Students with Disabilities

This paper is presented as a summary of the international literature on the retention of students with disabilities. It is taken from a literature review section of my doctoral thesis completed in 2017. I have an ongoing interest in this area and time allowing, will seek to share findings on the retention of students with disabilities in an Irish context. Readers in HEIs in Ireland and elsewhere may find this paper useful in reflecting on how students with disabilities are doing in terms of progression and completion in their HEIs. Data collection on retention generally omits details on students with disabilities as a category and this is unfortunate as it offers an objective indicator of the value and effectiveness of reasonable accommodations and universal design.

Disability is a very small sub-category within the main body of research on student retention. The majority of authors in the area rarely mention disability, let alone identify it as a subcategory worthy of consideration. The literature that does focus on the retention of students with disabilities is dominated by research from the US and the UK. Collectively this paper presents a range of findings from different settings that do not easily concur or reach definitive conclusions. A brief discussion on how best to track retention and what factors may make a difference to retention will be left to the end of this paper.

Disability is often viewed as an obstacle to postsecondary inclusion, but not a characteristic of student diver-sity. Additionally, current theoretical frameworks isolate disability from other student diversity characteris-tics. In response, a new conceptual framework, the Disability-Diversity (Dis)Connect Model (DDDM), was created to address disability as a multifaceted aspect of student diversity.

Students with disabilities have been going through different forms of discrimination and exclusion. These include inaccessible learning materials and learning platforms, negative attitudes from lecturers, fellow students and more. This paper comes from a qualitative study that sought to explore how Covid-19 deepened these educational inequalities at an Open Distance Learning institution in South Africa. The results of the study reveal that institutions of higher learning had to quickly adjust their teaching and assessment to online mode. This led to heightened exclusion of students with disabilities as their examinations had to be postponed to second semester due to lack of preparations for special examinations. Students also reported experiencing extra pressure as they had to write double the examinations at the end of the year. Some students reported lack of access to assistive technologies which they normally borrow from the library, this was because the Post Office was not operating during the National Lockdown Level 5. The novel nature of Covid-19 is such that the real barriers it caused on people and students with disabilities in particular and it will keep revealing itself gradually. This paper ends by making recommendations on how an ODL institution could accommodate the needs of students with disabilities to enhance their learning experiences during pandemics or natural disasters.

Research notes that stigmatisation still exists within higher education for individuals identifying as having a disability. Institutional mem-bers, including administrators, may indicate an overall positive per-ception of students with disabilities; however, this perception may not translate to consistent inclusion of this student group in the student diversity landscape. Limited research exists on if and how postsecondary administrators include disability within their overall definition of postsecondary student diversity. This qualitative study explores administrators’ interpretation of student diversity and the inclusion of disability within this definition. Findings indicate that administrators do not regularly include disability as a component of student diversity. This brief report presents implications and recom-mendations for postsecondary stakeholders to incorporate the con-cept of disability within student diversity programming.

Whereas the motto of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is “Leave no one behind”, it serves as a guiding principle for all to work towards an inclusive society.As Physical Education (PE) serves as a fertile ground for expressions of supportive milieu, the new generation of PE teachers should seize this opportunity to become advocates of mainstreaming students with additional needs in order to achieve substantive equality for all in schools. Pursuing this endeavor, understanding the meaning of their experiences in mainstreaming may give a glimpse of the current perspectives and viewpoints that are vital in the formulation of appropriate intervention for improved inclusive instruction in the 21st century. This Heideggerian phenomenological study using one-on-one unstructured interviews was used to explore the meaning of the lived experience of the seventeen (17) purposively selected millennial teachers in mainstreamed PE classrooms in Cebu City and Cebu Province, Philippines. Using hermeneutical analysis, it was deduced that while they see mainstreaming as a wonderful concept, their experiences on it had apparently captured A Reflection of a Wider Problem on Inclusion in Academia as an overarching theme that encapsulated how PE teachers today subsisted the multifaceted issues and challenges on mainstreaming. This journey was specified through the subthemes: A Test of Pedagogical Competence, Multifaceted Contextual Inclusion Challenges, Fete of Teacher’s Complex Support Roles and Risk of Curriculum Infidelity. The findings implicate that pedagogies that “fit all” do not guarantee the best possible learning outcomes and, teachers who represent only as “teacher” do not foster inclusive ethos to their students. Achieving these expectations can be daunting, thus, it is recommended that education administrators to conduct capacity building opportunities to the faculty and staff for indepth theoretical knowledge and practical understanding on the concept and application of inclusive education.

