Faculty Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Inclusion and Accommodations of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Students: A United Arab Emirates Case Study

University students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) might have lower attendance and graduation rates and lower academic performance when faculty show negative attitudes toward their inclusion at university. Limited research examines faculty’s attitudes and willingness to provide students with disabilities reasonable accommodations for their successful inclusion in university in the UAE. The goal of this study is to investigate factors associated with faculty’s attitudes and willingness for university students with disabilities’ inclusion and accommodations. The impact of teaching experience, prior contact with students with disabilities, and severity of disability on the faculty attitudes and willingness were studied. One hundred twenty-five faculty members were recruited at a public university in Abu Dhabi to participate in a one-year quantitative study that explored their attitudes and willingness. Findings show that the faculty had positive attitudes and willingness to provide students with disabilities with accommodations under three conditions: (1) their inclusion is fair and beneficial, academically and socially; (2) learning environment, curriculum and teaching, enhance their inclusion when faculty have less teaching load and more time; and (3) more faculty training is needed for using accommodations in the classroom. Policy and practice implications concerning the students’ inclusion and reasonable accommodations are discussed