Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Exploring the Lived Experiences of College Students Who Do Not Request Accommodations

For this phenomenological study, thirteen participants from two private universities located in the western region of the United States shared their lived experiences of being a college student who does not request accommodations. The author used recursive analysis to analyze qualitative data from semi-structured interviews. Initial codes were combined to create interconnected families of codes. Second level of analysis resulted in seven spaces in which participants describe their lived experiences. Findings suggest participants experience various tensions, ranging from incompatible options to competing perspectives, as they negotiate their identity and environment, including the principle of opportunity cost. Recommendations for college administrators and faculty, including Universal Design in higher education are included.