What I plan on doing
Proposed Research
Sandra Law
A mixed methods approach will be used in this project. The first stage will be an environmental scan of selected Canadian postsecondary institution’s websites’ disability or accessibility services websites to determine whether they offer services specifically targeted to individuals with autism. This scan has already begun. The second phase will consist of semi-structured interviews will be used with professional groups (e.g., faculty, instructors, and student services personnel) and caregivers. The researcher may also record her own reflections on past and present experiences in the postsecondary learning environment given her own diagnosis of autism. Based on themes that emerge during the interviews a series of co-design sessions will be undertaken with autistic individuals who are planning to start postsecondary education, those who are middle of their programs of study, those on the verge of completing their programs of study and those who have dropped out of postsecondary education. Based on the findings of these sessions a prototype of a toolkit for educators and student services personnel on supporting students with autism will be developed.