Special Education At The Collegiate Level

When talking about special education, a majority of people will automatically assume the discussion revolves around a PK-12 student. Few people are aware of how many students with disabilities attend college and the accommodations that are required to support them. From physical challenges to learning difficulties, individuals with disabilities represent a population of college students that has tripled, and by some estimates, quadrupled over the past twenty-five years (Olney, Kennedy, Brockelman, & Newsom, 2004; Palombi, 2000). There are 6,500 postsecondary institutions in the country and approximately 14 million undergraduate students and 2 million graduate students. (Dutta, Schiro-Geist, & Kundu, 2009) Of these students, approximately 9% have documented disabilities. The increase in the population has presented many challenges and opportunities. Even though the numbers are rising, only 27% of students with disabilities go to college as opposed to 68% of those without disabilities. (Wittenburg, Fishman, Golden & Allen, 2000)

The first major legislation dealing with special education was the Education for All Handicapped Children Act which was passed in 1975. Before that, only 1 in 5 handicapped children were enrolled in their public school system. At the time, nearly 1 million children did not have access to public education. Those who did attend school were often segregated into special classrooms and were not included in the life of the school. The EHA changed that and now public schools were mandated to educate all children.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was established in 2004. The legislation defines a child with a disability as a child with mental retardation, hearing impairments (in...

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Palombi, B. (2000). Recruitment and admission of students with disabilities. New Directions for Student Services, 91, 31-39. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from EbscoHost.

Science MCAS bedevils seniors - The Boston Globe. (2010, April 9). Boston Globe. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2010/04/09/science_mcas_bedevils_seniors/

Walrath, R., & Gleason, J. (2010, February 13). Special Education Law and Practice. Lecture presented at ED 858 in Rivier College, Nashua.

Wittenburg, D. C., Fishman, M. E., Golden, T. P., & Allen, V. (2000). School-to-work transitions by youths with disabilities: Background and policy research issues Ithaca, NY: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Economic Research on the Impact of Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities, Cornell University.