Predictors of Service Usage and Outcomes for Students With Disabilities at Two-Year Institutions

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Disability-Centered Systemic Change in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on two-year institutions to examine differences in disability-service usage across disability-types, as well as exploring facilitators and barriers to enrollment and success in these institutions. While students with certain types of disabilities did use disability services at a higher rate compared to other types of disabilities, veteran-status did not play a significant role in service usage. Furthermore, while acquiring a disability did facilitate people’s decision to enroll in post-secondary institutions, rigid schedules and the inability to take time off was sometimes a barrier to success within the program for people whose disabilities required more flexibility. Thus, it is important to look at the experiences of students with disabilities at two-year colleges to make education more equitable.

Author

• Melinda L. Maconi, University of South Florida - Tampa