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Beyond Accommodations: The Future of Promoting Access for Individuals with

Disabilities on College Campuses

Hannah C. Durand

Higher Education Student Affairs, Western Carolina University

HESA-670-01: Professionalism in Higher Education

Dr. April Perry

April 26, 2023

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Beyond Accommodations: The Future of Promoting Access for Individuals with

Disabilities on College Campuses

Abstract: This article explores the inequities of individuals with disabilities on college

campuses. Among the top priorities for most colleges and universities in recent years has been

promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students. Although legislation, such as the

Americans Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, was enacted to

encourage access and accommodations for individuals with disabilities, this is not enough to

address the inequities that remain. Using the research presented in this paper, a call to action is

made to educators and university administrations that focuses on going beyond sociopolitical

models of disability that rely on accommodations and disability support services on college

campuses. Instead, an assertion is made for educators and administrators to start exploring ways

(including research and best practices) that promote equitable access to higher education and

better support students with disabilities on college campuses and beyond. 

Keywords: Disability, accommodations, higher education, social justice

Introduction

This article explores the inequities that remain for individuals with disabilities on college

campuses. Today, colleges and universities are mandated by law to promote accessibility for

individuals with disabilities; however, students with disabilities still face challenges and barriers

that effect their social, emotional, and academic success compared to students without

disabilities (Cook et al., 2000). These disparities highlight a lack of inclusion and equity that

needs to be addressed by educators and administrators. Following a review and synthesis of

literature including a brief history of disability, challenges with accommodation, and

intersectionality, a call to action is made for administrators and educators to better understand the
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inequities that still exist among individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities on college

campuses and move towards promoting a social justice approach to disability.

Brief History of Disability

Throughout history, “social values and cultural perceptions have strongly framed what

qualifies as a disability and have influenced responses” (Burch & Sutherland, 2006, p. 129).

According to Evans et al. (2017), people with disabilities have historically been very far from

“positions of power and have had to fight to legitimize their very existence in society, as well as

their right to an education” (p. 12). Prior to the Rehabilitation Act of 1978, disability was viewed

by society through a medical framework that approached disability as a deficit, limitation, or

inability to do something, which perpetuated a culture of discrimination and stigmatization of

individuals with disability (Evans et al., 2017). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1978 and

the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 are among the many

contributions to legislation that were enacted that were intended to protect the rights of

individuals with disabilities from discriminatory practices in the United States.

Today’s conceptions of disability include disabilities that are both visible and invisible

(Prince, 2017). It is important to note that the original legislation surrounding protections for

people with disabilities focused on physical disability which is more visible to others (Prince,

2017). Invisible disability, “an impairment which is not immediately apparent to other people,”

has become more widely known concept in recent years (Prince, 2017). Some examples of

invisible disabilities include intellectual, sensory, and mental illness. As a result of increased

access to higher education institutions, more individuals with disabilities, both visible and

invisible, are attending colleges and universities.

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Therefore, with the shifting of what it means to have a disability and the presence and

persistence of individuals with both visible and invisible disability, researchers and scholars have

moved past the original model of disability. Instead, the conceptualization of disability has

moved away from the medical model of disability and towards a sociopolitical model that frames

disability as “a complex collection of socially constructed factors that aims to integrate disabled

individuals into society, primarily through addressing civil rights and legislation” (Evans et al.,

2017, p. 65). Although, through this model, disability support services were enacted on college

campuses to provide additional access to individuals with disabilities, the experience of disability

is still mediated by the social systems, policies, and norms that contribute to an existence of

inequity (Evans et al., 2017). Legislation and the shift to a sociopolitical model has worked to

gradually promote additional access for individuals with disabilities; however, they do not fully

address or acknowledge a culture that has been systemically constructed to view disability as

deficit. Thus, inequities and stigma around disability remain in addition to new challenges and

barriers for individuals who pursue a postsecondary education.

