Students with Disabilities

Since the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the higher education community has made dramatic changes to provide access for students with disabilities on America's campuses. Millions of dollars have been spent to remove physical and programmatic barriers for students with disabilities by providing such aids or services as assistive technology, elevators, and student support centers. This, coupled with special education legislation that has helped many students succeed at the elementary and secondary school level, has resulted in unprecedented numbers of students with disabilities-892,000 in 1995-96-entering higher education settings.²⁷

While much has been done, challenges remain. Students with disabilities, especially students with learning disabilities, leave secondary school with dim prospects. They tend to be under-educated and under-employed. Yet, if students with disabilities graduate from a four-year college and get a job, their income level is as competitive as that of their non-disabled peers. However, students with disabilities are less likely to enroll in postsecondary education than high school graduates without disabilities. Despite being qualified, they are less likely to enroll in a four-year college program. The majority of students who enroll in a two-year program with the intention of transferring to a four-year program do not, and students with disabilities are less likely to persist in earning a postsecondary degree or credential than their peers without disabilities.²⁸

Respondents told us that students need to be prepared for college through discrete teaching. As one Agenda Project participant said, "These kids really need something like a halfway house to get them ready for college." Another added, "Students walk around campus for weeks and keep repeating?it is just so different, and they don't know how to cope. Secondary schools are not getting them ready."

The Clinton-Gore Administration, Congress, and the U.S. Department of Education have been working to improve academic preparation, so that all students are ready for postsecondary education.

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