1. College Students with Disabilities and Campus Climate: A Report from the NCCSD
Wendy S. Harbour and Daniel Greenberg
Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion and Disability Conference
Columbus, Ohio - April 17, 2018
© NCCSD, Slides may be used with permission of the NCCSD.

2. Agenda For Today
Introduction to the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD), research briefs and “campus climate”
What we know (and don’t know) about campus climate and students with disabilities
Strategies to improve the campus climate
Recommendations for further research
Q and A
Copies of PowerPoint in regular and accessible formats available at:
Use search box on home page to search for “Multiple Perspectives” and hidden page will come up.

3. Technical Assistance and Outreach Technical Assistance
NCCSD
Technical Assistance and Outreach
Technical Assistance
Online Clearinghouse
And Training Center
Research
Research Briefs and Other Publications
CeDaR: Campus Disability Resource Database
Original Research, Including Needs Assessment
DREAM Student Group
Weekly Disability and Higher Education News
Monthly Mentoring
Chapters and Affiliates
Online Disabled and Proud Conference (October, 2018)

4. NCCSD Campus Climate Research Brief
(Search for “Research Briefs”)
Reports on existing literature, but not a traditional literature review; included books and anthologies
Intended audience: researchers and campus administrators, including those who may not know disability and higher ed
Purpose: to provide broad overview of the topic, while making practical recommendations for intended audience

5. Defining “Campus Climate”
“…attitudes, behaviors, and standards of faculty, staff, administrators and students concerning the level of respect for individual needs, abilities and potential”
- University of California Office of the President, 2014, n.p.
A sense of “friendliness” for students
Evans, Broido, Brown and Wilke, 2017, p. 254
Campus climate affects how it feels for individuals to be on a campus and to interact with other campus community members.
- University of St. Thomas, n.d.

6. Students with Disabilities and Campus Climate
33.7% of students with disabilities in study had experienced “exclusionary, intimidating, offensive, or hostile” experiences on campus, compared to 17.1% of nondisabled students (n=51,452) (p. 267)
In a study of 13,844 undergraduates, rates of discrimination and bias the same or higher for disabled students who also identified as Asian, Hispanic, African American, multiracial, or homosexual (Aquino, Alhaddab, and Kim, 2017)
Figure 1. Percent of students with and without disabilities who are comfortable in their classes, departments, and campuses (Rankin and Associates Consulting, as reported by Evans et al., 2017, pp ).
Figure 1. Percent of students with and without disabilities who are comfortable in their classes, departments, and campuses (Rankin and Associates Consulting, as reported by Evans et al., 2017, pp ).
Figure 1. Percent of students with and without disabilities who are comfortable in their classes, departments, and campuses (Rankin and Associates Consulting, as reported by Evans et al., 2017, pp ). 
Students with Disabilities Nondisabled Students 
Students with Disabilities Nondisabled Students 
Students with Disabilities Nondisabled Students

7. Why Does this Matter?
Campus climate for one group affects all students’ development
Individual experiences affect student retention and academic performance
Students cannot participate in campus if they do not have basic safety, belonging, and access needs met
Campus climate affects faculty and staff, including those with disabilities

8. What Students with Disabilities May Need: “Points of Stability”
“Points of stability” on campus (Tinto, 1993, p. 125)
Mentors
Welcoming student organizations, cultural centers, clubs (related or unrelated to disability)
Welcoming academic programs (related or unrelated to disability)
Acceptance of how students define themselves as “disabled” or not, or intersections of identity
Accessible spaces across campus, including virtual spaces and campus bureaucracy
Input into campus work on disability
Faculty and staff with disabilities or faculty allies (especially from under- represented groups)
Inclusive teaching practices (e.g., universal design, culturally responsive pedagogy)
Disability and Deaf culture in the curriculum (e.g., disability studies, disability courses as part of liberal arts’ diversity requirements)
What Students with Disabilities May Need: “Points of Stability”
Tinto talked about “Points of stability” for students who are marginalized. They are more likely to feel included and part of campus if they have a place they feel welcomed and safe. This doesn’t mean that place has to be related to disability (see list here).

9. Recommendation 1 Evaluate Existing Disability Practices
Use campus climate surveys
Include disability questions
Aggregate results by disability
Assess disability services and supports
Internal or external review of services, policies, budgets, and/or student satisfaction with services
Review of existing grievances or complaints
Existing supports and access for major campus services, like tutoring, career counseling, and financial aid
Assess campus accessibility
Develop policies to regularly review work on physical accessibility
Define “access” broadly, including virtual environment
Evaluate needs of faculty and staff with disabilities, including accessible spaces for students that are inaccessible to faculty and staff (e.g., classrooms)
Recommendation 1 Evaluate Existing Disability Practices

10. Develop faculty and staff training programs
Focus on skills and knowledge, not changing attitudes (simulations particularly poor choice)
Collaborate with faculty development centers or online education centers
Speakers and events can supplement training
Include disability in student orientation programming
May include orientation materials, handbooks, programming, or in messages about diversity
Include nondisabled students in disability messaging
Create multiple centers of disability expertise on campus
Identify sources of disability information and resources outside of disability services providers, counseling, and health services
Recommendation 2 Create Diverse Ways for Campus Community to Get Information about Disability

11. Recommendation 3 Support Campus-Wide Engagement with Disability
Create opportunities for disability community and engagement
Develop student organizations related to disability and Deaf culture
Provide opportunities for students to explore disability with other facets of students’ identities
Include faculty and staff with disabilities in recruitment and retention efforts
Include disability in “diversity” recruiting initiatives
Support disability disclosure among faculty and staff
Review policies and services for faculty and staff, including job announcements, hiring procedures, and tenure review processes
Set up complaint process that ensures no retaliation
Streamline funding mechanisms for accommodations
Recommendation is for centralized and flexible budgets; campus as a whole is responsible for accommodations
Ensure disability services providers have training in fiscal management and budgeting
Encourage inclusive pedagogies
Faculty should have information and training about disability and ableism and how these may affect student experiences and coursework
Support instructors in implementing inclusive teaching practices for all students
Include disability and disability studies in course content across campus
Recommendation 3 Support Campus-Wide Engagement with Disability

12. Recommendations for Research
More large-scale data on students with disabilities and shared definitions of disability in large-scale research (see NCCSD research brief by Avellone & Scott, 2017)
Research on effects of interventions on campus climate, economics of disability and higher education, and effects of interventions (including policy changes) with disability services providers’ skills and knowledge
Better understanding of legal considerations around privacy and medical records, and how they affect collaboration
Greater involvement of students with disabilities in research about higher education
Requirements for accessible research
Expand existing disability and higher education research whenever possible

13. National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)
Contact Us
National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)
Toll-Free
Wendy S. Harbour
VP, Texts Only
Daniel Greenberg
Phone

14. Questions or Comments?