Students with Disabilities' Self-Report on Perceptions toward Disclosing Disability and Faculty's Willingness to Provide Accommodations.

Abstract

Perceptions of students with disabilities toward faculty willingness to provide accommodations and students' willingness to disclose a disability were investigated in a sample of undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities (n=141) at a large mid-Atlantic university. Results revealed that most students felt their professors were willing to provide accommodations. High levels of students perceived instructors' willingness to provide accommodations were associated with high students' willingness to disclose a disability. However, the students seemed to be unwilling to disclose their disability. Furthermore, rated past student experiences relative to requesting for accommodations was highly correlated with both perceived instructors' willingness to provide accommodations and students' willingness to disclose a disability. Implications for rehabilitation counselors working with students with disabilities and future research are discussed.