Persistence to Graduation for Students With Disabilities: Implications for Performance-Based Outcomes

Abstract

The study sought to determine whether students with disabilities are disadvantaged because of state and institutional performance-based policies providing incentives for 4-year graduation. In a longitudinal study of 32,187 students at a Midwestern Research University, the retention and graduation rates, and mean years to graduation, of students with disabilities were compared with students without disabilities. This study demonstrated that the presence of a disability does not negatively influence eventual graduation, but that it does influence the amount of time to degree completion. However, as the transition to college for students with disabilities can be more difficult, it is important that the institution has interventions in place to assist students with disabilities to assimilate into college. The discussion focuses on policy and practice implications linked to performance-based outcomes related to students with disabilities.

Graduation Prospects of College Students with Specific Learning Disorder and Students with Mental Health Related Disabilities

“…Despite their large numbers, graduation rates of students with LD continue to lag behind those of students without disabilities (Wagner et al, 2005), although this discrepancy may disappear if the follow-up period is lengthy (Jorgensen, et al, 2005;Knight et al, 2016). Poorer academic outcomes may result from several factors in addition to difficulties with reading or writing, such as problems managing time (Smith, English, & Vasek, 2002).…”

“…This is primarily due to the large number of students with non-visible disabilities, such as mental health related disabilities (e.g., major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder) and Specific Learning Disorder (LD) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) -two groups which take longer than students with visible disabilities to graduate (Knight, Wessel, & Markle, 2016) and which make up some of the largest groups of students with disabilities on North American campuses (Ardell, Beug, & Hrudka, 2016;Kim & Lee, 2016). students are well known to campus disability service providers.…”

“…Discrepancies are due to sampling considerations, two and four-year college enrollment, and the length of follow-up (cf. Fichten, et al, 2014b;Knight et al, 2016).…”

College Counselors' Perceptions of Working With First‐Year Students With Chronic Illnesses

“…These needs align with the literature. First‐year students transitioning from high school face the difficult challenge of leaving an environment of familiarity with support systems (Herts et al, ; Knight et al, ). These freshmen report a desire for a sense of community and inclusion (e.g., mentoring) to assist them in transitioning to the college setting (Francis et al, ; Melzer & Grant, ).…”

“…Despite improvement in the attendance rates of students with chronic health issues, disparities in college readiness and completion persist, with a 16% graduation rate for undergraduate students with chronic illnesses versus a 50% graduation rate for students without such illnesses (Carroll et al, ). First‐year students with disabilities such as chronic illnesses are of particular concern because they often deal with personal, social, and academic adjustment problems that may result in lower completion rates and difficulty maintaining career goals (Cholewa & Ramaswami, ; Knight, Wessel, & Markle, ; Melzer & Grant, ). First‐year students with health issues are also at more significant need for assistance in addressing social, physical, and emotional barriers; dealing with stress of self‐managing health tasks and issues; and accessing disability services for appropriate accommodations (Carroll et al, ; Eaton et al, ; Leonard, ).…”