ERIC Number: EJ1236850
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2379-7762
EISSN: N/A
Evidence of Inclusion on College Websites: Academic Accommodations and Human Support
Costello-Harris, Vanessa A.
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, v32 n3 p263-278 Fall 2019
The number of students with disabilities continues to rise within college and university populations. Therefore, institutions have aimed to present a welcoming campus of inclusion with adequate resources. For many prospective students with disabilities (learning, psychological, and physical), the campus website will be the first resource used to assess the campus climate regarding disabilities. The present study analyzed the websites of 26 Midwestern colleges and universities and evaluated their evidence of providing an inclusive environment for students with disabilities. Three researchers were trained to individually search and code each campus website based on their evidence of inclusion (i.e., EoI = number of resources out of 25 resources). Two major resource categories were analyzed (1) academic accommodations (n = 14 resources) and (2) human support (n = 11 resources). Schools were rated on a five-point scale ranging from 1 = inadequate evidence to 5 = exceptional evidence, based on the percentage of resources found (out of 25) on each website. For the total number of resources, only 46% of the schools scored at adequate or above (= 70% of 25 resources). Across campuses, the strongest evidence was for human support. In general, public institutions showed greater evidence than private institutions. While it is likely that the actual on-campus accommodations and types of support are plentiful, they are unlikely to be evident to prospective students based on the information provided online. Therefore, efforts should be made to increase the visibility of resources on campus websites. Recommendations are provided for website improvements.
Descriptors: Web Sites, Inclusion, Students with Disabilities, Academic Accommodations (Disabilities), Student Personnel Services, Public Colleges, Private Colleges, Information Dissemination, Academic Support Services, Student Needs
Association on Higher Education and Disability. 107 Commerce Center Drive Suite 204, Huntersville, NC 28078. Tel: 704-947-7779; Fax: 704-948-7779; e-mail: ahead@ahead.org; Web site: http://www.ahead.org/publications/jped
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A