Dilemmas faced when working with learning disabilities in post-secondary education

To explore principles that guide post-secondary professionals who work with students with learning disabilities, vignettes describing typical ethical dilemmas were presented to counselors and other educational professionals. The vignettes addressed issues such as consent, boundaries of competency, accommodation, and release of information. Respondents indicated whether they believed the behavior presented in the vignette was ethical or appropriate. Analyses of variance indicated overall significant differences of opinions between professionals trained in counseling and those trained in education. Chi-square analyses examining responses to individual dilemmas revealed much overlap in opinion, with significant differences of opinion on three of eight dilemmas. Those dilemmas distinguishing the two groups involved issues of confidentiality when providing references, dual relationships between provider and student and release of records.