141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

280761
ADA accommodation training model: A tool for teaching students with disabilities to self-advocate and increase the inclusion in campus

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Glen White , Research and Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Jean Ann Summers , Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
E Zhang , Department of Applied Behavioral Science, Univrsity of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
The ADA accommodation training Model: A tool for teaching students with disabilities to self-advocate and increase the inclusion in campus Students with disabilities in postsecondary education have lower rates of retention and graduation compared with students without disabilities. One factor contributing to this problem is that students with disabilities lack self-advocacy knowledge and skills to request needed accommodations. We developed a behaviorally oriented accommodation training model to train students with disabilities to negotiate for reasonable accommodations in their classes or other campus activities. The accommodation training model includes a knowledge-based online tutorial providing basic information about students' legal rights, and a skill-based face-to-face workshop providing a seven-step framework (17 sub-behaviors) for requesting accommodations. Pretest and posttest questionnaires to measure knowledge acquisition were completed by 74 students. To measure skill acquisition, 52 participants participated in video recorded hypothetical role plays to request an accommodation both pre- and post- participation in the face-to-face workshop. Two independent observers scored demonstrations of the 17 sub- behaviors in the video role plays. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to compare knowledge and skill gains. There was a significant difference in the knowledge scores for pretest (M=0.69, SD=0.16) and posttest knowledge scores (M=0.85, SD=0.16) conditions; t = -7.72, p < 0.001. There was also a significant difference in the behavior scores for pretest (M=0.42, SD=0.16) and posttest (M=0.65, SD=0.17) role play conditions; t =-9.14, p = 0.000. Implications for practice, dissemination, and future research will be discussed.

Learning Areas:
Other professions or practice related to public health
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Differentiate the difference between information and skills based training in the context of ADA Accommodations Identify seven classes of self-advocacy skills for ADA Accommodations

Keywords: Behavioral Research, Disability Studies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: The abstract author has over 10 years of experience in this research area and has served as P.I. for the research project from which these results are drawn.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.