Keywords:- Asia, Inclusive Education, Mainstreaming, Millennial, Phenomenology, Physical Education, Philippines.

Abstract: After a decade of advocacy across North American campuses, it can be fairly asserted that Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is finally having an impact on the inclusion of students with Disabilities across campuses. It is helping shift instructors and departments away from medical model approaches to students with Disabilities, and facilitating the adoption of the social model of disability in classroom practices.
In 2020, however, the COVID pandemic forced campus closures and an overnight shift to online instruction and assessment across the world. Many have argued that this pivot has helped increase awareness of accessibility and has developed inclusive design as a mindset among instructors. Equally numerous are researchers and practitioners who feel that the pandemic has weakened institutions’ commitment to inclusion, made accessible learning more difficult to achieve, and generally hindered the development of UDL in Higher Education.

This interactive session will lead the audience in assessing to what extent each of these assertions might be true, and how campuses can draw important lessons from these experiences, in relation to UDL implementation.

The presentation draws from multiple interactive workshops which have been offered to UDL advocates and faculty throughout the pandemic. It presents the analysis of phenomenological data gathered throughout these professional development sessions.

The goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive picture of the state of access to primary education for children with disabilities in Cambodia. This study surveyed 250 students with physical disabilities and 400 primary school teachers. It also conducted in-depth interviews with 106 parents, CCWC focal points, school directors, sub-national education staff, NGOs, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth
Rehabilitation (MoSVY), and MoEYS (Primary Education Department, PED; the Special Education Department, SED; and the Department for Curriculum Development, DCD). Participants were selected from five different provinces, covering both urban and rural areas, while ensuring a balance of male and female participants. As the quantitative results of this study are based on interviews of children and teachers, and as communication difficulties made the interview process with children with intellectual disabilities unreliable, most quantitative results are only about children with physical disabilities. Data on children with intellectual disabilities came mostly from in-depth interviews with
parents and other stakeholders.

Rice, M., & Dykman, B. (2018). The emerging research base for online learning and students with disabilities. In R. Ferdig and K. Kennedy (Eds.) Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 189-206). Pittsburgh, PA: ETC Press. 

Students served under federal civil rights laws (i.e., IDEA, Section 504) are entitled to enroll in the full range of online
learning environments and receive mandated services. Attending to these students’ needs has presented challenges for
educators in online schools, but research that would inform decision-making and planning has been scarce. This chapter
provides some context for serving students with disabilities online and summarizes previous research reviews this topic.
In addition, this chapter updates research findings from an original chapter in the first Handbook of K12 Online and
Blended Learning Research. New findings suggest that students with disabilities are enrolling in online courses, but gaps
in understandings about student outcomes, accommodation and service delivery, and educator preparation and support
persist. The chapter ends with suggestions for applying research to practice, engaging in additional research, and forming
policies ensuring students with disabilities receive services.

As chair of the candidate's graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Nari J. Carter in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library.

Students with disabilities perform below their non-disabled peers in science (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2011; National Educational Longitudinal Study [NELS], 1998; National Science Foundation [NSF], 2013). The achievement gap is a problem because the nation’s competitiveness depends on individuals with science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge, skills, and abilities to drive innovation that will lead to new products and economic growth (Business-Higher Education Forum [BHEF]/Act Policy Brief, 2014; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016; National
Science Board, 2015). If Florida is to continue to grow and prosper, all students, including students with disabilities must be prepared for the economy they will inherit. The purpose of the current study was to determine if informal science learning activities offered in Florida school
districts impact students with disabilities (SWD) performance on the 8th Grade Florida science assessment.
The researcher posed four research questions The first research question determined whether a statistically significant difference existed between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers on the 8th Grade Florida Science Assessment. The researcher found a statistically significant difference of students without disabilities outperforming their peers with disabilities. The second and third research questions were analyzed using survey responses from STEM personnel in each Florida district. The questions evaluated the percentage of SWD who participate in STEM activities. Findings indicated most districts do not track the number of SWD who participate in STEM activities. The third research question determined the type of SWD who participated in STEM activities. The largest category represented in STEM activities was students with learning disabilities. The last research question asked if there was a correlation
between the number of STEM activities offered in a district and the results of the 8th Grade Statewide Science Assessment for SWD. Results indicated a small positive correlation. The researcher identified areas for future research, as well as recommendations and implications of the results from the study.

