Interaction Between College Students with Physical Disabilities & Their Professors

Abstract

This study investigated the nature of appropriate and inappropriate interaction behaviors between professors and college students who have physical disabilities. Thirty-eight students with physical disabilities, 74 college and university professors who had taught disabled students, and 17 professors who had not done so rated the frequency and appropriateness of a variety of interaction behaviors by both professors and students. Professors also rated their level of comfort with disabled and with non-disabled students and indicated how interested they were in teaching students with specific disabilities in the future. Results show that a) approximately 75% of professors in Montreal colleges and universities had taught disabled students, b) professors are more comfortable with able-bodied than with disabled students, and c) that professors who had taught disabled students are more comfortable with such students and more interested in teaching them in the future. Appropriate behaviors were found to be more common than inappropriate behaviors and student initiated behaviors were seen as more desirable than professor initiated ones. Nevertheless, disabled students rated most student initiated behaviors, but not professor initiated behaviors, as less appropriate than tile professors believed them to be. The implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed and concrete examples of appropriate behaviors by each group in frequently occurring interaction situations are provided.