ERIC Number: ED631864
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 189
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3684-8320-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Perceptions of Strategies Award-Winning, Postsecondary Administrators Employ to Support Learners with Disabilities
Primus, Quiwani
ProQuest LLC, D.Ed. Dissertation, Capella University
The researcher sought to understand the experiences of postsecondary administrators who implemented changes to disability service offerings. Emphasis was placed on learning from the perceptions of individuals who received an award from a national organization for contributions that led to improvements of services. This study fills a gap in the research in that there has been no known research that specifically explores the perspectives about strategies and practices performed by postsecondary administrators who were honored nationally for work in the area of disability services. Understanding the thoughts about diverse strategies used by nationally awarded postsecondary support service administrators provides valuable insights for higher education leaders to address similar concerns at their institutions. The primary research question was How do nationally recognized postsecondary student support service administrators perceive strategies and practices they use to identify and contribute changes within the office of disability services to meet the needs of learners with diverse disabilities? The basic qualitative design was used to conduct the investigation. It was selected to enable the use of chronicling data in the form of a narrative to render deeply detailed perspectives from the participants. The population consisted of postsecondary administrators who worked either directly or indirectly with the office of disability services. The sample entailed individuals who received a national award for their work, had at least three years of experience in the area studied, contributed to the employed changes for which an award was given, and had an advanced degree. QDA Miner Lite qualitative software was used to aid in the thematic analysis process. Findings of the initial condition of campus services revealed disability offices were challenged with inadequate services, need for increased programming, antiquated policy and procedures, as well as the impact of negative stigma on learners with a disability, peers without disabilities, and school personnel. All participants, however, expressed significant satisfaction with the growth of the office of disability services. Strides were made with increased access and inclusion, improved programming, better aligned resources, campus-wide engaging of stakeholders, awareness events, and the facilitation of targeted training for both learners with disabilities as well as personnel. Future research should consider studying perspectives of administrators who work at different institutional structures absent of the award winning criteria. During this research, there were a number of administrators mentioned who had not received awards but are deemed trailblazers in innovative practices that enhance disability services. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Administrator Attitudes, Postsecondary Education, Students with Disabilities, Student Needs, Awards, Change Strategies, Student Personnel Workers, Services, Educational Needs, School Policy, Barriers, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Social Bias, Program Effectiveness, Inclusion, Training
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Postsecondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A