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Board 116: Experiences of Engineering Students with Disabilities

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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

Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY) Poster Session

Tagged Divisions

Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/46672

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Paper Authors

biography

Isabel Miller University of Michigan

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Isabel Miller (she/her) is pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education Research at the University of Michigan. She received her BS and MS degrees in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is interested in the researching the experiences of students with disabilities.

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biography

Karin Jensen University of Michigan Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-9456-5042

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Karin Jensen, Ph.D. (she/her) is an assistant professor in biomedical engineering and engineering education research at the University of Michigan. Her research interests include mental health and wellness, engineering student career pathways, and engagement of engineering faculty in engineering education research.

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Abstract

The purpose of this WIP research paper is to explore and describe the experiences of engineering students with disabilities. Students with invisible or non-apparent disabilities, including learning disabilities and mental health challenges, can be reluctant to ask for accommodations or disclose to instructors their disability. Engineering students in particular may be less likely to seek help or self-identify as having a disability because of culture within engineering. This work is framed by Critical Disability Theory. We use the word “disability” broadly to account for medically diagnosed disabilities and disablement by social and environmental factors. In this model, disabilities exist due to institutional structures in place and not because of the individual themselves. The following work investigates how language and attitudes presented by the instructor influences a student’s attitude towards accommodations and their utilization. Using a convergent mixed methods approach, surveys containing the Attitudes Towards Requesting Accommodations (ATRA) scale and free response items were distributed to approximately 7,600 undergraduate engineering students at a large, public, research-intensive institution in the Midwest after the first week of class to assess their experiences. Video lectures and syllabi were collected from faculty members who taught an engineering course at the same institution in the same semester. This paper will explore the initial findings from the student survey. Data from this work provides valuable insight into the experiences of engineering students with disabilities as they navigate the accommodations process, with special focus on the influence of instructor actions and language. We hope this work can be utilized by faculty and administration to help improve student retention, success, and wellness in engineering.

Miller, I., & Jensen, K. (2024, June), Board 116: Experiences of Engineering Students with Disabilities Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46672

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