Why College Students with Disabilities Need to Connect with Faculty

By Toby Tomlinson Baker, PhD

THINK OF YOUR FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER. THEY INSPIRED YOU, SUPPORTED YOUR DREAMS, AND ALLOWED YOU TO BE YOURSELF. THEY HELPED YOU WHEN YOU WERE STRUGGLING TO LEARN SOMETHING DIFFICULT. YOU PROBABLY IMAGINED THEM GOING TO COLLEGE WITH YOU AND TEACHING YOU EVERY COURSE YOU TAKE. YET, WHEN YOU GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND STARTED COLLEGE, YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER WAS NOT THERE ANYMORE.

For post-secondary students with disabilities, meeting new faculty, particularly professors with PhDs, can be daunting. The last thing these students want to do is introduce themselves by saying, “Hi. I’m Joe. I have a learning disability and ADHD, and I’m in your class.” Certainly, for a student with disabilities (SWD), there are more effective ways to communicate their needs.

Some freshmen with disabilities tend to conceal them in the hopes of being viewed no differently from any other student.

Many post-secondary SWDs face new academic challenges such as varied schedules, time management, and seeking out assistance from faculty independently.

Even if every other step goes as planned when SWDs go to college, they face the barrier of the stigma associated with having a disability. Since many post-secondary SWDs yearn to avoid negative interactions with faculty, they hold back on asking for assistance. In addition, they may fear faculty predetermine a lower grade for an SWD, assuming they are simply a C student.

Support from higher education faculty is crucial to post-secondary SWDs’ academic success. This is a complex issue in higher education. Some faculty say they have positive interactions with post-secondary SWDs, yet the students may not agree. In fact, sometimes post-secondary SWDs feel faculty believed them to be incompetent or that they should not be enrolled in school. Other post-secondary SWDs feel many professors do not know how to instruct them properly or provide their accommodations.

SWDs may succeed in concealing their disability in some circles and even escape the negative effects of the stigma attached with their disability. It can feel like they have outgrown their disability, which is not true. This may lead them to deny they need academic assistance, which can backfire in the end.

So how do post-secondary SWDs connect with faculty?

The first step is for SWDs to register with academic services or the accessibility department. Ask campus officers about various faculty members. An SWD could ask, “So Dr. Smith is teaching my Ethics 101 course. Can you tell me about Dr. Smith? What is she like?” Being informed about their future professors can put an SWD at ease, particularly while they complete the campus process of informing their future professors about their disability.

Next, reach out to each professor via a brief phone call, email, or short office meeting. An SWD can say, “Hi, I’m Amy. I just wanted to make sure you received the letter regarding my accommodations.” (Never say “my disability.”) Then, tell the professor about YOU and your achievements, not your disability. “I am interested in this class because…” Let the professor know you are there to learn. You are not expected to know everything.

Establish a growth-oriented mindset and practice humility. And ask your professors questions like “Where are you from?” or “Why did you choose this textbook?” and listen to the answers. This will often allow them to be open with you.

Post-secondary students with disabilities who connect with faculty will often have a greater college experience. Start slow and have one or two positive interactions with faculty. Simply talking to a professor and having coffee with them can allow for an SWD to have the feeling of success. Some SWDs tend to feel like they have less of a disability when they connect on a deeper, more meaningful level with higher education faculty. These successful moments may eventually lead to greater academic success in college and an authentic mentorship between the SWD and their faculty.

As a researcher at Pepperdine University, Toby Tomlinson Baker earned a PhD focusing on higher education faculty training, self-advocacy for students with disabilities, and policy reform. She has 12 years of experience as a Special Education Instructor and currently teaches with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a certified Trainer of Teachers for the district. She is also the recipient of the Learning Disability Association’s (LDA) 2020 Harrison Sylvester Award and CHADD’s 2018 National Educator of the Year.

Website: https://tobytomlinsonbaker.net/