ABSTRACT
Keywords: Nonverbal teacher immediacy, college students with disabilities, ADA
compliance, student services, physically disabled, handicapped students, learning
disabled students, heath resource center
Sandra sat in her wheelchair and talked with me about her college experience while
Zorba, her canine companion and aide, sat protectively nearby. As she told of her
encounters with an English teacher, her slurred words were punctuated with quick
grimaces and erratic eye movements. At the close of the story, she particularly noted how
the teacher avoided eye contact with her and concluded, “I realized that the reason he
didn’t look at me was because he couldn’t stand to look at my face.”
