Search

Students entering postsecondary institutions bring to the college campus a complex and diverse background of experiences and needs. This is especially relevant to those individuals with disabilities. For these students, the long journey for commensurate and appropriate access to the collegiate educational environment can be arduous. From education to advocacy to Civil Rights, the privilege and opportunity for higher education for all has made its way to the campuses of small, private liberal arts postsecondary institutions. Individuals with disabilities come from a support system, Individual Education Program (IEP), in elementary and secondary education that guided their educational steps into the collegiate world. In postsecondary education, the Office of Disabilities Services is the conduit to deliver and provide similar assistance. Offices of Disabilities Services, established in the 1970s, act as an academic support system for individuals with disabilities, while protecting them from discrimination. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine individuals with documented disabilities perceptions of the support they receive from their respective colleges Office of Disability Services. The utilization of a survey facilitated data gathering. Four small private liberal arts colleges in a Middle Atlantic state participated in the survey. Three hundred and eighty-five participants with documented disabilities received the survey. One hundred and eighty-three participants started the survey with one hundred and sixty-nine survey completions. The resulting data strongly indicates that individuals with disabilities perceived the support and guidance they receive as they progress toward degree completion was agreeable. There were three areas, gender, category of disability, and GPA, that showed a significant difference between hypothesized results and actual results in relation to each of one of the statements on the survey. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]