Disability Services Documentation Guidelines in Higher Education: A Survey of Practices in Illinois

An exploratory study of postsecondary disability documentation guidelines in a single state was carried out through a mixed-methods approach. An analysis of 188 institutional and Disability Services office websites was completed to explore guiding frameworks for disability documentation practices. A survey about documentation practices was administered, and 34 participants provided data on their practices. Finally, nine participants from the survey provided copies of their documentation guidelines/requirements for a multi-case document analysis. Each portion of the study resulted in coding of the data into one of four framing models of Disability, and triangulation amongst the three methods was conducted to confirm a single framing model for each institution. After coding, it was determined that documentation practices primarily aligned with only two of the four models proposed for the study. The vast majority of practices aligned with a traditional Individual/Medical model of Disability, while a small number of institutions had adopted recent professional guidance under a “Hybrid” approach that was created for the study after review of the literature. Although containing the study to a single state resulted in small sample sizes, it appeared that there were several factors more often associated with institutions that utilized Hybrid model practices. When the factors of office budget, full-time staffing, and numbers of students served increased, there was a higher likelihood of alignment with Hybrid approaches. The findings offered implications for statewide and national practice, and suggested that additional work must be undertaken to promote Hybrid model practices to Disability Services offices with fewer resources and smaller student enrollments. Additional discussion about the importance and potential influence of Disability Studies on the Disability Services field were explored.