How Do College Students with Disabilities Do? Law, Self-determination, Self-advocacy, and Campus Resources
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract: This survey study investigated understanding and use of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), self-advocacy, self-determination, and campus resources by college students with disabilities. Thirty-one students registered with a student disability office at a Midwestern state university completed an anonymous survey. Thirty-two percent of participants reported that they knew how to advocate for their own education before beginning college. A majority of participants displayed strong understanding of self-determination, self-advocacy, and campus resources, but reported a weak understanding about the ADA. Participants reported stronger agreement on their use of self-determination and self-advocacy skills than on campus resources. Their lowest score was for their use of self-advocacy skill when their legal rights had to be voiced. These students’ lack of understanding of their legal rights and limited self-advocacy skills in protecting their legal rights suggest implications for both transition services in high school and support services at the college level.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
References
American Psychological Association. (2018). For students: Adjusting to college resources and frequently asked questions for students with disabilities. https://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/student-college-guide
Abreu, M., Hillier, A., Frye, A., & Goldstein, J. (2016). Student experiences utilizing disability support services in a university setting. College Student Journal, 50(3), 323–328.
Banks, J. (2014). Barriers and supports to postsecondary transition: Case studies of African American students with disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 35(1), 28–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932513512209
Barnard-Brak, L., Davis, T., Tate, A., & Sulak, T. (2009). Attitudes as a predictor of college students requesting accommodations. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 31(3), 189–198. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-2009-0488
Dutta, A., Schiro-Geist, C., & Kundu, M. M. (2009). Coordination of postsecondary transition services for students with disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 75(1), 10–17.
Fleming, A. R., Oertle, K. M., & Plotner, A. J. (2017). Student voices: Recommendations for improving postsecondary experiences of students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(4), 309–326.
Gaddy, S. (2013). Use students’ feedback to improve disability services practices. Disability Compliance for Higher Education, 18(8), 6.
Garrison-Wade, D. F. (2012). Listening to their voices: Factors that inhibit or enhance postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. International Journal of Special Education, 27(2), 113–125.
Hadley, W. (2018). Students with learning disabilities transitioning from college: A one-year study. College Student Journal, 52(4), 421–430.
Hamblet, E. (2014). Nine strategies to improve college transition planning for students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(3), 53–59
Hawkins, D. (2019). Empowering students with disabilities: During the college transition. Journal of College Admission, 243, 22–23.
Herbert, J. T., Welsh, W., Hong, B. S. S., Kurz, C. A., Byun, S., & Atkinson, H. A. (2014). Persistence and graduation of college students seeking disability support services. Journal of Rehabilitation, 80(1), 22–32.
Hong, B. S. (2015). Qualitative analysis of the barriers college students with disabilities experience in higher education. Journal of College Student Development, 56(3), 209–226.
Hong, B. S., Ivy, W., Gonzalez, H. R., & Ehrensberger, W. (2007). Preparing students for postsecondary education. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(1), 32–38.
Keenan, W. R., Madaus, J. W., Lombardi, A. R., & Dukes, L. L. (2019). Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act on documentation for students with disabilities in transition to college: Implications for practitioners. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 42(1), 56–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143418809691
Knight, W., Wessel, R. D., & Markle, L. (2018). Persistence to graduation for students with disabilities: Implications for performance-based outcomes. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 19(4), 362–380.
Krebs, E. (2019). Baccalaureates or burdens? Complicating “reasonable accommodations” for American college students with disabilities. Disability Studies Quarterly, 39(3). https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v39i3.6557
Layden, S. J., Anderson, A., & Hayden, K. E. (2021). Are librarians prepared to serve students with autism spectrum disorder? A content analysis of graduate programs. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 36(3), 156–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357621989254
Mamiseishvili, K., & Koch, L. C. (2012). Students with disabilities at 2-year institutions in the United States: Factors related to success. Community College Review, 40(4), 320–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552112456281
McCarthy, D. (2007). Teaching self-advocacy to students with disabilities. About Campus, 12(5), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/abc.225
National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Fast facts: Students with disabilities. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60
Nistor, N., Daxecker, I., Stanciu, D., & Diekamp, O. (2015). Sense of community in academic communities of practice: predictors and effects. Higher Education, 69(2), 257–273. https://www.jstor.com/stable/43650112
Paranal III, C. C. (2021). The Internet as a public accommodation and its impact on higher education. Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal, 22(2), 143–199.
Phillippe, L. K., Noble, N., Hendricks, B., Brendle, J., & Lock, R. H. (2021). The Americans with disabilities act implications for family counselors: Counseling students in higher education. Family Journal, 29(1), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480720948869
Pingry O’Neill, L. N., Markward, M. J., & French, J. P. (2012). Predictors of graduation among college students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 25(1), 21–36.
Schechter, J. S. (2018). Supporting the needs of students with undiagnosed disabilities. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(3), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721718808264
Schreiner, M. B. (2007). Effective self-advocacy: What students and special educators need to know. Intervention in School and Clinic, 42(5), 300–384.
Scott, S. (2019). Access and participation in higher education: Perspectives of college students with disabilities. NCCSD Research Brief, 2(2). Huntersville, NC: National Center for College Students with Disabilities, Association on Higher Education and Disability. Available at http://www.NCCSDclearinghouse.org
Singh, D. K. (2019). Educational rights of college students with disabilities. College Student Journal, 53(2), 243–251.
Squires, M. E., Burnell, B. A., McCarty, C., & Schnackenberg, H. (2018). Emerging adults: Perspectives of college students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 31(2), 121–134.
Squires, M. E., & Countermine, B. (2018). College students with disabilities explain challenges encountered in professional preparation programs. Exceptionality Education International, 28(1), 22–44. https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v28i1.7757
Stodden, R. A., Dowrick, P. W., Anderson, J., Heyer, K., & Acosta, J. (2005). Postsecondary education across the USA: Experiences of adults with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 22(1), 41–47.
Summers, J. A., White, G. W., Zhang, E., & Gordon, J. M. (2014). Providing support to postsecondary students with disabilities to request accommodations: A framework for intervention. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 37(3), 245–260.
U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. (2011). Students with disabilities preparing for postsecondary education: Know your rights and responsibilities. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html
Vaccaro, A., Daly-Cano, M., & Newman, B. M. (2015). A sense of belonging among college students with disabilities: An emergent theoretical model. Journal of College Student Development, 56(7), 670–686.
Walker, A. R., & Test, D.W. (2011). Using a self-advocacy intervention on African American college students’ ability to request academic accommodations. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 26(3), 134–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5826.2011.00333.x
Wessel, R. D., Jones, J. A., Markle, L., & Westfall, C. (2009). Retention and graduation of students with disabilities: Facilitating student success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 21(3), 116–125.
White, G. W., Summers, J. A., Zhang, E., & Renault, V. (2014). Evaluating the effects of a self-advocacy training program for undergraduates with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 27(3), 229