Several barriers exist that inhibit the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education environments, one of which is the lack of self-advocacy skills to effectively request academic modifications and ask for other supports when needed. In this study, we used a single-subject multiple-probe across participants design to examine…

According to the National Council on Disability (2015), an estimated 2 million undergraduates have an identified disability and are, by law (i.e., the Americans with Disabilities Act [1990]), entitled to accommodations. The use of academic accommodations is positively correlated with increased grade point average (GPA), higher persistence rates,…

The literature on postsecondary students with disabilities stresses the importance of self-determination skills on the college experiences and outcomes of these students. However, the theoretical framework undergirding much of this research emerged largely from the K-12 special education literature, and differs from the Self-Determination Theory…

Low-income, first-generation, urban students are typically underprepared academically for college-level course work and lack knowledge, which most non-first-generation students possess (Ward, Siegel, & Davenport, 2012). Success in higher education depends on students effectively navigating and transitioning into an institution (Pike & Kuh,…

The Research in Disabilities Education Synthesis Project (RDE-SP), a four-year mixed methods research project, assessed a decade of funded projects (2001-2011) under the National Science Foundation's Research in Disabilities Education program which is aimed at increasing participation and retention of students with disabilities (SWD) in Science,…

This study examined issues related to college adjustment and self-advocacy from the perspective of students diagnosed with a primarily inattentive presentation of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) who were unable to meet minimum academic expectations in their first attempt at college. Data were gathered from 12 students with ADHD who,…

Due to an increase in enrollment of African American students with disabilities in postsecondary education, there is a need to identify strategies that may lead to improved transition and self-advocacy skills for these students. These strategies include teaching students to request academic accommodations and to have an understanding of how their…

In this study, the authors developed, administered, and evaluated a measure of individual actions of college students with disabilities and their perceptions of postsecondary and social supports. An exploratory factor analysis resulted in nine reliable factors in these three areas. Follow-up regression analyses revealed that self-advocacy…