Jumping through hoops, walking on egg shells: The experiences of nursing students with disabilities

This study describes the experiences of nursing students with disabilities through interviews, observations, and document analysis. The sample included five current students and five graduate nurses with physical or auditory impairments and 61 nursing faculty members, staff members, patients, and fellow students. The Colaizzi (1978) method of data analysis was modified to include additional information from interviews, observations, and documents. The findings revealed important concerns related to potentially unsafe nursing practice. The findings should assist nursing faculty with admission and retention decisions and development of reasonable accommodations. Recommendations for nursing programs to develop enforceable guidelines for admission and state regulatory boards of nursing to consider licensure with practice limitations are included.