disability related academic/access supports 17% • Accessing information/school environments 7% • Financial barriers due to disability 7% • Positive • Disability related academic/access supports 7% • Self-management and course workload 2%

Pre-Employment - Negative “I am very concerned about having a job, because I don't foresee there existing any job flexible enough to accommodate me.”

Pre-Employment - Negative • Top concern • 22.9% of the responses • 20% of current students • 38% of graduates • 14% of leavers • Specific concerns • Accommodations • Disability disclosure • Need for interview and job readiness skills

Pre-Employment - Negative • Of greatest concern to • Those with speech/communication and hearing impairments • Participants with low vision (33%) vs. participants who are blind (22%) • Participants in career/technical and professional programs • Female participants (25%) vs. male participants (20%)

Self-Management and Course Workload - Negative “I wish [the] disability services would concentrate not only on the accessibility issues on campus, but also how to live with a disability in our academic and professional lives.”

Self-Management and Course Workload - Negative • Awareness of difficulties in managing one’s course load • 17% of the comments were negative • 20% of females, 12% of males • 2% of comments about their workload were positive

Disability Related Academic / Access Supports - Negative “They seem NOT to understand that if someone is ill with pain, the last thing they need to add to their already hard-to-balance schedule and life is another doctor's appointment for something that is already registered with Disability Services.”

Disability Related Academic / Access Supports - Negative • Poor services provided by the OSD, individual professors, and the university at large • Availability • Negatively perceived by 67 participants (19% of females, 13% of males) • Some professors view accommodations as lowering standards • Teaching assistants often unequipped to accommodate

Disability Related Academic / Access Supports - Negative • Onerous documentation and "proof" requirements • Lack of assistive technology and training • 7% females and 6% of males offered positive comments • 7% of comments received about Disability Related Academic/Access Supports were positive

Disability Related Academic / Access Supports - Positive “The accessibility services at [U of XX] have made my university career much easier and much more enjoyable”

Access to Information / Environments - Negative “I find waiting for textbooks for courses to be converted to PDF format or having to buy new books so that we can get them converted is wrong […]. The lack of audio books, and the lack of digital books for research (so that we can use our programs to read them) is a challenge.”

Access to Information / Environments - Negative • Mentioned by 8.1% of respondents • English: 6%, French: 10% • Negative comments from 8% of current students, 4% of graduates, 5% of leavers • Physical barriers (inside and outside) • Difficulty accessing course materials

Financial Concerns - Negative « Au niveau de l'aide financière aux études, ces formes d'aide financière (bourses) ne reflètent plus la réalité monétaire de nos besoins de base : loyer, électricité, chauffage, téléphone, Internet, assurances, nourriture et passe d'autobus… »

Financial Concerns - Negative • Disability-related financial concerns as a hindrance for • 7% of current students • 8% of graduates • 14% of leavers • Leavers expressed the most concern about financial burdens caused by disability

Recommendations

Pre Employment • Inform students about employment counselling services and other organizations • Provide interview skills workshops • Consider mentorship opportunities

Workload Management • Organize study skills workshops • Stress management support • Importance of time management • Importance of obtaining course material in advance • Inform that reduced load is available for “full time” students

Disability Related Academic / Access Supports • Public education: disability awareness and universal design instructions • Training on adaptive and general use information and communication technologies

Financial Concerns • Provide information about bursary programs and scholarships for students with disabilities • Provide help with complex government forms • Educate students about free and inexpensive adaptive software

Access to Information and School Environments • Encourage professors to finalize course material in advance • Encourage publishers to provide alternative formats • Educate students about adaptive technology (e.g. scanning software) • Advocate for universal design from the start (e.g. school websites)

Universal Design: Built Environment • Accessibility starts in the parking lot • Choice of classroom set up • Quiet places for studying and exams • Environmental sensitivity issues

Universal Design: Built Environment • Management issues • Snow-free ramps • Working elevators • Keep accessible spaces free

Universal Design of Instruction • Learn the benefits & limitations of UDI • Create links with diversity of students in your institutions • Be flexible in required paper work • Create links with community resources that can assist students

Universal Design of Instruction • Advise faculty to: • Provide their course outline in print & online from the first class • Hold flexible office hours and use different meeting methods (in person, phone, MSN, etc.) • Indicate an openness to any discussion related to courses to all their students • Provide an estimate of costs of various course materials

Universal Design of Instruction • Assist students to communicate directly with faculty and other institutional personnel • Address students’ concerns

Universal Design of Instruction • Encourage the administration to provide workshops on • The needs of diverse student populations (based on gender, culture, disability, learning style, etc.) • Understand how to apply UDI at all levels of the educational institution

Questions • Have you noticed similar concerns in your institution/country? • How have these been addressed?

This project was funded by

Adaptech Research Network Authors Natalie Martiniello,Maria Barile, Jillian Budd,Mai N. Nguyen,Catherine S. Fichten

Information Natalie Martiniello nmartiniello@dawsoncollege.qc.ca Maria Barile mbarile@dawsoncollege.qc.ca AdaptechResearch Network www.adaptech.org To downloadthispresentation: http://dc160.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/adapt2/Presentations/MartinielloAQICESH2012.pdf

Hotline: Students with Disabilities Speak Out!