As the student population changes across the country, the enrollment of more students with disabilities in general and the increased presence of disabled veterans (DiRamio, Ackerman & Mitchell, 2008), serving this population efficiently and effectively is in the best interest of institutions especially considering that college completion and post-graduation employment for students with disabilities continues to be a significant challenge. According to the U.S. Census (2002), disabled persons are remarkably underemployed or unemployed when compared to the general population, earning significantly less regardless of their disability type. This disparity is even more extreme when considering gender, as disabled women earn less than disabled men (U.S. Census, 2002). Predating the GAO study, Adelman and Vogel (1990) found that students with disabilities are less likely to have experienced career enhancing activities, simply not having the time to devote to these activities or facing physical or cognitive limitations. Several professional organizations, such as the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and the Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) currently work to help disabled students become competitive in the career search as well as improve the employment rate of disabled graduates nationwide. However, there still seems to be a programming disconnect between disability offices providing accommodations and assisting students with disabilities through intentional transitional programming and career services.
References
Adelman, P.B. & Vogel, S.A.
(1990). College graduates with learning disabilities: Employment attainment and
career patterns. Learning Disability
Quarterly, 13(3), 154-166.
DiRamio, D., Ackerman,
R. & Mitchell, R.L. (2008). From combat to campus: Voices of
student-veterans. Journal of Student
Affairs Research and Practice, 45, 73-102.
Government
Accountability Office (GAO). (2012). Better federal coordination could lessen
challenges in the transition from high school. GAO-12-594. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-594.
U.S. Census. (2002). Americans with
disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/sipp/disab02/ds02t5.html.
When it comes to student programs and services, it seems that unawareness is the most common reason for their underutilization. The U.S. government has the appropriate resources in place, but there are so many obstacles to overcome. Perhaps the government and colleges need to form a stronger relationship with secondary schools in order to facilitate a smoother transition. College disability services could possibly better prepare themselves for these student hurdles.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to student programs and services, it seems that unawareness is the most common reason for their underutilization. The U.S. government has the appropriate resources in place, but there are so many obstacles to overcome. Perhaps the government and colleges need to form a stronger relationship with secondary schools in order to facilitate a smoother transition. College disability services could possibly better prepare themselves for these student hurdles.
ReplyDelete-Paul R.
Not only is there lack of programming and services, but if you look at college campuses and go from building to building, you wil see that many buildings are not built to accommodate students with disabilities. Indeed is costly, but it is sad that some universities do everything they can to find away around making their building accommodating for students with disabilties.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that disabled students face multiple challenges, not only those unique to their population, but also in obtaining the services they need. I think your point about the disconnect is key. There is a great need for collaboration between all of the government and institutional services, in order to simplify the process and more effectively provide for these students. Similar to what Paul mentioned, about building a better relationship, I think this should be the focus. Once this is built, I think that institutions can then focus their efforts on improving the services and providing what is truly needed (for instance, building accommodations, as Jess mentioned), as opposed to struggling to navigate the difficult bureaucracy simply to gain access to the services already in place.
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the fact that you took an interest in students with disabilities, as I think this is a group that is typically overlooked. Students with disabilities must work very hard to be successful in college, and I think employers should recognize this work ethic. Accommodations, when appropriate, should be made by employers so they can hire more persons with disabilities.
Thanks Megan for raising awareness of the issues faced by students with disabilities. It is very disturbing to realize the red tape that disabled students must face in order to receive proper support. It becomes clear that offering services to disabled students must not only be ingrained into our society's structure from a governmental perspective, but also on an institutional level. In order to provide students with adequate support, barriers in the form of red-tape must be lessened. Furthermore, institutions must provide proper support in the form of physical space and necessary accommodations within the classroom. Providing support for students with disabilities requires commitment from multiple sources, including the government and educational institutions. Furthermore, our society must work to reduce stigma related to disability, in order to afford disabled persons with quality of life and earnings capacity that aligns with non-disabled individuals.
ReplyDeleteThank you Megan for discussing this issue. I also agree that the disabled students population is overlooked most of the time. I did not realize the vast amount of challenges these groups of students encounter on a day to day basis.I believe it is important for institutions to raise more awareness on student with disabilities,in order for us as a campus community to better serve these students.
ReplyDelete-Rose R
Thank you Megan for highlighting this important, yet often overlooked population of students. I agree that there should be a greater partnership with offices such as Disability Services and the Career Center. In addition, I believe workshops and seminars on the job search process and whether or not to disclose a disability during an interview would be beneficial as well.
ReplyDelete--
A.D. Beirne
Thank you Megan for this blog. I agree that more intentional transitional programming should exist. I also agree that career service offices could do more to reach out to the disabled student population. Also, I am curious to know if disabled students are more likely to attend a particular type of institution - private, public, 4-year, community college, etc. In addition, what are the advantages or drawbacks for student affairs professionals working within a public institution vs. a private institution in receiving funding and support to enhance support services for the disabled student population?
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post Megan! This is absolutley one population that is rarely discussed,and I think its important to talk about services as they relate to underepresernted populations largely. There should also be more congnizance in terms of student affairs work, in that many professionals do not have the experience in working with directly students with disabilities and veteran students, for example. Def needs ot be a more frequently discussed issue. - DREA ELZY
ReplyDeleteI think it’s great that the Government Accountability Office is working to increase awareness of their services and developing a program to help students with disabilities transition from high school to postsecondary schools. Since there are already services in place, I wonder whether any of these are school-based and how exactly they help students. Perhaps having services more centralized at the high school level, by assigning at least one counselor knowledgeable in resources for this student population, would help students be more informed and take greater advantage of everything that is offered. Providing appropriate academic and career advisement and services early on, through collaborations with governmental agencies and college and universities, might also be beneficial in familiarizing students with their post-high school options and ease their transition into the workforce or higher education.--Adriana Garcia
ReplyDeleteMegan - thank you for drawing attention to this group of students. It seems that student affairs departments think they address the needs of students with disabilities simply by providing a disabilities services office, but the support available can be limited. Many services simply focus on addressing issues by offering accommodations - a note taker, extended time, handicapped access, captioning, etc. It is also important to focus on self-advocacy skills and career development with students with disabilities, so this is an important issue for us to be cognizant of and consider innovative ways for serving students.
ReplyDelete