Instructional accommodations: Impact of conventional vs. social constructivist view of disability
This study examined the relationship between university faculty members' perspectives on students with special learning needs and their views on providing accommodations. Findings demonstrate that professors who view students with disabilities from a conventional, deficit perspective feel ill-equipped to provide necessary accommodations. Professors who hold a social constructivist view of disabilities view all learners, including those with identified needs, on a continuum and see accommodations for special learners as being an extension of their good teaching. Implications for faculty development and increased use of universal instructional design are discussed.