77. Strengthen institutional support services for students with disabilities.

Campus Support Programs 09.6.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • Congress should invest in the National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities, the National Coordinating Center, and the National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center, all of which provide technical assistance to students with disabilities in college, including students with intellectual disabilities.
  • Congress should request a GAO report to make recommendations for how disaggregated higher education data about students with disabilities should be collected and published.
  • Congress should enable Pell Grant flexibility and maintain financial aid for eligible students with disabilities who receive an accommodation to reduce their course load to manage their disability.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should ensure that higher education institutions have access to and an understanding of guidance on technology accessibility for students with disabilities and the ADA final rule for web content and mobile applications.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should ensure that higher education institutions have access to and an understanding of guidance on the civil rights of students with disabilities in postsecondary education.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should collect, conduct, and disseminate research on the experiences of students of color with disabilities at all higher education institutions.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should invest resources, such as into a work group, to analyze student data and related outcomes and conduct needs assessments across institutions into areas such as staffing and caseloads within disability services offices and provision of accommodations.
  • State legislatures should provide substantial funding for infrastructure and environmental improvements to advance universal[i] accessibility, such as transportation, parking, bathrooms, or other facilities.

Here’s what institutional leaders can do:

  • Higher education institutions should ensure that prospective and current students with disabilities have access to guidance on their civil rights in postsecondary education and grievance procedures available on campus to report complaints of discrimination. Guidance should be shared in plain language and understandable to all students.
  • Higher education institutions should prioritize campus-wide infrastructure and environmental improvements to advance universal accessibility, such as transportation, parking, bathrooms, or other facilities.
  • Higher education institutions should ensure that students with disabilities have access to information on the institution’s procedure to request accommodations or academic adjustments.
  • Higher education institutions should hire faculty and staff, including professionals of color specialized in serving students with disabilities, to serve as academic advisors and counselors.
  • Higher education institutions should provide professional development on the civil rights of students with disabilities, available campus support services, and disability competency.
  • Higher education institutions should provide financial support for students with disabilities with lower incomes for evaluations required to document their disability status.
  • Higher education institutions should provide accommodations, such as personal attendants and individually prescribed devices for disabled students.
  • Higher education institutions should ensure that information about academic adjustments and disability centers are shared in recruitment materials, catalogs, student handbooks, and on public websites.
  • Higher education institutions should actively recruit faculty and staff with disabilities.
  • Higher education institutions should assess the technology needs of students with disabilities and remediate all web content to be accessible to students with disabilities.

Racism and xenophobia impact the lives of people of color throughout their social, academic, and professional opportunities. For students of color with a disability, these intersections come with additional demands. Through a series of interviews of Black students with disabilities attending an HBCU, those with both visible and invisible disabilities considered their disability as the primary cause of their oppression.[ii] Notably, participants also shared that they believed attending an HBCU reduced the negative stigmatization connected with having a disability.[iii]

The National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities, the National Coordinating Center (NCC), and the National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center (NTADC) should have robust funding to provide technical assistance and information to support students with disabilities, including students with intellectual disabilities, as they transition to, or attend, postsecondary education.[iv] The final rule under Title II of the ADA ensures the accessibility of web content and mobile applications for people with disabilities, including in postsecondary educational settings.[v] The U.S. Department of Education has shared relevant resources on the technology accessibility supports for students with disabilities in higher education.[vi] Students with disabilities should also have access to information and resources provided by the U.S. Department of Education on their civil rights in postsecondary education.[vii]

“Having a disability can be an isolating experience. Having a disability as a Black woman can be a completely different experience, in which you may feel even more isolated and misunderstood. Going to an HBCU was the first time I was able to truly connect with other black women with disabilities. As we began to talk openly, I learned of all the shared experiences and feelings we had that could only be understood by us. For the first time in a long time I felt fully seen and fully understood in this community I was building at my HBCU.”– Focus Group Participant[viii]

For more information and resources to improve the lives of people identified with learning disabilities, visit the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD).

For more information on research, training, education, and service to promote the quality of life, health, and well-being of people with disabilities, visit The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).

[i]Universal design is defined by the usability of products and environments by all people to the greatest extent without modifications, add-ons, or specialized designs.

[ii]Métraux, Julia. “Being Black and Disabled in University,” JSTOR Daily, June 16, 2023. https://daily.jstor.org/being-black-and-disabled-in-university.

[iii]Ibid.

[iv]“National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities,” U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/ncitspsd/index.html.

[v]“Justice Department to Publish Final Rule to Strengthen Web and Mobile App Access for People with Disabilities,” U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, April 8, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-publish-final-rule-strengthen-web-and-mobile-app-access-people.

[vi]“Digital Accessibility,” U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/pro-students/issues/dis-issue06.html.

[vii]“Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities,” U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html.

[viii]Source: National Center for Learning Disabilities.