How Do College Students with Disabilities Do? Law, Self-determination, Self-advocacy, and Campus Resources

• Published in: The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning 2024-09, Vol.24 (3)
• Main Authors: Jeong IL Cho, Jones, Kate
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advocacy; Americans with Disabilities Act; Americans with Disabilities Act 1990-US; campus resources; College students; college students with disabilities; Educational services; Self-advocacy; self-determination; Student attitudes; Students with disabilities
• ISSN: 1527-9316; 1527-9316
• DOI: 10.14434/josotl.v24i3.35703

This survey study investigated understanding and use of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), self-advocacy, self-determination, and campus resources by college students with disabilities. Thirty-one students registered with a student disability office at a Midwestern state university completed an anonymous survey. Thirty-two percent of participants reported that they knew how to advocate for their own education before beginning college. A majority of participants displayed strong understanding of self-determination, self-advocacy, and campus resources, but reported a weak understanding about the ADA. Participants reported stronger agreement on their use of self-determination and self-advocacy skills than on campus resources. Their lowest score was for their use of self-advocacy skill when their legal rights had to be voiced. These students’ lack of understanding of their legal rights and limited self-advocacy skills in protecting their legal rights suggest implications for both transition services in high school and support services at the college level.