Mr. Rose, a third grade general education teacher, and Ms. Smith, a special education teacher, co-teach in an urban elementary school with a high number of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The school integrates computer science and computational thinking into curriculum as part of their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiative. Mr. Rose and Ms. Smith have identified several challenges they will need to address to meet the needs of several of their students with learning disabilities. These challenges include difficulty with complex, multistep problem solving, lack of access to and experience with technology, and difficulty with fine motor skills.

It is widely accepted in the field of higher education that supportive social networks are important to persistence and graduation for most students. Students with disabilities as a group would appear to have particularly high needs for social supports in view of the greater challenges they are likely to face. However, a literature review found relatively few research reports on this topic and also suggested that there might be differences in how the topic is treated in disability-focused versus higher education journals. An exercise was therefore undertaken to objectively assess possible differences between the two kinds of journal. A large number of research articles published in five higher education journals and four disability-focused journals were examined and classified according to the extent to which student social issues were addressed. In addition, the articles in the higher education journals were coded as to whether or not they included students with disabilities as a focal population. The results indicate that: (1) students with disabilities are very rarely the focus of research reported in higher education journals, and (2) articles in disability-focused journals tend to focus much more on technical issues (such as classroom accommodations and assistive technology) compared to social issues. It is suggested that the predominance of a technical focus may in part be an unintended consequence of legislation mandating equal access to higher education for people with disabilities.

A search of the peer-reviewed literature on postsecondary students with disabilities identified 67 articles particularly relevant to social integration, which is well recognized as an important factor supporting the retention of postsecondary students in general. Qualitative approaches were the most common, with 43.4% of the articles reporting this as the primary method used and on the whole clearly showing that students with disabilities commonly feel that their conditions are sources of stigmatization and discrimination. Research exploring the attitudes of faculty and peers generally finds that they tend to have doubts about the capacity of students with disabilities to succeed in higher education and to sometimes avoid social interactions with them due to concerns about not knowing how to behave appropriately or communicate effectively. It is therefore understandable that a large proportion of students with hidden disabilities (learning disabilities, attention disorders, etc.) prefer to keep their disability status to themselves as much as possible. Each disability subgroup tends to have its own set of social issues. Research and practice are not well developed with regard to either enhancing the social integration of the different disability subgroups or transforming campus climates so they are welcoming for all students, including those with disabilities. The extant research is also characterized by convenience samples that make generalizations difficult. Emerging research topics include social capital and stereotype threat for students with disabilities.

National policy mandates have placed greater accountability on districts and schools to improve the outcomes of every student, including students with disabilities. Teacher evaluation systems
that accurately identify effective teachers and their impact on student learning have resulted in
the widespread design and implementation of new teacher evaluation systems. Nevertheless, limited exploration related to the evaluation of special education teachers exists. Using a
qualitative, multi-case study research design, we sought to gain insight into the perceptions and experiences of special education teachers and administrators to better understand (a) the
relationship between teacher evaluation and teacher effectiveness; (b) the ways in which
educators approach the challenges of applying teacher evaluation systems for special education teachers; and (c) the ways in which teacher evaluation processes support the professional
growth and development of special education teachers. The challenges involved in evaluating special education teachers with a uniform teacher evaluation protocol instrument are presented.
The need to be able to accurately appraise special education teachers within an inclusive
classroom setting, apply criteria from the observation protocol to special education students, and lack of appraisers’ knowledge of the roles and expertise of special education teachers were
identified. Recommendations for improvement are provided.

