15+ years of research on college students with disabilities: Lessons learned and

shared by the Adaptech Research Network

Dawson College and Adaptech Research Network

Presentation at AQPC (Association québécoise de Pédagogie Collégiale), June, 2013.

Fichten, C.S., Barile, M., Asuncion, J., Abrami, A., Alapin, I., Amsel, R., Arcuri, R., Budd, J., Chauvin, A., Chwojka, C., Ferraro, V., Fiset, D., Fossey, M., Gaulin, C., Généreux, C.,

Gutberg, J., Havel, A., Heiman, T., Hewlett, M., James, C., King, L., Jorgensen, M., Jorgensen, S., Juhel, J-C., King, L., Lamb, D., Landry, M-E., Martiniello, N., Mimouni, Z.,

Nguyen, M.N., Raymond, O., Robillard, C., Schipper, F., Tétreault S., Tibbs, A., & Wolforth, J.

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Agenda• Adaptech Research Network’s research• Common beliefs and realities about students with

disabilities • Numbers of students• Grades• Graduation / persistence• Employment• Information and communication technologies

• Dialogue• More information

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Adaptech Research Networkwww.adaptech.org Based at Dawson College since 1996College and university students with disabilities Federally and provincially fundedBilingual, empirical research Methods

Qualitative, quantitative, archival

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Adaptech Research Focus

Team• Faculty, students, professionals, consumers, partners

Topics• Registration for campus disability related services• Obstacles and facilitators of success• Academic outcomes and persistence• Information and communication technologies

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Common Beliefs and RealitiesBelief

Many more students with disabilities on campusReality

Many more students≈ 2/3 students not registered for

campus disability services2 “Population émergente”

1Raymond, O. (2011, April). Pas facile? Pour une transition plus tranquille! Comité interordres. Presentation at the LDtech Meeting, Dawson College.

2Fichten, C.S., Jorgensen, S., Havel, A., Barile, M., (2006). College students with disabilities: Their future and success. Final report to FQRSC. Montréal: Adaptech Research Network, Dawson College.

Students with disabilities: Western Quebec1

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Common Beliefs and RealitiesWhy bother to educate them?

Common beliefsThey will get poor gradesThey will not graduateThey’ll never get a job

RealityIt’s the law1

Common beliefs are all wrong1Ducharme, D. & Montminy, K. (2012). Accommodating disabled college students: Opinion handed down by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse. Pédagogie Collégiale, 25(4), 1-6. Retrieved from www.aqpc.qc.ca/UserFiles/file/pedagogie_collegiale/DucharmeMontminy-Vol_25-4(a).pdf

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Grades Dawson College 6 year archival study: 3 groups1

• First semester mean grades• All Other Disabilities > Nondisabled Students = Learning Disability

ProgramLearning Disability /

ADHD All Other

DisabilitiesNo

Disability

Students Grade Students Grade Students GradeSocial Science 166 64% 103 70% 13,908 62%Career/Technical 32 64% 40 71% 4,634 67%All Programs 347 64% 285 70% 40,262 66%1 Jorgensen, S., Fichten, C.S., Havel, A., Lamb, D., James, C., & Barile, M. (2005). Academic performance of college students with and without disabilities: An archival study. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 39(2), 101-117.

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Graduation / Persistence

Students with and without disabilities graduate at the same rate1

Graduation rate of students with disabilities is actually higherBut not significantly so

1 Jorgensen, S., Fichten, C.S., Havel, A., Lamb, D., James, C., & Barile, M. (2005). Academic performance of college students with and without disabilities: An archival study. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 39(2), 101-117.

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Students  Working Full Time

Working Part Time

Looking for Work

StudyingUnavailable

For Work

Pre-University

With a Disability 90 10% 4% 1% 83% 1%

No Disability 752 8% 5% 2% 84% 2%

Career/Technical

With a Disability 86 51% 15% 1% 30% 2%

  No Disability 540   49% 14% 3% 31% 3%

Employment

1 Fichten, C.S., Jorgensen, S., Havel, A., Barile, M., Ferraro, V., Landry, M-E., Fiset, D., Juhel, J-C., Chwojka, C., Nguyen, M.N., Amsel, R. & Asuncion, J.V. (2012). What happens after graduation? Outcomes, employment, and recommendations of recent junior/community college graduates with and without disabilities. Disability and Rehabilitation 34(11), 917-924.

Graduates of 3 Cegeps 5-10 months after graduation1

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Information and Communication Technologies and LDs

Widely believed: ICTs help academic performance of students with LD Research

InconclusiveMinimal research conductedSmall samplesconfounds

Fichten, C. S., Nguyen, M. N., King, L., Barile, M., Havel, A., Mimouni, Z., Chauvin, A., Budd, J., Raymond, O., Juhel, J.-C., & Asuncion, J. (2013). Information and communication technology profiles of college students with learning disabilities. Journal of Education and Learning, 2(1), 176-177. Retrieved March 1, 2013, from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/article/view/23984/15244

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Information and Communication Technologies and LDs

Realities Students do not use many ICTs recommended

by experts1

Kurzweil: experts 45%, students 6%Concept mapping: experts 41%, students 10%Dictation software: experts 65%, students 10%

1Fichten, C. S., Nguyen, M. N., King, L., Barile, M., Havel, A., Mimouni, Z., Chauvin, A., Budd, J., Raymond, O., Juhel, J.-C., & Asuncion, J. (2013). Information and communication technology profiles of college students with learning disabilities. Journal of Education and Learning, 2(1), 176-177. Retrieved March 1, 2013, from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/article/view/23984/15244

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Social MediaStudents with disabilities do not use social media1

Hours spent engaged in social media, on average12 hr/week non-school related activities6hr/week school-related activities

1Asuncion, J. V., Budd, J., Fichten, C. S., Nguyen, M. N., Barile, M., & Amsel, R. (2012). Social media use by students with disabilities. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 16(1), 30-25

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Social MediaFive most accessible social media forums1

MSN/Windows Live MessengerFacebookYouTubeMessengerSkype

1Asuncion, J. V., Budd, J., Fichten, C. S., Nguyen, M. N., Barile, M., & Amsel, R. (2012). Social media use by students with disabilities. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 16(1), 30-25

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Adaptech’s Current ResearchTheory of Planned Behavior & academic persistenceControllable aspects to facilitate academic successEmploymentFree and inexpensive information and

communication technologiesTablets and smartphones

iPhone, iPad, iPod, AndroidWindows, Macintosh

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Implications• Is it always easy?

• Of course not.• Are there challenges?

• Absolutely.• Will all students with disabilities do well?

• No.• Is it all up to the teacher? No!• Is it worthwhile? Definitely!• What can be done to make thing easier?

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Accommodation vs. Universal Design of Instruction (UDI)

Accommodation Approach

• Access is a problem for the individual student• Should be addressed by the student and the office

for students with disabilities

UDI Approach

• Access issues stem from inaccessible, poorly designed instructional environments

• Should be addressed by the designer (i.e., teacher)

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What Have You Tried?

• That worked well

• That, well… was not such a good idea in retrospect

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Thank You

ResourcesMore info: Adaptech Research Network www.adaptech.org

Presenter: Catherine Fichten cfichten@dawsoncollege.qc.ca

• Download this presentationhttp://dc160.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/adapt2/Presentations/AQPCFichten.pdf

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