Supporting students with disabilities in higher education.(Report)

ABSTRACT

The number of students with disabilities attending pustsecondary education institutions is growing. This study surveyed high school special education teachers who were asked to identify the skills, programs and supports they perceived as necessary for students with disabilities to he successful in higher education. Survey respondents were also asked to identify potential obstacles to success. Respondents identified self-advocacy skills as most important for the success of students with disabilities in higher education. Other necessary supports and accommodations were identified, including extended time on tests, test readers, alternative forms of assessment, copies of lecture notes, editing services and organizational support. Institutional barriers to success identified included lack of information, lack of financial assistance, inappropriate pace and relevancy of curriculum, impersonal nature of institutions and lack of access to support services. Student barriers to success identified included lack of confidence, insufficient academic preparation, low grades and lack of self-determination skills.

BACKGROUND

Ten percent of the current undergraduate students self-report some type of disability (Rickman, 1995; Scott, McGuire and Foley, 2003). This number is three times higher than the number reported a decade ago, and it is likely that it would be even higher if those students who choose not to self-report their disabilities were included in the data (Vogel et al. 1998). Of those students with disabilities who enter postsecondary education programs, many fail to complete a degree program (Horn, Berktold and Bobbitt 1999; Madaus 2005; Stodden and Conway 2001). The low retention rate for students with disabilities may be caused by a variety of factors, including inadequate transition supports from high school to college (National Council on Disability 2004), a lack of supports on the postsecondary level (Malakpa 1997), the difference in support levels between high school and postsecondary programs (Cowan 2006) and a hesitancy or reluctance on the part of faculty to provide accommodations for students with disabilities (Malakpa 1997; Villarreal 2002; West et al. 1993). High school special education teachers have been collaborating with general education teachers to provide accommodations and supports for students with disabilities since the passage of the 1975 Education of All Handicapped Children Act (Friend 2000; Miller, 2007). They have developed a body of expertise that might facilitate university level efforts to accommodate students with disabilities.

METHODS

The investigators conducted a survey of special education high school teachers to explore their perceptions and experiences regarding the preparation of students with disabilities for postsecondary education. Forty-five surveys were distributed to special education high school personnel. Sixteen of the forty-five surveys were completed, providing a 37% response rate.

Of the seventeen questions on the survey, five addressed respondent demographics and twelve probed respondents about their students' and their own perceptions concerning what students with disabilities might need in order to be successful in higher education (see Appendix A).