Defenses

Engineering has its own unique disciplinary culture that establishes norms and ideals. Many of which are centered on white, masculine, heteronormative constructs, which tend to presuppose able-bodiedness. Thus, students with disabilities in engineering must navigate spaces that contain inherent social and physical barriers. These spaces, including the accommodations process, can be confusing and frustrating. Additionally, students will have varying supports and barriers from instructors that can make engineering a welcoming or hostile space. The purpose of this work is to understand how engineering students with disabilities navigate the accommodations process and interact with instructors, with the main goal being to work towards dismantling ableism in engineering. 

The work presented here can be defined by two separate studies. In Study 1, a mixed methods study, survey and interview data were collected from undergraduate engineering students. Study 2 consists of collected lecture recordings, syllabi, and university policies. Attitudes towards requesting accommodations tended to the positive, but student interview and open response data often reflected a more complex picture. Additionally, hidden notions of ableist ideology seem to undercurrent perceptions of disability and accommodations and are reflected in university and college level policies that seem to influence faculty course policies and behavior.