Academic support experiences and perceptions of postsecondary stu

Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CGU Theses & Dissertations CGU Student Scholarship 2013 Academic Support Experiences and Perceptions of Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: A Public and Private University Comparision Heather T. Wizikowski Claremont Graduate University Recommended Citation Wizikowski, Heather T., "Academic Support Experiences and Perceptions of Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: A Public and Private University Comparision" (2013). CGU Theses & Dissertations.edu/cgu_etd/76 DOI: 10.5642/cguetd/76 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the CGU Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in CGU Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont.

For more information, please contact scholarship@cuc.   Academic Support Experiences and Perceptions of Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: A Public and Private University Comparison by Heather Taylor Wizikowski A final project submitted to the Faculty of Claremont Graduate University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education. Claremont Graduate University 2013 © Copyright Heather Taylor Wizikowski, 2013 All rights reserved.       APPROVAL OF THE REVIEW COMMITTEE This dissertation has been duly read, reviewed, and critiqued by the Committee listed below, which hereby approves the manuscript of Heather Taylor Wizikowski as fulfilling the scope and quality requirements for meriting the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education.

Deborah Deutsch Smith, Chair Claremont Graduate University Professor Sue Mortorff Robb Claremont Graduate University Professor Scott Thomas Claremont Graduate University Dean Bianca Montrosse Moorhead Western Carolina University Assistant Professor       Abstract Academic Support Experiences and Perceptions of Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: A Public and Private University Comparison by Heather Taylor Wizikowski Claremont Graduate University: 2013 Legislation, social awareness, and advancements in medicine and assistive technology have created meaningful postsecondary opportunities for students with disabilities over the past 30 years. Mainstreaming, inclusion, and transition planning in elementary and secondary schools also greatly contributed to the increased achievement of students with disabilities. Today, 15% of students with disabilities attend four-year colleges. Current federal data show 88% of private and 99% of public universities report students with disabilities enrolled at their institutions.

Much of the current research focuses on institutional practice and need. There is a gap in the research when looking at student needs and experiences. This quantitative dissertation study analyzed the relationships between student perceptions, self-advocacy awareness and confidence levels, and available disability accommodations at two institutions of higher learning, one public and one private. One hundred and thirteen undergraduate students with disabilities completed an online survey.

Thirty-four respondents attend the private university, and 79 respondents attend the public university. Descriptive and associative statistics were analyzed for comparative experiences between the two settings, knowledge and confidence of self-advocacy skills, and relationships between these variables and disclosure patterns.       The sample population of undergraduate students with disabilities appears to have similar experiences. In both settings, public and private, students have similar identification patterns, accommodation experiences, and support experiences.

Students in both settings are satisfied with their academic support office and staff. The accommodations students find useful are alternative exam formats, documentation sent to faculty, and registration assistance. Students report having an awareness of and confidence using self-advocacy skills, but have had little to no training in these skills. Students report weak understanding of their legal rights, disability, and accommodations.

Students also report poor transition experiences from secondary to postsecondary education, a finding that matches current research. Transition planning at the secondary level must be purposeful in preparing students for four-year college settings when appropriate. Students need self-advocacy skills and disability awareness training before transitioning to postsecondary settings. Future research should also include revisiting the usefulness of accommodations offered in postsecondary settings, studying effective transition models, and looking at the relationship between self-advocacy confidence levels and postsecondary retention rates.

        Dedication To my girls, Paloma and Vivian, may you always grow in love and strength.       Acknowledgements I would like to first acknowledge my dissertation committee. I appreciate your individual strengths and talents and how they have been integral to my own growth as an academic. Thank you Deb, for teaching me about being strong in my beliefs and in being meticulous in my work.

Thank you also for the immeasurable opportunity I received during my time at IRIS. Thank you, Sue, for always having a kind ear and reminding me about the importance of balance. Thank you, Scott, for saving the day when I suddenly needed a new committee member and doing so with such enthusiasm and engaging commentary. Bianca, I will be eternally grateful for your patience and guidance through statistical analysis, you truly have a gift.

I would like to acknowledge my wonderful family. Mom and Dad, thank you for instilling in me a love of learning and for teaching me that I should better myself through education for the benefit of the greater good. Thank you also for the priceless and selfless gift of being there whenever your granddaughters or I need you. You made all this possible in so many, many ways.

To my sister, Tori, even though the miles separate us, you are always there when I needed to talk something through and I couldn’t be more grateful. To my husband, Paul, I appreciate all the sacrifices you have made to get me to this point. Thank you for being both flexible and strong in the right doses, just when I needed each. Paloma and Vivian, you have made so many small sacrifices because of my work.

I hope that through the sacrifice I have asked of you, I have taught you a bit about reaching for the stars and being your own women. vi       Thank you to my IRIS family. Jackie and Jen, you became such wonderful friends and such an amazing support system for me at a time when I really needed it. Thank you, Michael, for being so understanding through this process.

I would also like to acknowledge Dawn Hunter. Thank you for believing in my potential long before I could see it. You are a wonderfully compassionate academic whom I have learned so much from over the years. Thank you also to all the men and women who helped make this study possible.

