Negotiating Disability Stigma in Undergraduate Students with Academic Accommodations

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Negotiating Disability Stigma in Undergraduate Students with Academic Accommodations
Language: English
Authors: Demetruis Leonard, Pietro A. Sasso
Source: Journal of Higher Education and Student Affairs. 2026 42(1):1-25.
Availability: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. Digital Commons Office, Zach S. Henderson Library, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458. e-mail: digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu; Web site: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gcpa/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Students with Disabilities, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Social Bias, Academic Accommodations (Disabilities), Coping, Family Role, Peer Influence, Microaggressions, Time, Testing Accommodations
ISSN: 3069-8227
Abstract: To understand how undergraduate students diagnosed with a disability who receive academic accommodations negotiate stigma, this phenomenological qualitative study was conducted at a midwestern private university using Gibson's (2006) Disability Identity Development Model to examine how students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These students experienced challenges negotiating stigma, and their families provided direct support. This allowed them to use accommodations such as extended test-taking and assignment submission time. These students also used family, friends, and peers to support the navigation of the negative stigma of being perceived as "lazy" or "taking advantage of the system" because of their educational accommodations. These findings offer implications to support efforts to decrease disability stigma associated with seeking academic accommodations.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508161
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:To understand how undergraduate students diagnosed with a disability who receive academic accommodations negotiate stigma, this phenomenological qualitative study was conducted at a midwestern private university using Gibson's (2006) Disability Identity Development Model to examine how students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These students experienced challenges negotiating stigma, and their families provided direct support. This allowed them to use accommodations such as extended test-taking and assignment submission time. These students also used family, friends, and peers to support the navigation of the negative stigma of being perceived as "lazy" or "taking advantage of the system" because of their educational accommodations. These findings offer implications to support efforts to decrease disability stigma associated with seeking academic accommodations.
ISSN:3069-8227