For this qualitative case study, I centered voice to discover the points of view of 33 students with an
identified disability who attended two different Texas high schools. The purpose of the study was to capture
the personal meanings these students attributed to their learning experiences and bring their perspectives to
the fore. Drawing from my personal and professional experiences as a special education teacher, high school
administrator, and inclusive researcher, I illustrate how listening to the stories of the students with disabilities
whom I served motivated me to engage their voices and the voices of their friends to interrogate my own
practice and stay true to a commitment I made to my students nearly 30 years ago to tell their story. To set
the stage and the importance of honoring the voices and perspectives of students with disabilities, I provide
a brief account of the international legislative priorities related to student voice and various arguments that
have been advanced to recognize and honor the voices of every student. Next, I present the international legislation
and recommendations that support the participation rights of persons with disabilities in making decisions
that directly affect their lives as well as the research literature related to inclusion, student voice, and
students with disabilities. An explanation of the research design and approach, including an explanation of
the level at which students who participated in this study were involved, is followed by a presentation and
discussion of the findings. A call for the adoption of a differentiated approach to student voice research and
practice that incorporates the voices of students with disabilities serves as the conclusion.

המאמר הנוכחי מציג מחקר שבחן את תפיסותיהם של 9 סטודנטים עם ליקויי ראייה ועיוורון (להלן: סטודנטים עם ל"ר) באשר לממדים שונים, אישיים וחברתיים, באיכות חייהם. סטודנטים אלה השתתפו בתכנית מבוססת 'מודל מעגל הפנמה' שבה כל מפגש התמקד באחד מהממדים. התכנית התקיימה במהלך סמסטר אקדמי, אחת לשבוע במשך 4 שעות בהנחיית מדריכה שהוכשרה במיוחד לתכנית. המחקר נשען על מתודולוגיה איכותנית תיאורית-פרשנית (פנומנולוגית). הנתונים התבססו על יומני המשתתפים שהם מילאו לאחר כל מפגש. ניתוח דיווחי המשתתפים נעשה בשני שלבים: האחד כלל ניתוח תימתי 'פתוח' והאחר ניתוח טקסט לאור הקטגוריות שעלו בניתוח הראשון. נמצא כי המשתתפים תיארו פרופיל איכות חיים המבטא תחושת מימוש עצמי אישי וחברתי. וכן, גישתם לנושאים השונים בחייהם הייתה חיובית ביחס לממצאי מחקרים קודמים שהעריכו זאת בקרב ילדים ובגירים שאינם סטודנטים. בנוסף, ניתוח הממצאים חשף את הקשר שעשו המשתתפים בין שביעות רצונם בממדים שונים בחייהם כסטודנטים בזמן התכנית, לבין ההשתתפות בתכנית. קשיים הועלו ביחס לנושא אהבה וזוגיות. ממצאי המחקר מחזקים את הצורך בעריכת מחקרים נוספים בנושא איכות החיים בקרב סטודנטים עם ל"ר וכן בהפעלת תכניות העצמה נוספות שבהן יוכלו הסטודנטים להשתתף לפני או במהלך לימודיהם באקדמיה.
מילות מפתח: סטודנטים עם ליקויי ראייה ועיוורון, איכות חיים, מודל מעגל הפנמה, הגישה ההומניסטית-חינוכית, העצמה אישית וחברתית.

National policy recommendations and guidelines for ensuring minimal standards of accessibility for students with disabilities in Croatia. Developed by a national working group of experts, the document was adopted by the Croatian Rector's Conference in 2012,

Students with disabilities have been going through different forms of discrimination and exclusion. These include inaccessible learning materials and learning platforms, negative attitudes from lecturers, fellow students and more. This paper comes from a qualitative study that sought to explore how Covid-19 deepened these educational inequalities at an Open Distance Learning institution in South Africa. The results of the study reveal that institutions of higher learning had to quickly adjust their teaching and assessment to online mode. This led to heightened exclusion of students with disabilities as their examinations had to be postponed to second semester due to lack of preparations for special examinations. Students also reported experiencing extra pressure as they had to write double the examinations at the end of the year. Some students reported lack of access to assistive technologies which they normally borrow from the library, this was because the Post Office was not opera...

The recent outbreak forced headteachers (HTs) to re-organize the school methods and coordinate all operations to ensure their functioning in order to guarantee the right to education of all students including those with disabilities. In an attempt to explore the actions with which the HTs have responded to this challenge, this paper analyses the first results emerging from the research Tutti presenti oggi? aimed at investigating the inclusive processes activated by HTs in distance learning and addressed to students with disabilities by schools in Bergamo and province.

