Disabled students' access to information about postsecondary disability services during their college search process

When college-bound students with disabilities receive special education services in junior high and high school, they go through two processes. The first is a college choice process similar to all nondisabled students. The second is a transition planning process mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for special education, which requires students be given information about postsecondary disability services. To date, however, little research exists about how students actually learn about disability services and use the information to make decisions about college. This study focuses on disabled students' perspectives of college choice and transition. Using an online survey (N=31) and in-depth interviews (N=8) with disabled college freshmen, this research investigates three questions: how students find information about college disability services offices, when they learn about disability services, and how that information (or lack of information) may influence decisions about attending college. Study participants represented 9 types of disabilities and were from 11 four-year private and public campuses across the United States. Results are presented using