Understanding perceptions and experiences of autistic undergraduate students toward disability support offices of their higher education institutions.
Autistic students say campus disability offices feel distant and under-informed, but quick staff training and friendly intake steps can fix it.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kim et al. (2021) talked with autistic college students about their campus disability support offices.
The team used open-ended questions. Students shared what helped and what felt hard.
What they found
Students said some staff were kind but many did not know much about autism.
Offices were hard to find or slow to answer. Students wanted clear steps and flexible help.
How this fits with other research
Dudley et al. (2019) and Bolourian et al. (2018) heard the same worries earlier. Professors and staff still lack autism training.
Hu et al. (2021) asked counseling-center bosses. Bosses admit they also need more autism know-how. Student voices and boss data now line up.
Titlestad et al. (2019) show students want one-to-one mentors. Yoon’s data explain why: generic paperwork days feel cold and confusing.
Why it matters
You can copy the fixes students ask for: post a plain-language map to the office, train front-desk staff on sensory needs, and offer a short intake call instead of long forms. Small moves like these raise trust and keep autistic learners enrolled.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Autistic undergraduate students are experiencing considerable difficulties on their college campuses. Yet, disability support offices (DSOs), which assume the responsibility of providing support to students with disabilities, often lack the resources to cater to the varied needs of autistic students. AIM: To understand autistic students' perspectives and experiences with DSOs and the range of support services available from DSOs of higher education institutions in the United States. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 27 autistic undergraduate students were conducted to solicit their perceptions about their DSOs. A generic inductive approach was used to qualitatively analyze the participants' responses. RESULTS: Students expressed both positive and negative experiences with academic and non-academic support, and perceived that DSO staff lacked specific autism knowledge and were often inaccessible. Some students initially decided not to receive DSO accommodations, but many chose to reach out to their DSOs after experiencing academic difficulties. Finally, students' perceptions of ways for DSOs to support them better highlighted the need for institution-wide efforts to make a cultural shift about disability and acceptance and the need for more individualized services. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate resources for DSOs and institution-wide efforts are needed to make college campuses both physically and emotionally accessible to autistic students.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103956