Five sentence summary ADHD students are seen as less deserving of accommodations and of having a low work ethic by staff in disability/accessibility offices. Respondents without racial bias training more likely to discriminate based on race. Disability Offices are not only gatekeepers of accommodations for students but they also serve as educators to faculty, staff, and other students, which makes the impact of their bias against ADHD even more concerning. How can we reimagine what an ADHD-affirmative learning or work space would feel like when it isn't safe to ask questions about what is and isn't feasible for our brains? "Bias in education disability accommodations" published in the journal Economics of Education Review, compared invisible disabilities to visible disabilities, using ADHD and a visual impairment. The study was exploring biases underscoring students' access to accommodations. The results, while perhaps unsurprising, are concerning. ADHD students are seen as less deserving of accommodations. This is as judged by staff within disability offices. Again, this study found that staff within the disability office are more likely to view ADHD students as less deserving of accommodations. The authors concluded that the perception is that ADHD students have a lower work ethic. What they looked at Two-year and four-year higher education institutions from across the United States were identified, and then contacts in disability offices were identified and asked to participate in a study. Over 600 individuals completed the survey. The survey asked questions such as, "Do you disagree or agree that this student would be deserving of accommodations for ADHD?" The survey also explored the issue of racial bias. Survey respondents read a hypothetical email from an accepted student regarding their disability and available accommodations at the school. The student had either ADHD (considered by authors the invisible disability) or Stargardt disease resulting in legal blindness (considered by authors the visible disability). Language in the student's hypothetical email signaled their work ethic ("I was voted most driven by my high-school class" for example). Race (limited to Black and white) was indicated by using student names in the hypothetical emails that strongly signal race. If you're interested in reading more about the study design, an open access version of the publication can currently be found here. The respondents were then asked a series of questions about the applicant. ADHD students were judged to be less deserving of accommodations, less favorably in general, less likely to use accommodations, and less likely to eventually receive accommodations. These results were statistically significant. Perceived work ethic mattered (it shouldn't). Students that signaled a strong work ethic in these hypothetical emails were faced with less bias from staff. The effect of signaling a strong work ethic on bias was much greater for ADHD students than for the students who were vision impaired. Respondents who stated they had taken racial bias training did not show evidence of racial bias. Those respondents who did not indicate such training were more likely to discriminate based on race as well. Why this kills me so much These results are very concerning for a number of reasons. Here we have offices that are specifically created to remove barriers to education, to make learning possible for all students, and who routinely work with disabled students, yet there is a clear bias against ADHD as a condition. Disability offices act as gatekeepers to all disabled students (94% of respondents in this study stated they interact with students to determine if they receive accommodations). Yes, they determine who is granted accommodations, but their impact is more nuanced and wide-reaching than just who gets double time on tests. They determine when accommodations can be used, which denials from professors are actually legitimate, what resources the students need and how long they need them for, and so forth. The staff in these offices are often crucial to educating the entire university on disability and access. They act as a resource for disabled and abled people alike. So, while they should be allies for all disabled people, well-informed about the social model of disability, systems of care, social justice and equity, and abuse in schools, we cannot rely on them to be any more inclusive than the rest of society, who also misunderstands ADHD (Stigma in ADHD, ADHD not seen as serious as other mental health illnesses like depression, stigmatization of ADHD). It took me FOREVER to write this post. I know, everything takes me a very long time compared to folks without ADHD. This post took me forever because thinking about this publication and trying to wrap my head around it leaves me feeling quite hopeless, scared, and sad. I am scared for anyone with ADHD who has to advocate for themselves, who tries to explain their experience to someone in a position of power, who looks for understanding and genuine help from a colleague or educator. I genuinely believe most folks with ADHD are trying to be their best selves, we don't want to be a burden, we are just as disappointed as you are, if not more, when it takes us twice as long to accomplish a task or when our sense of time fails us (and the reminders, alerts, and other backup systems we rely on fail us) and we deliver late on a deadline. For many of us, we've experienced this sense of never being good enough for a good portion of our lives, but how are students supposed to reflect on their processes and improve when the very people who should support students with ADHD don't view it as worthy of needing accommodation? How can we reimagine what an ADHD-affirmative learning or work space would feel like when it isn't safe to ask questions about what is and isn't feasible for our brains? Key points
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