Thank you to everyone who has answered our recruitment call or shared it with your networks! We are thrilled by the response to our study and are well underway to learning about the experiences of female undergraduate students with academic accommodations related to ADHD.
We have now officially concluded interviewing! We had a lot of interest in participating in our study and appreciate everyone who connected with us and expressed interest. Participants shared many insights, experiences, and suggestions to address the barriers and gaps that continue to exist for academic accommodations for female undergraduates with ADHD.
We interviewed 26 participants across Ontario from 14 universities. Our participants came from a diverse range of identities and experiences, and we heard from students attending large and small campuses in both urban and rural settings from a diverse range of programs.
Please stay tuned as we continue to release updates and share our findings!
This research has been funded through a Partnership Engage Grant from the Social Studies and Humanities Research Council of Canada, grant number # 892-2023-0028.
The principal investigator is Dr. Margaret Gibson, an Associate Professor in Social Work and Social Development Studies at Renison University College, affiliated with the University of Waterloo. This study has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board, protocol #45643.
Learning Access: an investigation into female students' experiences of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-related accommodations in Ontario universities is a research study created through a partnership between DiverseMinds magazine (www.diversemindsmag.com), an online magazine created by and for neurodivergent women, and an academic research team led by Principal investigator Dr. Margaret Gibson. While ADHD is one of the most common reasons that undergraduate students seek academic accommodations, there is little research on how accommodations practices and systems are working for female students with ADHD. The team will be interviewing 30-35 female students who have looked for, received, or used academic accommodations related to ADHD in Ontario universities. These interviews will help us learn about the supports that have been working well, and where students have encountered barriers. Our research seeks to inform university administrators, educators, and accessibility service workers in creating more equitable and supportive systems. Findings will also be shared with the community of neurodivergent women through DiverseMinds magazine, to help people in navigating systems and advocating for themselves.
This research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) through the Partnership Engage Grant program (award 892-2023-0028). Collaborators on the project inlude Dr. Ami Tint (https://www.theredoak.ca/dr-ami-tint) and Dr. Virginie Cobigo at the University of Ottawa (https://web5.uottawa.ca/www2/mcs-smc/media/experts-details-iframe-998193...).