LGBTQ+ college students with disabilities: demographic profile and perceptions of well-being

Abstract

Few scholars have examined the experiences of LGBTQ+ college students with disabilities, but the available evidence indicating poor mental and physical health, underutilization of disability accommodations, and frequent marginalization presents cause for concern. In this descriptive study, we analyze survey data from 140 LGBTQ + college students with disabilities in the United States and provide demographics as well as exploration of indicators of well-being, including campus climate. Findings detail how students use multiple terms to describe their sexual and gender identities, report low use of accommodations, assess their physical health positively but also report concerning mental health symptoms, and experience more environmental than interpersonal microaggressions. Implications for educators, researchers, and advocates for LGBTQ + students with disabilities will be discussed.

Keywords:

• Higher education
• disability
• mental health
• LGBTQ+
• well-being
• college students
• microaggressions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We use the plus sign (LGBTQ+) to acknowledge the expansiveness of gender and sexual identities as well as the terms beyond LGBTQ used by participants in this study. Students with disabilities includes students who reported having a disability diagnosis or impairment; students were not asked to report specific diagnoses or impairments.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan; College of Education, Michigan State University; and Curtis Center, School of Social Work, University of Michigan.

Notes on contributors

Ryan A. Miller

Ryan A. Miller, Ph.D., is assistant professor of higher education and director of the higher education program at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His research agenda focuses on student development and creating inclusive campus cultures in higher education.

Sandra L. Dika

Sandra L. Dika, Ph.D., is associate professor of research methods and program director of the Ph.D. in educational research, measurement, and evaluation at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on higher education access, engagement, and success among marginalized and underserved populations, particularly in STEM education.

David J. Nguyen

David J. Nguyen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of higher education and student affairs at Ohio University. His research focuses on access and equity issues for underserved and minoritized student populations.

Michael Woodford

Michael Woodford, Ph.D., is an associate professor of social work at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Ontario, Canada. His research addresses the inclusion/exclusion and wellbeing of LGBTQ + students. He was a co-PI on the National Study of LGBTQ Student Success, from which the data for this study were extracted.

Kristen A. Renn

Kristen A. Renn, Ph.D., is professor of Higher, Adult, & Lifelong Education (HALE) in the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University, where she also serves as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for Student Success Research. Dr. Renn's research interests include student success and persistence, identity and identity development in higher education; mixed race college students; women in higher education in the US and global contexts; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in higher education.