Skills for Success: Promoting Self-Determination Through Negotiation

• In Event: Issues in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

Research indicates that the majority of university students with disability are not receiving necessary services and accommodations, often because of reluctance to disclose. Bickenbach (2009) suggests negotiation as the primary mode for the realization of human rights. This paper proposes an original model of negotiation based on a secondary analysis of transcripts from 32 students with disability who were attending community college or university regarding concerns about disclosure. Emergent themes included disclosure as a violation of privacy, concern over lowered expectations, ambiguity regarding role and authority, and fear of public disclosure of disability. The resultant model situates communication difficulties as occurring in one or more of four domains that are affected by a specific context or place.

Author

• Kathryn I. Scorgie, Azusa Pacific University