Thank you to the disability offices at both colleges for being so supportive of my research. And a huge thank you to the students who participated in the survey. I only hope that I did your responses justice. vii       Table of Contents Chapter One: Statement of the Problem ………………………………………………… 12 Background ……………………………………………………………………….… 22 Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ……………………………………………….… 24 Impact of IDEA and Other Legislation on Postsecondary Education …………….… 25 Campus Climate: Faculty, Disability Support Services, and Professional Development Considerations …………………………………………………………………….… 27 Accommodations and Services at the Four-Year Postsecondary Level ……….

33 Self-Advocacy: Necessary Skills and Adolescent Development Considerations …. 37 Chapter Three: Methodology ……………………………………………………….… 44 Data Collection Procedures ………………………………………………………. 51 Chapter Four: Results ……………………………………………………………………. 53 viii       Chapter Five: Background, Discussion, and Recommendations ………………….

97 Recommendations for Secondary Settings …………………………………. 98 Recommendations for Postsecondary Settings ………………………………….… 99 Recommendations for Future Research ………………………………………. 100 References ………………………………………………………………………………… 102 Appendix A: Definition of Terms ………………………………………………………. 112 Appendix B: AHEAD Disability Support Program Standards and Performance Indicators ………………………………………………………………………………….

115 Appendix C: Online Survey …………………………………………………….……… 129 Appendix D: Participant Recruitment Email ………………………………….……… 149 ix       List of Tables Table 1. Percentage of Disabilities Reported by Four-year Degree Granting Postsecondary Institutions that Enrolled Students with Disabilities, by Disability Category and College of Attendance, 2008-2009 ………………………………………………. Percentage of Four-year Degree Granting Institutions Enrolling Students with Disabilities That Provided Various Services or Accommodations to Students with Disabilities, by College of Attendance, 2008-2009 ………………………………. Undergraduate Student Population Characteristics from Sampled Universities; 2011………………………………………………………………….

Descriptive Analyses of Demographic Characteristics of Undergraduate Respondents ……………………………………………………………………. Descriptive Analyses of Reported Disability Categories by College of Attendance …………………………………………………………………………. Descriptive Analyses of Current Major by College of Attendance ……………. Descriptive and Associative Analyses of Whom Students Have Identified to at Their College by College of Attendance ………………………………………….

Descriptive Analyses of Precipitating Event That Led Students to Identify to Their College by College of Attendance ……………………………………. Descriptive Analyses of When Student Chose to Identify to Their College by College of Attendance ……………………………………………………. Descriptive and Associative Analyses of Accommodation Services Students Have Used by College of Attendance ……………………………………………. Descriptive and Associative Analyses of Student Perceived Usefulness of Accommodations ……………………………………………………………….

Descriptive and Associative Analysis of Student Satisfaction with Academic Support Office by College of Attendance …………………………………………………. Descriptive Analyses of Student Reported Services Currently Offered Through the Academic Support Office at Their College; Services Students Would Like to See Offered …………………………………………………………………. Associative Analyses of Student Reported Services Currently Offered Through the Academic Support Office at Their College; Services Students Would Like to See Offered ……………………………………………………………………………… 71 Table 15. Descriptive Analyses of Past Legal and Transition Education ……………….

Descriptive and Associative Analyses of Student Awareness of Self-Advocacy Skills Rating and Whom Students Have Identified to at Their College …………………… 85 Table 17. Descriptive and Associative Analyses of Student Confidence Using Self-Advocacy Skills Rating and Whom Students Have Identified to at Their College ………….… 86 xi       Chapter One: Statement of the Problem Background of Problem1 Civil rights legislation and social equity awareness, as well as advancements in assistive and informational technology, education and medicine have resulted in better outcomes for students with disabilities. The implementation of mainstreaming in elementary and secondary schools, placement in the least restrictive learning environment, and inclusion along with formal transition planning have helped foster greater high school completion rates and expectations for postsecondary education for students with disabilities (Brinckerhoff, McGuire, & Shaw, 2002). More than 60% of students receiving special education services spend more than 80% of their school day in general education classrooms (United States Department of Education [USDOE], 2012).

Increases in reading proficiency, more students with disabilities graduating with a high school diploma, and decreases in dropouts rates also account for increased opportunities for postsecondary enrollment for students with disabilities (USDOE, 2010). These positive outcomes create opportunities for better preparation for college and greater numbers of students with disabilities pursuing higher education (Burgstahler & Moore, 2009). Approximately 15% of all students with disabilities pursued four-year postsecondary education in 2010, compared to 37% of their typical peers (Sanford, et al. This percentage is up from 15% of students with disabilities pursuing any postsecondary education in 1987 (vocational or career training, two-year college, and four- year college combined) (USDOE, 2010).

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, along with the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments                                                                                                                 1  See Appendix A for a complete list of terms. 1     of 1997, increased the accessibility of postsecondary education for many students with disabilities (Crank & Deshler, 2001; National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports [NCSPES], 2005). Within two decades, the percentage of full-time college freshmen with disabilities increased from 2. Current federal data place the number attending college at 11% (United States Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2009).

Ninety-eight percent of four-year colleges in 2003 reported having at least one student with a disability (Johnson, Zascavage, & Gerber, 2008). Current federal data show 88% of private universities and 99% of public universities report students with verified disabilities enrolled at their institutions (Raue & Lewis, 2011). While the increase in the numbers of students with disabilities enrolling in postsecondary education is encouraging, the graduation rates are not (Shepler & Woosley, 2012). Federal data show that 29% of students with disabilities who enroll in four- year colleges receive a degree compared with 42% of their typical peers (Sanford, et al.