Keywords

neurodiversity; self-advocacy; neurodevelopment disabilities; self-diagnosis; United States of America (USA)

Abstract

This thesis investigated the perceptions of accommodation efficacy held by students with neurodevelopmental disabilities at UCF (the University of Central Florida) to understand whether the current accommodations are adequate for those accessing them. Prior research has found that students with disabilities face many barriers when accessing proper accommodations.

Furthermore, even when they access them, the accommodations may fall short of what is needed. An online survey study was conducted to investigate student usage of and attitudes toward accommodations. The survey comprised five main sections: Demographics, Perceptions of Accommodations/Accommodations Received, Willingness to Disclose Disability Scale (WDD), Attitudes Toward Requesting Accommodations Scale (ATRA), and the Self-Determination and Self- Advocacy Skills Questionnaire (SDSAS). Disability offices can utilize the findings of this research to serve the disabled student body better.

The present research found that, from the responses of 118 students at UCF, the landscape of neurodivergence at UCF spans through 11 of the 13 colleges, and are a diverse group of individuals, a majority of whom use accommodations at UCF and rate them highly in terms of helpfulness. The most commonly accessed accommodations were extended time on tests and taking exams in a room with reduced distractions with scores above an eight out of ten possible points. Participants were asked what accommodations they believed would be of assistance to them and the most desired accommodations were a copy of the lecture notes and extended time on tests. It was found that students actively using accommodations had significantly more positive views of the overall process, were more likely to disclose their disability, and had higher self-reported skill levels regarding self-advocacy. Despite more positive outlooks from those using accommodations at UCF, the averages of scores show that there is still room for improvement regarding disability acceptance and self-advocacy, but that current accommodations are reportedly helpful.

Thesis Completion Year

2024

Thesis Completion Semester

Fall

Thesis Chair

McIntyre, Nancy

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Thesis Discipline

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Rights Statement

In Copyright