This case study describes a collaborative decision-making process for developing effective academic accommodations for a music major with a disability, whose prior accommodations suggested by the Disability Support Services (DSS) failed to address her needs. Cross-departmental collaboration between the DSS and the School of Music, as well as dynamic interactions among students with disabilities (SWDs), faculty members, peer tutors, and DSS specialists are emphasized. Multiple sources of information were collected, including in-depth/semi-structured interviews and a review of all relevant documentation such as case reports, weekly logs, email correspondence, results of psychological testing and academic portfolio contents. The themes that emerged from the data include resistance to the unknown, the language of negotiation, the decision-making process, and transformation (with three sub-themes: from fear of stigmatization to self-advocacy, from resentfulness to acceptance and commitment, and from reaction to pro-action). Key elements contributing to the collaborative process consist of effective communication among all members, the promotion of self-advocacy skills for SWDs, and faculty’s recognition of SWDs’ potential to succeed and while engaging flexible methods for delivering course content and assessing outcomes. A framework for delivering viable services for music majors with disabilities is outlined and discussed.

Zakon o visokem šolstvu in Zakon o višjem strokovnem izobraževanju ne določata posebnih pravic študentov s posebnimi okoliščinami. Posledično ni enotnih pravil za regulacijo pravic študentov invalidov s področja bivanja v študentskih domovih, izobraževalnega procesa, ipd. Pogoji za uveljavljanje pravic so zato posebej urejeni na posameznih področjih.

The most widely cited statistics on postsecondary students with disabilities in the United States are based on the Department of Education’s quadrennial National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). However, these statistics are called into question by their substantial variability across NPSAS administrations and by results of the second National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2). For example, according to NPSAS 2008 telephone survey results, fewer than 10% of postsecondary students with disabilities reported having learning disabilities, compared to the NLTS2 finding of nearly 70%. The NLTS2 results can be considered to be of superior validity and reliability given that study’s (1) longitudinal tracking into early adulthood of a large nationally representative sample of high school students in special education and (2) categorization of participants as to their disabilities based on their school records. By contrast, the cross-sectional NPSAS relies on self-reports by post...

Recent changes in public schools surrounding common core, higher academic standards and elevated graduation requirements are causing educators to rethink their role and contributions to guarantee success.  This makes the high school diploma more difficult to obtain, while making college entrance more competitive.  Throughout the formal education there are many opportunities to address dysfunctional learning habits to secure entrance into special educational programs.  As the high school atmosphere becomes harder to navigate through for mainstream students, that same difficulty will become exponentially more difficult for special education students on a diploma track.

The National Center for Education Statistics show that for the 2008-09 school year, 88% of all 2 year and 4 year colleges are enrolling students with disabilities (2011).  This shows significant increase due to students with disabilities enrolling in higher education at a higher rate for every year that passes.  Between 1996 and 1998 there were only 72% of institutions that were enrolling students with disabilities.

There are career and education goals made early, the student education path that comes from students, parents, and school staff.  It is rare for high school graduation to represent the final goal for any student.  This keeps the student support team working toward a goal higher than high school completion, which is where transition comes into special education.  Where will these students go after high school, what will they do, and will they be self-sufficient or dependent?  The issue lies in the effectiveness of the process and practice of this transition.
 
Current research supporting high school transition interventions will be reviewed along with data to identify the need for academic and guidance counselors.  More specifically, accessibility of guidance counselors to Special Education students will be identified through research and statistics from around the world. This gathering of data will support reason to decide on the necessity of new interventions and what those interventions will be through the many years of high school to higher education transition. 

This intervention will be utilized to improve the connectedness, not only between students and success, but high school and higher education institutions.  High school graduation rates in special education and accessibility to guidance counselors need some attention while not forgetting to address those that will certainly graduate and their options after leaving their secondary school.

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) are not just traumatic experiences but also drastically change the life of the suffering individuals. Returning to school constitutes as one of the challenges that involves a greater degree of adaptation including but not limited to physical, emotional, social and learning revamping. This paper studies the existing literature on difficulties faced by people suffering from a SCI after returning to school. The dissatisfaction of the disabled students is studied at various universities, which are in compliance with the ADA regulations, and measures are recognized to make the overall learning experience and school environment better. Furthermore, the roles and duties of the disability offices are studied, and the importance of their actions and involvement is recognized. Four areas of improvement are presented to improve the quality of education and schooling experience for students with a SCI. This paper further establishes the need to create awareness of a SCI amongst the faculty in order to provide a better-adapted learning environment.

