Federal and state guidelines on when students with disabilities should become more active in their own special education are notoriously vague, often leaving many school districts across the United States to their own interpretations on the appropriateness of when and how to do so. This is especially pertinent for younger students with…

The problem of this basic qualitative study was that students served in self-contained classes had limited access to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process due to the rationed participation by parents and teachers (i.e., advocates), which may have been restraining students' ability to prepare for adult living expectations within their…

Students with disabilities attend college at higher rates than they have in previous years; however, students with disabilities do not graduate from college at the same rate as students without disabilities. This mixed method study, guided by the Social Change Model of Leadership theoretical framework, examined the transition of six students with…

The purpose of this study was to seek to understand and describe the lived experiences of college students identified as having autism transitioning to adult status and the meaning they made of becoming independent. The essence of the shared expressed experience was sought for a new understanding of what it is like for students with autism as they…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) indicates students should participate in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings whenever appropriate (IDEA, 2004), yet many students are uninformed of the purpose of these meetings and are not meaningful or active participants in the development of their IEPs (Martin, Van Dycke,…

The Voices of Secondary Special Education Teachers in Transition Planning Students with disabilities appear to be graduating without acquiring the necessary skills prior to graduating from high school and transitioning to the adult role expectations of pursuing postsecondary education, furthering vocational training, or entering into the world of…

This study focused on what persistent factors contribute to adults with learning disabilities sustaining enrollment in college. The number of students who enter higher education programs with learning disabilities continues to increase (Eckes & Ochoa, 2005; Madaus & Shaw, 2006; Newman, Wagner, Cameto, & Knokey, 2009). This study…

This study examined the relationship between background (race, gender, and Socioeconomic Status SES) of students with Learning Disabilities (LDs) and self-advocacy/self-determination attributes on the impact of their postsecondary education outcomes for predictors of post-school success. Completion at a 2/4-year college/university of students with…

Over one tenth of students in postsecondary education have a documented disability as defined by the Americans with Disability Act. However, faculty and course designers often lack understanding of these students' experiences, which leads to insufficient accommodations. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of…

This three-article dissertation analyzes the question of how to best prepare students transitioning from secondary education to post-secondary life. The first article examines the theories of self-determination, the self-advocacy skills needed for its success, and how the two relate to students with learning disabilities. The second article…

This dissertation is an exploratory study on self-determination in students with disabilities in a postsecondary environment. Two questions were asked on self-determination levels in higher education students with disabilities and vital self-advocacy skills in higher education. A survey with closed-ended and open-ended questions was administered…

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how students with autism spectrum disorder experience the community college setting in Mississippi. It was designed to be exploratory in nature and was intended to provide practitioners a glimpse into the postsecondary experiences of students with autism (Bell, Devecchi, McGuckin,…

High school graduates with specific learning disabilities (SLD) often lack sufficient skills to advocate for themselves in adult situations. This limited advocacy ability of young adults with SLD contributes to their higher postsecondary school drop-out rate, lower paying jobs, and a greater dependence on family and public assistance programs for…

Given their dismal postschool outcomes, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are in dire need of effective methods to increase their involvement in the transition process. It is believed that through this increased involvement, students with EBD may have greater opportunity to realize success in their postschool endeavors. This…

Over one million people suffer a traumatic brain injury every year, many of whom are students between the ages of 5 and 18. Using a qualitative case study approach, I wanted to discover the specific factors that both impede and help the school re-entry process for students in grades kindergarten through twelve so that these students can return to…