Accommodations for Disabled Students in STEM Fields: Research Considerations and a Literature Review

Sage Maul; Kirsten A. Davis; Senay Purzer; Ruth Wertz

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Breaking barriers, building futures: Narratives of equity and inclusion in STEM education
Tagged Divisions: Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46515

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Paper Authors

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Sage Maul Purdue University

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Sage Maul (they/them) is a third year PhD student in Purdue University's School of Engineering Education. Sage's research explores structural factors on student experiences for disabled students and in electrical and computer engineering courses. Sage graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue and worked in industry for 5 years before starting graduate school. Their experiences with accommodations in undergrad and getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult inform their research work.

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Kirsten A. Davis Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0002-9929-5587

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Kirsten Davis is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her research explores the intentional design and assessment of global engineering programs, student development through experiential learning, and approaches for teaching and assessing systems thinking skills. Kirsten holds a B.S. in Engineering & Management from Clarkson University and an M.A.Ed. in Higher Education, M.S. in Systems Engineering, and Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Virginia Tech.

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Senay Purzer Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0003-0784-6079

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Senay Purzer is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her research is on engineering design reasoning.

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Ruth Wertz Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0002-9698-3392

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Dr. Wertz has earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Trine University, a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education.

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Abstract

Disabled students are underrepresented in engineering and other STEM fields, and one significant influence on their undergraduate education can be their experience seeking and receiving accommodations. Unfortunately, research suggests that STEM programs can be less supportive of accommodations and sometimes extremely unwelcoming to disabled students [1], [2]. Improving the system of accommodations in STEM education is an important step to improving inclusion for disabled students. However, little research within engineering education has focused on accommodations specifically. The purpose of our paper is to present a literature review on accommodations research in the broader education literature, identify gaps in what is known, and identify opportunities for future work within the STEM education space. As part of our proposals for future research, we will also highlight considerations for researchers looking to explore disabled student participation in postsecondary spaces. We will define disability and describe our choice to use both identity- and person-first language. We will discuss our choice to prioritize research that highlights disabled student voices. Our literature review will explore: which disabilities have been the focus of research in higher education; problematic practices that require increased disabled student self-advocacy rather than systemic changes; the reasons for students’ reluctance to use accommodations; the weaknesses of the accommodations approach; and suggestions for moving beyond accommodations. We will conclude by identifying gaps in the research and suggested areas for future research related to accommodations in STEM education. Bibliography: [1] Y. P. Weatherton, R. D. Mayes, and C. Villanueva-Perez, “Barriers to persistence for engineering students with disabilities,” presented at the ASEE, Columbus, Ohio: ASEE Conferences, Jun. 2017. doi: 10.18260/1-2--27650. [2] C. McCall, A. Shew, D. R. Simmons, M. C. Paretti, and L. D. McNair, “Exploring student disability and professional identity: navigating sociocultural expectations in U.S. undergraduate civil engineering programs,” Australas. J. Eng. Educ., vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 79–89, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1080/22054952.2020.1720434.

Citation
Format

Maul, S., & Davis, K. A., & Purzer, S., & Wertz, R. (2024, June), Accommodations for Disabled Students in STEM Fields: Research Considerations and a Literature Review Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46515

TY - CPAPER
AB - Disabled students are underrepresented in engineering and other STEM fields, and one significant influence on their undergraduate education can be their experience seeking and receiving accommodations. Unfortunately, research suggests that STEM programs can be less supportive of accommodations and sometimes extremely unwelcoming to disabled students [1], [2]. Improving the system of accommodations in STEM education is an important step to improving inclusion for disabled students. However, little research within engineering education has focused on accommodations specifically. The purpose of our paper is to present a literature review on accommodations research in the broader education literature, identify gaps in what is known, and identify opportunities for future work within the STEM education space.
As part of our proposals for future research, we will also highlight considerations for researchers looking to explore disabled student participation in postsecondary spaces. We will define disability and describe our choice to use both identity- and person-first language. We will discuss our choice to prioritize research that highlights disabled student voices.
Our literature review will explore: which disabilities have been the focus of research in higher education; problematic practices that require increased disabled student self-advocacy rather than systemic changes; the reasons for students’ reluctance to use accommodations; the weaknesses of the accommodations approach; and suggestions for moving beyond accommodations.
We will conclude by identifying gaps in the research and suggested areas for future research related to accommodations in STEM education.
Bibliography:
[1] Y. P. Weatherton, R. D. Mayes, and C. Villanueva-Perez, “Barriers to persistence for engineering students with disabilities,” presented at the ASEE, Columbus, Ohio: ASEE Conferences, Jun. 2017. doi: 10.18260/1-2--27650.
[2] C. McCall, A. Shew, D. R. Simmons, M. C. Paretti, and L. D. McNair, “Exploring student disability and professional identity: navigating sociocultural expectations in U.S. undergraduate civil engineering programs,” Australas. J. Eng. Educ., vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 79–89, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1080/22054952.2020.1720434.
AU - Sage Maul
AU - Kirsten A. Davis
AU - Senay Purzer
AU - Ruth Wertz
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Accommodations for Disabled Students in STEM Fields: Research Considerations and a Literature Review
UR - https://peer.asee.org/46515
ER -