Left Out: Challenges Faced by Students with Learning Disabilities in Post-secondary Education at Ontarian Institutions

Abstract

By identifying the perceived challenges and successes of students with LDs, the study aimed to understand how these students make sense of their challenges in post-secondary education at Ontarian institutions. Considering the epistemology of constructivism, the study utilized qualitative methodology guided by an interpretivist theoretical perspective rooted in the phenomenological paradigm. Ten (10) students with LDs from Ontarian post-secondary institutions were recruited to contribute to this study to understand the essence of students' experiences, including factors that contribute to overcoming their challenges. Five (5) faculty members from Ontarian post-secondary institutions were also recruited to contribute their experiences dealing with the challenges of these students, including their result-based factors that effectively contributed to their academic successes. The data analyses yielded two key themes - themes related to challenges and themes related to successes – with several corresponding nested themes. Themes related to challenges indicated that students with LDs had to comply with their respective institutions' psycho-educational assessments to receive accommodations. They experienced concerns about being labeled and stigmatized and found it necessary to conceal their learning disability, which reduced their chances of receiving academic accommodation on time. Their challenges become compounded when they need to deal with preconceptions of parents, peers, and faculty members to become more independent as they adapt to higher education. Themes related to success indicated that positive interactions with faculty, peers, and service providers are significant in the academic success of students with LDs. The positive impact of their support on these students makes the faculty, peers, and service providers feel the meaning of their role in the student's success. While each student's academic journey was different, there were shared threads of resilience and success. The experiences of challenges of post-secondary students with LDs and their resilience to overcome the challenges presented in this study would contribute to the existing literature that enlightens hope for their potential success.