ERIC Number: EJ1273652
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2379-7762
EISSN: N/A
Disability as Diversity: Perspectives of Institutions of Higher Education in the U.S.
Scheef, Andrew; Caniglia, Cyndi; Barrio, Brenda L.
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, v33 n1 p49-61 Spr 2020
Institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the U.S. have implemented policy and practices to support on-campus diversity initiatives. Experiences with diverse populations are particularly relevant to young adults, who are developing their worldview by evaluating their perspectives and the perspectives of others. Because most of the conversations about diversity involve dimensions such as race, gender, and ethnicity, disability or ability is often omitted from such discussions. This study sought to review mission statements and diversity materials of four-year college and university websites in order to understand the extent to which disability is included as a dimension of diversity. As these materials provide the tone and values of the IHE, it may be possible to understand how these schools view disability in relation to diversity. Mixed methods were used to explore the extent to which IHEs include disability in their mission or diversity statements as a way to expand on the notion of diversity within their student body, staff, or faculty. Findings show that most of the randomly selected four-year IHEs (n = 300) do not include disability within their mission or diversity statements. Those who do are often found to include statements that describe campus cultures that are inclusive of students with disabilities and more likely to consider a diverse campus, inclusive of disability, an enriched community. Implications for further research and practice provide recommendations based on the literature on how to improve their inclusiveness of students with disabilities in IHEs.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Students with Disabilities, Student Diversity, Institutional Mission, Web Sites, School Culture, Institutional Characteristics, Student Characteristics, Colleges
Association on Higher Education and Disability. 8015 West Kenton Circle Suite 230, Huntersville, NC 28078. Tel: 704-947-7779; Fax: 704-948-7779; e-mail: JPED@ahead.org; Web site: https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/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

Peer reviewed
