The lived experiences of learners with acquired special needs within the adult learning environment regarding personal psychological accommodations: A heuristic inquiry

Special learning needs of post-secondary adult students with acquired hidden disabilities are currently not being adequately met and that these individuals must make their own accommodations for learning success. The individuals that were considered as participants of the study must experience one or more acquired disabilities first-hand. It was mandated that their experiences did not include personal association with the primary researcher. The inclusion criteria for participants are such that they must meet all of the inclusion criteria. The individuals must be twenty-six to sixty years of age, have a "hidden disability" (unnoticeable in appearance) that was acquired during adulthood, and must be taking classes in an institution of higher learning. Backgrounds for this participant population were from varied individual states and attend two and four-year colleges within the United States. The results of the study indicated that student learning needs were not being met and that adult learners with acquired hidden disabilities do make their own psychological accommodations for learning. Through the utilization of cognitive and metacognitive processes, adult students did consider their own learning success and endeavored to persist in seeking their own modes of successful learning experiences. It was also found that there is a lack of professional literature regarding this topic.