Supporting Students with Psychiatric Disabilities in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

We began the exploratory process of identifying knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important for disability service professionals to possess in order to provide beneficial services to students with psychiatric disabilities in postsecondary education. Using a three-round Delphi survey, two groups of experts identified 54 knowledge, skill, and attitudinal items. A national sample of 402 disability service professionals then rated each item. A principal components analysis revealed five factors: (a) Ethical and Legal Considerations, (b) Accommodations and Supports, (c) Disability Aspects, (d) Community Resources, and (e) Campus Considerations. Findings are discussed in regards to implications, assumptions, limitations, and recommendations for future research.