1. Exploring the UWEC Campus Climate Surrounding Disabilities Katie Beck a, Amanda Marx b, Melanie Niquette c, Alison Prahl c, and Kellie Risberg a Faculty Mentor: Mary Beth Leibham c, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire a Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders b Department of Special Education c Department of Psychology Background An increasing aspect of diversity in higher education is disability with roughly 11% of all students enrolled in college having some type of disability. In order for students with disabilities to be successful in postsecondary education, an environment in which they feel supported, accepted, and fully integrated into the campus community is necessary. Unfortunately, students with disabilities often report feeling uncomfortable self-disclosing their disabilities on campus, fearing that others will have negative reactions to them (Baker, Boland, & Nowik, 2012). Further, there is evidence that students with disabilities are impacted by disability stigma in that they are subjected to negative stereotypes associated with disability, inaccurate assessments of their academic ability, and inappropriate judgments by peers (Trammell, 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ attitudes toward disability and their perceptions of their campus engagement and satisfaction. By assessing students' attitudes toward disability and their perceptions of campus engagement, we hope to gain a better understanding of the current campus climate as it relates to disability and whether or not students with disabilities are indeed at risk of being impacted by disability stigma. The specific research questions for this study were: 1.Do students with and without disabilities have different attitudes towards disability? 2.Do students with and without disabilities report different levels of disability stigma? 3.Do students with and without disabilities report different levels of campus engagement/satisfaction? Methods Participants: A total of 190 UWEC students (148 females; 62 freshmen, 33 sophomores, 27 juniors, 68 seniors) participated in this study. Majors: The most commonly reported major was Psychology (n = 49), followed by Communication Sciences and Disorders (n = 19), Business (n = 19), and Communication & Journalism (n = 18). The remaining participants represented a variety of other majors (e.g., biology, history, education, social work). Disability Status: 36 students reported having a disability. The most commonly reported disability was psychological/psychiatric disorder (n = 18), followed by ADHD (n = 13), and chronic health condition (n = 8). Materials: Disability attitudes were measured using the 20-item Counseling Clients with Disabilities Survey (CCDS; Strike 2001). Disability stigma was measured using the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Survey (ADTP; Yuker, Block, & Young, 1970). Accommodations stigma was assessed by four items taken from the Attitudes Toward Requesting Accommodations measure (ATRA; Barnard-Brak, Sulak, Tate, & Lechtenberger, 2010). Campus engagement and experience was measured using a 9- item subscale from the Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE; Higher Education Research Institute, 2014). All items were rated on a 7-point Likert-scale with ‘1’ referring to “strongly disagree” and ‘7’ referring to “strongly agree.” Procedure: Participants were recruited through email or through the Psychology Department SONA system and the survey was completed via an online survey program (Qualtrics). Disability Stigma: Students w/ Disabilities vs. Students w/o Disabilities Disability Attitudes: Overall, students reported positive attitudes towards disabilities. Students with disabilities were significantly more likely to be satisfied with their level of disability awareness and were also more likely to examine their own stereotypes about disabilities compared to their peers w/o disabilities. Students w/o disabilities reported significantly more difficulty in understanding how having a disability could be a source of pride compared to their peers with disabilities. Disability Stigma: Overall, students reported low to moderate levels of disability stigma. Students w/o disabilities were significantly more likely than their peers with disabilities to believe that people with disabilities are grouchy and are more easily upset than people w/o disabilities. Students w/o disabilities were significantly more likely than their peers with disabilities to believe that people with disabilities should live and work in special communities and one should not expect much from people with disabilities. Accommodations Stigma: Overall, participants reported relatively low levels of stigma towards accommodations, although students w/o disabilities reported significantly higher levels of stigma towards accommodations than their peers with disabilities. Campus Experience/Satisfaction: Students w/o disabilities were more likely than their peers with disabilities to recommend this university to others and to report a sense of belonging on campus. Conclusions Disability Attitudes: Students w/ Disabilities vs. Students w/o Disabilities Accommodations Stigma: Students w/ Disabilities vs. Students w/o Disabilities References We wish to thank the UWEC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) for their continued support of faculty-student research and Learning and Technology Services (LTS) for printing this poster. We also want to thank Vicky Thomas, the Director of the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), for distributing our survey to those students who are registered with her office. Campus Experience/Satisfaction: Students w/ Disabilities vs. Students w/o Disabilities Mean Attitude Score (7-pt. scale) Mean Agreement Score (7-pt. scale) ** Mean Accommodation Score (7-pt. scale) Baker, K. Q., Boland, K. & Nowik, C. M. (2009). A campus survey of faculty and student perceptions of persons with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 25, 309-329. Barnard-Brak, L., Sulak, T., Tate, A., & Lechtenberger, D. (2010). Measuring college students’ attitudes toward requesting accommodations: A national multi- institutional study. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 35, 141-147. Higher Education Research Institute (2014). 2015 Diverse Learning Environments Core Survey Instrument. Retrieved from http://www.heri.ucla.edu/dleoverview.php. Strike, D. L. (2001). Counseling Clients With Disabilities Survey. Unpublished manuscript. Trammell, J. (2009). Postsecondary students and disability stigma: Development of the Postsecondary Student Survey of Disability-Related Stigma (PSSDS). Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22, 106-116. Yuker, H. E., Block, J. R., & Young, J. H. (1970). The measurement of attitudes towards disabled persons. Albertson, New York: Insurance Company of North America. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED044853.pdf. **p <.01 ** p <.001 ** p <.01 Mean Stigma Score (7-pt. scale) **