Challenges, Barriers, and Intersectionality

Research suggests that some of the most prominent factors that act as barriers for students

with disabilities in higher education are related to their seeking and managing their

accommodations and academic coursework (Yssel, Pak, & Beilke, 2016). According to Ehlinger

and Ropers (2020), seeking accommodations may be influenced by various factors. These factors

include understanding one's responsibility to disclose and seek services, knowledge and access to

accommodations and services, awareness of eligibility, and access to documentation (Ehlinger &

Ropers, 2000). Cook, Gerber, and Murphy (2000, p. 32) also point out that many students with

learning disabilities “may not even know that such programs exist, the extent of the services
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offered, or how to access existing services.” Therefore, the decision for a student to seek help for

their accommodations is incredibly complex (Trammel & Hathaway, 2007, Yssel, Pak, & Beilke,

2016).

In addition, researchers found that students with disabilities who identify as belonging to

other marginalized groups may encounter additional barriers that intersect with the challenges of

navigating postsecondary education with a disability, including but not limited to, the process of

seeking or managing accommodations (Cook, Gerber, & Murphey, 2000). For example, Jen Chiu

et al. (2019, p. 227) found factors such as “sex, race/ethnicity, college major, type of disability,

and the time when students register for disability services” had factored into academic

achievement and success for students with disabilities within his research. The intersectionality

of identities and additional social factors in disability research is important, as it promotes the

need for interventions that incorporate inclusive social frameworks rather than frameworks that

promote disability as an individual deficit.

Call to Action

Collaboration between disability support services, faculty, and administration is crucial in

supporting individuals with disabilities on college campuses. Most institutions that claim to

promote inclusive and equitable practices to support students with disabilities often rely heavily

on the work of a few members of disability support services, which are drastically underfunded,

overworked, and tend to promote individual accommodations that do not address institutional

and cultural barriers (Evans et al., 2017). To combat this issue, it is crucial that all faculty and

administration are collaborative on efforts to support individuals with disabilities. As often,

departments of higher education are siloed, many of the issues that individuals with disabilities

face on college campuses are not even known.

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In addition, institutions of higher education must move towards a social justice model of

disability which centers human diversity as a universal factor in defining disability (Evans et al.,

2017). Previous models of disability fail to include the intersection of disability and other

marginally oppressed identities (Evans et al., 2017). A social justice approach to disability is

asserted as elimination of ableism as well as the “critique, redefinition, or expansion of what is

considered normal so that all types physical, mental, and sensory differences are accepted and

appreciated” (Evans et al., 2017, p. 2). In addition, a social justice model to disability promotes

an intersectional approach which examines the diversity of experiences and identities that people

with disabilities have.

One recommendation for educators and student affairs practitioners is to support and

institute policies that support universal design (UD) (Quaye et al., 2020). UD is “the design of

products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the

need for adaptation or specialized design” (Quaye et al., 2020, p. 247). As UD is an approach

that promotes increased access to all students, using a UD lens within each classroom,

department, and are of higher education would be moving a step beyond accommodations by

providing access to all students, even those who choose to not self-identify or may not be aware

of their disability (Quaye et al., 2020).

Some other suggestions that Quaye et al. (2020) make are for student affairs practitioners

is to collaborate with their campuses disability resource offices and attend events that help to

gain a better understanding of students with disabilities an existing resources to support them

(Quaye et al., 2020). Best practice for student affairs practitioners suggests programs that align

with students’ definitions of success and not patronizing or deficit-based models similar to that

subscribed by a social justice model of disability. According to Quaye et al. (2020):

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“programming that recognizes the intersection of disability with other forms of

social identity in affirming, non-deficit ways have the potential to enhance the

experiences of students in all aspects of their social identities. In this way, we can move

beyond retroactive measures such as accommodations to a culture that is inclusive of all

students. Some specific suggestions from the literature involve including “disability in

multicultural conversations, programs and campus-wide events and encourage

programming that addresses two or more marginalized identities” (Quaye et al., 2020, p.

251).

As educators, we must turn our attention to the experiences of individuals on colleges

campuses with both visible and invisible disabilities. Moving towards a social justice approach

will help administrators and educators do just this while promoting universal design which is

essential for promoting accessibility and inclusivity for individuals with disabilities on college

campuses.
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