The Freshman Experience of Students With Mental and Physical Disabilities

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-19 - College and High School Experiences of Disability

Abstract

Students with disabilities do not have equal access or opportunities within postsecondary education. This study uses the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study and linked transcript data to investigate how students with disabilities perform during the first year of college compared to students without disabilities. We propose that students with mental and physical disabilities face barriers during the critical transition period of the freshman year that limit their academic potential. We find that students with disabilities have worse first year academic outcomes than students without disabilities, net of academic preparation and enrollment characteristics. The findings suggest that students with disabilities struggle during the transition from secondary to postsecondary study and differences exist between students with mental and physical disabilities.

Authors

• Jamie Mary Carroll, The University of Texas - Austin

• Chandra Muller, The University of Texas - Austin

• Evangeleen Pattison, The University of Texas - Austin