How self-advocacy strategies help students with ‘invisible disabilities’ flourish beyond high school

ABSTRACTThis exploratory pilot of innovative support for college-age students with invisible disabilities investigated the effects of a seven-week self-advocacy intervention. A multiple methods approach was utilized to investigate the effect of a self-advocacy instructional intervention on six college-aged students with LD and/or ADHD abilities to advocate with their college professors and understand their disability. The data were collected via semi-structured pre/post interviews, pretest/posttest questionnaires on self-advocacy components, and pretest/posttest role-play sessions requesting accommodations from a professor. Findings revealed that the early disability experiences in K-12 shaped the participants’ capacities to learn and demonstrate self-advocacy skills. Four main themes emerged from the stories and lived experiences of six college students with LD and/or ADHD: (a) interactions between family support and educational experiences; (b) self-advocacy knowledge; (c) self-advocacy experiences; and (d) perceived benefits of the intervention. Students found the intervention helpful in supporting future self-advocacy behavior. The findings from this study can be used as a starting point for future investigations and to support findings from other studies. Future research could include extending this study, however, conducting it with first-year students or students newly identified, beginning the first week of classes fall semester.KEYWORDS: self-advocacypostsecondary transitionlearning disabilitiesattention-deficit hyperactivity disorderinstructional intervention AcknowledgmentsI would like to thank the students who participated in this study. Thank you for your willingness to be a part of this study and for sharing your firsthand experiences as students who have lived with learning differences and persevered to be the best you can be. Each of you brought something unique to the study. Thank you to the Academic Support Program Director for taking on the project. Thank you to Dr. Tianhong Zhang for all the amazing ways you supported and encouraged me, and for the hours you have spent discussing and proofreading my article. Thank you to my husband, Dr. Kevin Roper, for the love, support, and encouragement you have provided throughout my dissertation and now writing this article. Thank you to my friend and colleague Sarah Gilchrist for your many hours of working together on Teams as you pursue your writing goals, and your many helpful suggestions. In conclusion, the ones who deserve the most accolades are my parents. You have always believed in me and encouraged me.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).