Using Clusters of Models of Disabilities to Describe Support for Mentees with Disabilities

Students with disabilities involved in postsecondary physics education may benefit from research opportunities and mentorship. However, the literature documenting supports provided by physics mentors to disabled students is limited. In this study, we analyze interviews with five mentors who either instruct physics courses or lead a research group for examples of how they support disabled students doing research or seeking career advice. Furthermore, we contextualize the examples of supports using six models of disability. Models include the cause of disability (medical/social), the effect of impairment on well-being (tragedy/affirmative), and the dichotomy of dis/ability (minority/universal). We find mentors discuss supports provided to disabled students in research settings that align with clusters of models of disability. While there is not one set of models that yields a one-size-fits-all solution, the universal model plus social model cluster can help mentors design useful and durable supports.