Standby to Standby: Postsecondary Attainment and Persistence of Veterans With Hearing Difficulties

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Housing, Rurality, Places, and Spaces in College Persistence

Abstract

Millions of veterans have taken advantage of education benefits offered by the GI Bill, including veterans with disabilities. Hearing difficulties due to tinnitus and hearing loss are the two most prevalent service-connected disabilities among veterans raising concerns about communication access to educational content and institutional readiness to serve this population. Using the most recent American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year sample, we explore the eventual postsecondary attainment using a discrete-time survival analysis. Results show that veterans with hearing difficulties are pursuing higher education to a greater extent than hearing veterans but are less likely to earn any type of degree. Findings may suggest that veterans with hearing difficulties are not receiving the necessary supports in order to successful persist in college.

Authors

• Jeffrey Levi Palmer, The University of Texas at Austin

• Adam Chaim Sales, The University of Texas at Austin