Student Veterans with Invisible Disabilities: Accommodation-Seeking in Higher Education

This article, from the Journal of Veterans Studies, explores the idea that veteran students may be unwilling to disclose an invisible disability and seek academic accommodations in a higher education setting. The authors conducted a literature review that highlighted factors that may contribute to help-seeking barriers. The findings from the literature review were then "... applied and compared with an existing model among non-veteran students with a mental health disability."  The authors posit that the following contextual factors (or any combination of) may contribute to help-seeking barriers:

1. The jeopardy of a double stigma.
2. A lack of cultural competence among educators and persons providing academic support services.
3. Student apprehension in asking for help.
4. A potential cultural mismatch between student veterans and their non-veteran peers.