Beyond disability as weakness: Perspectives from students with disabilities

Abstract

Little research in physics education has explored the experiences of postsecondary students with disabilities (SWDs). Perspectives on disability vary in the extent to which they locate disability within the individual or within society. We conducted interviews with SWDs to explore their perspectives on disability and their experiences in STEM-specific courses. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified how the participants' experiences of impairment impacted their learning, often resulting in use of accommodations, such as extra test time. While accommodations allowed the participants to demonstrate content mastery, accommodation use also made them susceptible to disability stigma from peers and instructors who held an individual view of disability. Participants expressed that these feelings of stigma led them to value confidentiality. We argue that instructors who hold a social perspective of disability are in a better position to address barriers in the learning environment and to support SWDs.