Hidden walls: STEM course barriers identified by students with disabilities

Historically, non-disabled individuals have viewed disability as a personal deficit requiring change to the disabled individual. However, models have emerged from disability activists and disabled intellectuals that emphasize the role of disabling social structures in preventing or hindering equal a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2019-09
Main Authors: Westley, James, Kamryn Lamons, Spilka, Roberto, Bustamante, Caroline, Scanlon, Erin, Chini, Jacquelyn J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Disability
Social structure
STEM education
Students
Time management
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Summary:Historically, non-disabled individuals have viewed disability as a personal deficit requiring change to the disabled individual. However, models have emerged from disability activists and disabled intellectuals that emphasize the role of disabling social structures in preventing or hindering equal access across the ability continuum. We used the social relational proposition, which situates disability within the interaction of impairments and particular social structures, to identify disabling structures in introductory STEM courses. We conducted interviews with nine students who identified with a range of impairments about their experiences in introductory STEM courses. We assembled a diverse research team and analyzed the interviews through phenomenological analysis. Participants reported course barriers that prevented effective engagement with course content. These barriers resulted in challenges with time management as well as feelings of stress and anxiety. We discuss recommendations for supporting students to more effectively engage with introductory STEM courses.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1909.02905