Jem Cloyd M. Tanucan, LPT, MAEd. Student Teaching Mentor, College of Teacher Education Cebu Normal University, Cebu City, Philippines, 6000 ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History Received: 08 November 2018 Final Accepted: 10 December 2018 Published: January 2019

There has been increased attention paid to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics also known as STEM. The focus on STEM has been both educational and occupational. Unfortunately, students with disabilities perform below their peers without disabilities in math and science. The authors discuss issues related to STEM and students with disabilities. These issues include (1) traditional views of STEM education, (2) the importance of STEM education, and (3) students with disabilities performance in STEM. The authors posit a framework for STEM education for students with disabilities and promote the incorporation of the arts to increase students' STEM knowledge and achievement.

Disability is often viewed as an obstacle to postsecondary inclusion, but not a characteristic of student diversity. Additionally, current theoretical frameworks isolate disability from other student diversity characteristics. In response, a new conceptual framework, the Disability-Diversity (Dis)Connect Model (DDDM), was created to address disability as a multifaceted aspect of student diversity.

School choice has become one of the most controversial issues in education. However, little is known about how parents of children with disabilities chose schools. The present article includes an international systematic literature review of research on the factors influencing the decisions of parents of children with disabilities when selecting schools or special education programs. The literature review showed that parents of children with disabilities consider a large variety of factors when choosing schools, including the availability of special education programs, distance of the school, social continuities, class size, teachers’ characteristics, parent-teacher communication, beliefs about disability, and the children's well-being. Socioeconomic status and parents’ areas of residence had a mixed influence on the decision-making process. The studies found a dire need for research on how parents from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds choose education programs for their children.

Students with disabilities are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers (National Science Foundation, 2015). The underrepresentation is a problem because the nation's competitiveness depends on diverse individuals with STEM knowledge, skills, and abilities to drive innovation that will need to new products and economic growth (Business-higher Education Forum/A Policy Brief, 2014; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016; National Science Board, 2016).  The author discusses the importance of engaging students with disabilities in informal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics activities.

This study compared two samples of pre-service teachers from Saudi Arabia (n = 306) and Finland (n = 186) regarding their attitudes towards inclusive education. The Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education Scale (TAIS) was used to measure the participants' attitudes. The results were analysed using five different statistical analysis. Differences in pre-service teachers' attitudes were found between samples. The mean for the Finnish sample on the TAIS was near the neutral midpoint, while that for the Saudi sample was below the midpoint. The attitudes towards inclusion as a value were similar between the Saudi and Finnish samples. Significant differences were found by gender and educational background for the Saudi sample but not for the Finnish sample. In conclusion, several differences were found between the attitudes of the Saudi and Finnish pre-service teachers towards inclusive education. These cross-national differences present challenges to the development of culturally neutral instruments to measure attitudes towards inclusion.

The purpose of this paper was to explore the experiences of adult learners enrolled in a non-traditional undergraduate academic pro-gram. This project examined if students minimised their disability in the academic environment, thus not making use of institutionallya-vailable accommodations. Through an explanatory case study design,findings revealed that students perceived stigmatisation of their disability and often attempted to ignore or diminish the role and impact of their disability in their postsecondary academic journey

Use of the self-identification process and accommodation services can, in theory, positively contribute to student  success;  however,  students  with  disabilities  may  be  negatively  impacted  if  they  perceive  others  viewing them as less significant members of the college community. This study identifies the number of students with self-identified disabilities within higher education and the change in self-identification cases over  the  course  of  postsecondary  enrollment.  Utilizing  data  from  the  Beginning  Postsecondary  Students  Longitudinal Study, findings indicate that, 59% of students who self-identified during the first year of post-secondary education, unidentified by the first follow-up and, of those who identified as having a disability at the first follow-up, only 38% also self-identified during the base-year.

In this qualitative study, a proposed organizing framework of college and career readiness for secondary students with disabilities was developed based on a synthesis of extant research articulating student success. The original proposed framework included six domains representing academic and nonacademic skills associated with college and career readiness: academic engagement, academic mind-sets, learning processes, critical thinking, social skills, and transition knowledge. Focus groups were conducted to examine perspectives among state-level stakeholders with knowledge and expertise regarding college and career readiness, drop-out prevention, and secondary transition. Through an iterative process, the focus group data were analyzed and the framework was refined based on findings. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.