Advising Students with Intellectual Disabilities (SWIDs): Supporting Successful Academic Integration
Michael Houdyshell, Ph.D. Florida Gulf Coast University
Alyssa Sanabria, Ed.D., Florida Gulf Coast University
On-campus postsecondary programs like comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs are working with higher education professionals like academic advisors to support and increase the successful academic integration of Students with Intellectual Disabilities (SWIDs) on campus. Research has shown how advising increases retention, graduation, and overall student success for students, and SWIDs should be no different. Data from this poster contributes to the sparse research on how best to support the success of SWIDs within the academic advising community and beyond in higher education.
Rethinking Access and Equity in the College Classroom: The DHH Cohort Model
Julie Bradley, M.S., Mt. San Antonio College
Faculty members from Mt. San Antonio College offer the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) cohort model as a forward-thinking classroom design that facilitates equitable outcomes in DHH student learning experiences. The poster sheds light on this vibrant student community's experience with educational inequities in higher education and discusses how the DHH cohort model fosters equitable outcomes, such as enhanced academic performance, accessibility, inclusivity, and student autonomy.
Tips for Delivering an Accessible Presentation
Lyla Crawford, M.S., DO-IT, University of Washington
When you deliver a presentation at a conference, in an academic class, or at a meeting, you want everyone in attendance to understand the points you are making. However, many presenters unintentionally erect barriers for some attendees. This poster will present 16 guidelines that provide a good start for those who wish to make their presentations accessible.
Exploring Student Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Context of Campus Spaces
Cathy Malcolm Edwards, M.Des., Carleton University
This study explores how post-secondary students' coping strategies potentially influence their choice of campus spaces in response to various emotions, addressing a critical gap in understanding the connection between the built environment and student mental health. The research investigates how students select or avoid specific campus areas based on their emotional states and the rationale behind these decisions.
Three main motivations underpin this research. Firstly, the substantial time students spend in the campus built environment raises questions about how these spaces impact their mental health. Secondly, the alarming mental health crisis among students underscores the necessity of examining how the built environment affects their well-being. Lastly, post-secondary institutions, have a fiduciary responsibility for student health and safety, which offers a unique context for study.
The results have the potential to guide the development of future initiatives within post-secondary campuses aimed at bolstering student mental health support.
Engaging Autistic Students in STEM
John Zilvinskis, Ph.D., Binghamton University
Using data from the 2021 National Survey of Student Engagement, our team measured how student background, co-curricular activities, engagement, and high-impact practice participation statistically and practically related to sense of belonging and supportive environments for autistic STEM students. We then compared these regression results to similar models for students with other disabilities and non-disable respondents, providing and understanding of the shared and divergent factors that are related to improved campus environments.
Exploring Disability Supports for Students with Intellectual Disability in Higher Education
Clare Papay, Ph.D., Institute for Community Inclusion
Meg Grigal, Ph.D., Institute for Community Inclusion
This poster presents findings from an electronic survey conducted to gather information on the prevalence of students with intellectual disability taking standard college classes, and the types of disability resource office and campus supports available to them. The survey was distributed to disability resource professionals across the United States. Results provide insight into supports available for this student population, as well as gaps in resources that could be addressed by colleges and universities. Implications for policy and practice will be discussed, highlighting areas where further research is needed to support the success of students with intellectual disability in higher education.
Empowering Diverse d/Deaf Voices: A Journey of Inclusion on Campus
Annette Wu, Yale-NUS College
Kimberly Quek, Yale-NUS College
Zahra Lalani, Yale-NUS College
Two d/Deaf students from different corners of the world are brought together during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic at university in Singapore. Facing numerous challenges at their institution, the students approach their administration with a pitch to change note-taking systems and hold a lip-reading challenge, launching a 3-year journey of d/Deaf allyship programming. This poster presentation will chart the students’ growth as campus leaders in inclusion, from promoting clear masks, to holding weekly sign language lunch tables, to changing institutional policies on accessibility. Participants will gain examples of innovative student-led programming and successful collaborations between an accessibility support office and student leaders.
What We’ve Learned Implementing an Intermediary Support Program
JT Sangsland, M.Ed., University of Michigan Medical School
Jensen Whitmore, B.A., University of Michigan Medical School
At the University of Michigan Medical School, our team implemented an intermediary support program that began with one phrase "intermediary support", went through several iterations and now serves multiple students across the clinical curriculum. Our poster presentation will include what we learned in legal review, what preparations were needed prior to clerkships, and our key partnerships with ADA and central campus students support services.
Using ChatGPT to Create Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Responsive Classroom Activities
Bridget Green, Ed.D., Duquesne University
Jaleah Robinson, Ph.D., Duquesne University
Christopher Harris, Ph.D., Duquesne University
Within Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), we as educators take up the responsibility of equipping college students with skills essential to engage with diverse individuals, facilitate respectful exchanging of ideas and values, and engage in meaningful learning and growth. Supporting a range of student needs while managing other demands and pressures can leave teachers lacking time for thoughtful planning and meaningful collaboration. In this poster, we discuss how we used ChatGPT to meet the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and ensure students have access to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP).
Where is the Field Now?: A Systematic Review of Intersectional Approaches to Disability Policy
Kara Seidel, M.S., University of Maryland
Higher Education Institutions are uniquely situated as they are and always will be in demand in society. With the recent increase in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, the A, or Ability, component is often left out of messaging. Furthermore, it is common for universities to consider identity categories as separate, finite entities. Despite calls for theoretical and practical expansion into intersectional lenses, neither scholars nor practitioners have adopted this lens.
Steeped in higher education and disability policy fields, I conduct a systematic review of disability policy in higher education, especially concerning overlapping oppressions. Ray’s (2019) racialized organization theory, based in sociology, rationalizes this work, as it underscores why universities in particular are built on whiteness and require intersectional and interdisciplinary analyses. Having these frames in mind, I ask: How are scholars examining overlapping identities within disability policy? What methodologies are they using?
Intersecting Dis/abled and Cultural Identities: Foreign-born Students with Dis/abilities
Jewls Griesmeyer-Krentz, M.A., C.R.C, Oregon State University, Willamette University / Pacific Northwest College of Art
Dis/abled Students must first self-identify as having a dis/ability in order to receive services in postsecondary settings. In other words, they have to adopt and negotiate a dis/ability identity. When a student with a disability moves from one country to another, they may have to reconcile a new construction of dis/ability identity with their cultural identity. This poster presents research findings from a study that uses DisCrit to explore the intersectional identity development of foreign-born Dis/abled students as they access postsecondary dis/ability services.
Factors That Influence College Graduation for Autistic Students
Sarah F. Parsons, Ed.D., CAGS, M.Ed., Plymouth State University
The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), reports that 35.2% of students living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) graduate from four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities within 6 years of enrollment. This rate is noticeably lower than for students living without a disability (42.4%). This instrumental case study sought to understand the factors contributing to this phenomenon from the perspective of the students themselves. This study is significant because of its reliance on data provided by autistic students about their postsecondary experience and analyzes the data through the conceptual framework of college readiness and disability theory.