Metrics on Disability and Postsecondary Education
Overview
Fifteen years following the passage of the ADA and more than 30 years after the passage of the Rehabilitation Act, societal participation, especially in employment, by persons with disabilities remains unacceptably low. Many factors contribute to the pervasiveness of the problem and our efforts to improve the situation must be diverse.
One particularly effective route to change is through higher education. Greater participation in higher education and completion of degrees has been observed to be an efficacious means of reversing negative trends in poverty rates, workforce participation, and more. However, we do not have mechanisms for systematically assessing the extent to which Illinoisans with disabilities have been able to effectively take advantage of higher education. For example, we do not know the extent to which high school graduates successfully transition to institutions of higher education in Illinois. Further we do not know the effectiveness of the support services provided to students with disabilities once they are enrolled, nor do we know how comparable these students' experiences and outcomes are to those of students without disabilities.
The MDPE project will endeavor to fill the information gap by creating a systematic mechanism for gathering data on students with disabilities in postsecondary settings. This will provide Illinois postsecondary institutions and education policy makers with a rich and comprehensive base upon which to develop effective disability policies.
The MDPE project is supported by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) in the form of a grant through the Higher Education Cooperation Act (HECA).
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IBHE.
Goal
The primary goal for the MDPE project is to create, pilot test and implement a disability metrics model that can be systemically used by IBHE member institutions to support the formulation of higher education disability policies and introduction of programs of service which will promote successful educational careers for students with disabilities.
