Stigma and disclosure

Stigma

Stigma, or the concern about real or potential stigma, might cause an individuals to be reluctant to disclose, equally, the concern that people will think that they will be given an unfair advantage can also discourage students. Students might have had experiences at school which make them reluctant to disclose.

Orr et al. (2009), quoting Hartman-Hall et al. (2002), state that the likelihood of a student applying for accommodations is influenced by the attitude staff have displayed when they have made previous applications. They recommend that HE staff receive training on ‘disability awareness’, best practice and the effect staff attitudes can have students seeking accommodations.

Izzo et al. (2008) quoted in Evans et al. (2017) explained that staff attitudes can influence student attitudes, so it might be necessary on occasions to make it clear to non-impaired students that “prejudice and ridicule will not be tolerated”.

 

Disclosure

We have a legal duty to anticipate the barriers students with impairments may face and to make our teaching as accessible as possible. This means that our teaching should be accessible whether or not there is a student in our classes who has disclosed their impairment. Given the prevalence of disability, we should expect students with impairments to be in our classes. Even if there are no students with ILPs registered on a module. Our teaching must be accessible, because not all individuals choose to disclose their impairment.

Individuals with invisible disabilities have a choice about whether they disclose, as it is not obvious, on first sight, that they have an impairment, however there may be many reasons why individuals choose not to disclose their impairment.

Individuals may choose not to disclose because they do not want to be defined by what they cannot do, because they do not view themselves as disabled, because they don’t want to be singled out for ‘special’ treatment, or because of fear of being stigmatised.

Depending on the educational or family background of the student, they may have grown up in an environment where their impairment was viewed as quite normal; for example if they attended a specialist school, or lived in an adapted house. As a result they may face a psychological shock of being seen, or viewing themselves, as disabled for the first time when they arrive at university. Similarly, a student might find it difficult personally to view themselves as impaired if they are facing barriers for the first time or if they are newly impaired.

We often think that it is only individuals with mental health conditions who are likely to be reluctant to disclose an impairment because of the fear of being stigmatised, but this can be true of individuals with a variety of impairments. For example students with visual impairments may well also try to disguise their impairment, and anecdotally, it appears that males are more reluctant to disclose than females.[1]

Students might also be reluctant to disclose because of the attitudes they have faced in the past where their symptoms have been stigmatised or their diagnosis has been dismissed. Riddick (2000) sites examples of children who, prior to their diagnosis of dyslexia had been labelled as lazy and sloppy and consequently became ‘quiet and withdrawn’.

In recent decades there has been a movement towards ‘mainstreaming’ where students, who would previously been educated at a specialist schools, now attend mainstream schools. Specialist schools now tend to focus on students who have profound, complex and multiple impairments. Because students may have been schooled in an unsympathetic environment they may have become accustomed to trying to hide their impairments in order to ‘fit in’. This may mean that they will continue to try and disguise their impairment once at University may be reluctant to disclose their impairment and seek support.

Many may choose to disclose only at the point that they can no longer manage and need support, so a student might already be a long way behind, or in crisis, once they have got to the point of disclosing.

Disclosure can also be deeply a personal act as it involves students telling staff details about their body or psychology; such conversations are normally reserved for discussions with their doctor.

If a student chooses to disclose to you it is important to remember that they are giving you very sensitive information and might only be doing so because they are already be at crisis point.

 

 

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References

[1] WESC foundation.