Retrospectives on factors influencing inclusive opportunities for college students with extensive support needs

ABSTRACT

Current U.S. legislation calls for students with disabilities to be involved and make progress in general education curriculum. Despite the legislation, students with extensive support needs continue to be segregated from their peers and post-school outcomes remain dismal for this population of students. The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the perceptions of two students with extensive support needs and their caregivers regarding factors that contributed to their involvement and progress in the general education curriculum and eventual enrolment in four-year, post-secondary institutions in the United States. Findings related to the role of participants’ perceptions of self, participants’ engagement in advocacy roles and activities, and specific human and material supports that both facilitated and acted as barriers to education in the general curriculum emerged as recurrent themes. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research and practice are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Multiple disabilities
• severe disabilities
• extensive support needs
• post-secondary

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs [grant number H325D090054].

Notes on contributors

Ann-Marie Orlando is a Research Assistant Professor at the Centre for Autism and Related Disabilities, Department of Psychiatry, and adjunct lecturer in the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. She completed her doctorate at the University of Florida in Special Education with a focus on inclusive education for students with severe disabilities.

Elizabeth Klinepeter is a doctoral student in the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. Her research interests include service delivery to students with severe disabilities, particularly in promoting access to the general education content and contexts and community settings.

Megan Foster is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Office of Educator Preparation at Utica College in Utica, New York. She completed her doctorate programme at the University at Buffalo, and a post-doctorate fellowship at the University of Florida. She specialises in access to the general education content and context for students with extensive support needs.

ORCID

Ann-Marie Orlando http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8316-0998