Support for Students With Disabilities as They Head to College

Due to reasonable accommodations, opportunities for students identified with disabilities to experience success in postsecondary settings have increased. The growth in enrollment and the recognition that students with learning disabilities experience difficulties have also led to an increase in the types of support services offered at institutions of higher learning.

Despite these positive trends, students with disabilities still face challenges when transitioning from the secondary to the postsecondary environment, as evidenced by graduation rates that continue to lag behind those of nondisabled students.

Two things are key to the postsecondary success of students with disabilities: an understanding of the law and an understanding of how to self-advocate in the face of the law. Both are skills that students can begin to develop in high school—and that their teachers can help them with.