Statistics on Undergraduate Students with Disabilities

The National Center for Education Statistics has published a report entitled Profile of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Institutions: 1999-2000. This report presents statistics on many areas relating to the student population of all U.S. postsecondary institutions. It also includes statistics on students with disabilities. Students were considered to have a disability if they had:

• A long-lasting condition such as blindness or deafness;
• A condition that that limits basic physical activities; or,
• Another physical, mental, or emotional condition that lasted 6 months or more and prevented them from learning, getting around, or working.

Using this definition, nine percent of students were identified as having a disability, yet only four percent of students considered themselves to have a disability when asked. Twenty-nine percent of students with disabilities had a condition that limited their ability to move around. Seventeen percent described their disability as mental illness or depression. Only five to seven percent of those asked reported having seeing or hearing impairments, a specific learning disability or dyslexia, or attention deficit disorder. Students at postsecondary institutions who had disabilities were often older than students without disabilities. They usually make less money than the average individual and have parents who achieved lower levels of education. They were also more likely to:

• Be enrolled part-time;
• Be enrolled in a public, two-year institution;
• Have children or dependents of their own; and,
• Be financially independent.

Students with disabilities majored in Computer Science more often than students without disabilities. Otherwise, choice of major did not vary much between the two groups.

To view the publication, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002168.PDF.

National Center for Education Studies, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, 202.502.7300 (voice), http://nces.ed.gov (website).