Preliminary

This study analyzes the impacts of sensory design elements on post-secondary students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The current ableist educational framework is not supportive of the unique needs of students with ADHD and is leading to significantly increased drop-out rates for these students. This research aims to discover how design may be leveraged in post-secondary environments to improve life satisfaction in those living with this invisible disorder. A group of adults who either attend or had attended a post-secondary program in the past two years were surveyed, profiling details of their diagnosis, previously attempted invervention methods, and performance perceptions due to their post-secondary educational setting. Results showed that self-stimulating design elements were favored when learning new material as compared to other research-based design elements, and that students most often sought intervention methods for academic supports above all else. Natural design elements were preferred over intense visually stimulating elements for focus-intense tasks in the majority of participants, and in all participants, earlier diagnosis translated into fewer social impairments. These results strongly suggest the integration of customizable and sustainable academic, social, and therapeutic supports to reduce ADHD symptoms, educational, and career impairment, therefore increasing long-term quality of life.