Inside and Out: Factors That Support and Hinder the Self-Advocacy of Undergraduates with ADHD and/or Specific Learning Disabilities in STEM

American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.ascb.org

Y

20

National Science Foundation (NSF)

1619689

Self Advocacy; Undergraduate Students; Students with Disabilities; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Learning Disabilities; STEM Education; Barriers; Student Needs; Educational Environment; Educational Legislation; Federal Legislation; Equal Education; Civil Rights Legislation; Academic Persistence; Success; Student Rights; Academic Accommodations (Disabilities); Interpersonal Communication; Knowledge Level; Beliefs; Identification (Psychology); Peer Influence; College Environment; Interpersonal Relationship; Classroom Environment; Teacher Role; Social Attitudes

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; Americans with Disabilities Act 1990; Rehabilitation Act 1973 (Section 504)

10.1187/cbe.20-06-0107

1931-7913

Self-advocacy is linked to the success and retention of students with disabilities in college. Self-advocacy is defined as communicating individual wants, needs, and rights to determine and pursue required accommodations. While self-advocacy is linked to academic success, little is known about how students with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) practice self-advocacy. We previously developed a model of self-advocacy for STEM students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or specific learning disabilities (SLD). Here, we use this model to examine what factors support or hinder self-advocacy in undergraduate STEM courses. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 STEM majors with ADHD and/or SLD and used qualitative approaches to analyze our data. We found internal factors, or factors within a participant, and external factors, the situations and people, described by our participants, that influenced self-advocacy. These factors often interacted and functioned as a support or barrier, depending on the individuals and their unique experiences. We developed a model to understand how factors supported or hindered self-advocacy in STEM. Supporting factors contributed to a sense of comfort and security for our participants and informed their perceptions that accommodation use was accepted in a STEM course. We share implications for research and teaching based on our results.

As Provided

2021

EJ1301538