Planning to Go to College for Students With Disabilities

• In Event: College Access Issues and Concerns

Abstract

There is a gap in the literature about what students with disabilities know about their college options and what is motivating them to go to college. This quantitative study utilizes a new instrument, the Knowledge of College Options and Motivation Scale, to investigate students’ access to information about college options and motivating factors. The researchers found that students with disabilities that went to college accessed information about college most frequently from family members and their high schools. The researchers found that students were most motivated to go to college to increase their employment opportunities and to increase earnings over their lifetime. This study has implications for college and university programs that serve students with disabilities.

Authors

• Stephanie L. McGuire, Loudoun County Public Schools

• Carol L. Tieso, College of William & Mary

• Robert Clay Thompson, College of William & Mary