Supporting Neurodivergent Students in Physics: Faculty Beliefs on Accommodations and Their Effectiveness

As more students identify as neurodivergent, including those with learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism, physics professors are increasingly called upon to implement accommodations to support their learning needs. To explore the dynamics between physics faculty and disability services in this context, we conducted interviews with 14 physics professors from various institutions. We focused on their experiences with commonly requested accommodations for neurodivergent students. Through emergent coding of the interview data, several key themes emerged regarding professors' perceptions of the effectiveness of these accommodations. Preliminary findings suggest that while many faculty members are open to providing accommodations and are committed to helping students succeed, concerns persist regarding fairness, potential misuse of accommodations, and whether these supports may inadvertently hinder students' future success in physics careers.