ACCESS: Assessment of Campus Climate to Enhance Student Success

ACCESS: ASSESSMENT OF CAMPUS CLIMATE TO ENHANCE STUDENT

SUCCESS

University at Buffalo Disability Services

Susan Mann Dolce PhD. [email protected]

ACCESS Goals

Assessment of Campus Climate to Enhance Student

Success

Data Collection

Campus climate:

The result of the knowledge, practices and attitudes of key constituents in the students’ environment.

* Students with Disabilities *Students without disabilities

Questionnaire for Administrators, Faculty, Staff

and SWODPerceptions of: Experience with people with disabilities. Knowledge about disabilities. Beliefs about the ability of students with

disabilities. Practices

Syllabus Statement, Providing Accommodations, Policy and Procedures, Universal Design in Instruction and Assessment

Attitudes about fairness.Preferred :

Topics of interest for staff and faculty development.

Method of delivery for development opportunities.

Questionnaire for Students with Disabilities (SWD)

Assessed: Impressions of the knowledge and

attitudes about students with disabilities of faculty, administrators, staff and students without disabilities.

Descriptions of the behaviors that informed the above assessments.

UB ACCESS Survey Participants

Each group had demographic variables reflective of the UB population, except gender:

Faculty, SWD & SWOD 65% female, 35% male. Adm/Staff 80% female, 20% male.

Representation of Administration & Staff

RespondentsAdministrators and staff were widely represented.

In addition to the chart on right, 25% were represented by other or multiple offices.

Faculty

Medicine : 4%

Education: 4%

Business 2%

Visual and Performing Arts: 2 %

Multiple: 18%

Other: 18%

Students

SWOD = Students without Disabilities

SWD = Students with Disabilities

ACCESS Qualitative Data

Qualitative Focus: Faculty

Selected Comments: Faculty

“I meet with students not to talk about their disability but how we can work together to work out the accommodation they need.”

“Alternative format materials may change the essential nature of the course. ”

“For all of these, depends on both the nature of the impairment and the nature of the job.”

“….academic requirements shouldn't be changed for people with disabilities. I had a learning disability and I did fine.”

“There are no circumstances under which graduation requirements should be different - perhaps alternate means for meeting them, but the educational requirements must be the same.”

“I don't think academic requirements should change, but if it takes longer to earn a degree that should be considered by FinAid.”

“I usually wait for students to come to me (and they do).” “I do not have resources to prepare course materials in alternate

formats, and often do not have syllabi finalized until it is time to teach the class.”

“If a student needs to sit in the front of the room then you let them do that.”

Qualitative Focus: Adm/Staff

Selected Comments: Administrators and Staff

“I believe anyone with a disability can do the same job, so long as they receive the proper support and accommodations based on their diagnosis.”

“Depends a lot on the occupation. In general people with disabilities may be as effective as those without.”

“I don't think it's a matter of fairness. If students are being held to the same standards, there should be institutional, systemic, and individual participation in assuring all students have access to courses and university services equitably. Facilitating an opportunity for a student with a disability to be able to learn, function, and perform as well as any other student (in my opinion) is never unfair to students without disabilities.”

“If equal opportunity is the key, then effective accommodations are good, but preferential treatment is counter productive.”

“Professors cannot be free to state, "that's not my style”.

Qualitative Focus: Students without Disabilities (SWOD)

Selected Comments: Students without Disabilities (SWOD)

“I think that certain accommodations are made to create fairness in the learning environment.” UB student

“They should not be given special privileges that give them an edge. “ UB student

“The student to faculty ratio is very poor in many courses” UB student

“Assuming that a person is doing a good job that he/she is suited for, I don’t see why they couldn’t do the job as well as anyone else”. UB student

“Priority registration is patently unfair.” UB student “Knowing how to understand and interact with people with

disability and not feeling uncomfortable.” “I don't think companies would want to hire people with

disabilities; the extra time it may take for an individual to do something would not be efficient and therefore wouldn't be focused on creating the largest amount of profit in the shortest amount of time.”

Qualitative Focus: Students with Disabilities (SWD)

Additional Comments: Students with Disabilities

(SWD) “Train faculty how to encourage students with disability to come

forth for help, offer accommodations without embarrassing students in front of the class.”

“People assume I can’t do it.” “Staff need to be knowledgeable about the psychology of students

with disabilities.” I have a *** and have trouble figuring out what kind of resources I

need and how to obtain them. When I approached the student advisor of a department, I was told that it was better for me to get a classmate to share the notes instead of having a notetaker take it for me. This was very discouraging to me since I value my privacy and felt that there was no need for another student to know about my condition.

I have been told by a professor in the "***" department that "I looked fine" when I spoke after classes regarding my inability to carry the textbook to class, she acted as if I should look obviously different because of my disability...ironic for an *** professor...

“Stigma is really the biggest problem.” “PARKING!!!!!!”

Faculty Experience

Number of Faculty SWD Inform About Their Disability

% Reporting a High Level of Knowledge

SWD Perception of % with High Level of Knowledge

Do faculty include a statement in their course syllabi about

accommodations?

Faculty Use of Universal Design in Instruction and

Assessment

% Who Believe that Persons with Disabilities can be as Professionally

Effective

UB Community’s Belief that SWD’s can be as Effective on Clinicals and

Internships

SWD Perceptions of UB Community Willingness to Provide Accommodations

Perceived Fairness to SWOD of Providing Accommodations to

SWDFaculty Adm/Staff SWOD

Provide Course Syllabus Early

•62% fair•6% unfair

59% fair13% unfair

58 % fair11 % unfair

Preferential Seating

•87% fair•No one

thought it was unfair

89% fair < 2% unfair

81% fair4 % unfair

Extra Assessment Time


76% fair6% unfair

58% fair12% unfair

Priority Registration


40% fair23% unfair

25% fair41% unfair

Course Materials in Accessible Format


87% fair< 2% unfair

66% fair9 % unfair

Perceived Fairness of Modifying Policies or

RequirementsFaculty Adm/Staff SWOD

Modification of academic policies or requirements.

41% fair28% unfair



Modification of financial aid determination.




Modification of dept. or institutional graduation requirements.




SWD Perceptions of UB Community’s Willingness to

Modify Policies

% Interested in Learning More About Disability Issues

Preferred Methods of Acquiring Information

Take home info:

Strategies for Creating Change

Simple Practice to Enhance UB Campus Climate: Syllabus

Statement "If you have a disability and may require

some type of instructional and/or examination accommodation, please inform me early in the semester so that we can coordinate the accommodations you may need. If you have not already done so, please contact the Accessibility Resources office. The office is located at 25 Capen Hall and the telephone number is (716) 645-2608."

http://www.buffalo.edu/accessibility/

What’s Next?

Thank you.

Comments? Questions? Arrange an ACCESS presentation or discussion?

[email protected] or 645-2608

Documents

ACCESS: Assessment of Campus Climate to Enhance Student Success