Making It Work for Students in Wheelchairs to Leave Home: Experiences and Decision Making Regarding the Residential College Experience
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| Title: | Making It Work for Students in Wheelchairs to Leave Home: Experiences and Decision Making Regarding the Residential College Experience |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Arya C. Singh |
| Source: | New England College Journal of Applied Educational Research. 2025 5(2):203-232. |
| Availability: | New England College. 98 Bridge Street, Henniker, NH 03242. Tel: 603-428-2000; e-mail: jaer@nec.edu; Web site: https://www.nec.edu/research/nec-jaer |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 30 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Students with Disabilities, Assistive Technology, College Choice, College Students, Student Experience, College Graduates, Accessibility (for Disabled), Residential Institutions, Colleges, Commuting Students, Parent Student Relationship, Interpersonal Relationship, Social Isolation, Friendship, Fraternities, Sororities |
| Geographic Terms: | New York (New York), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Massachusetts (Cambridge), New York, California (Stanford), Arizona (Tucson) |
| ISSN: | 2836-8339 |
| Abstract: | Students with disabilities attain a 4-year college degree at only 12.5% of the national average. By studying the intersection of inclusion, higher education, and disability studies, my capstone explored a subset of this dilemma to focus on wheelchair users' decision-making process about where to attend college and their subsequent time at college. In this capstone I adhered to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990's definition of a disability as "a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity." A wheelchair user will be defined as a person who expected to and did use a wheelchair in college as a necessary vehicle of independence. Interviewing nine students who used wheelchairs--living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Muscular Dystrophy (MD), or Cerebral Palsy (CP)--and graduated from an American college or university in the last ten years revealed wheelchair users' tremendously complicated decision-making and experiences in college along with aspirations they shared with other college students. Confounded often with a heightened need for students in wheelchairs to attend college to gain a sense of independence they may especially lack due to their disability-related dependence, this capstone is critical in making a supportive college experience possible. This research will hopefully inform policy recommendations related to care, accessibility, and inclusion that supports students in wheelchairs by minimizing disability-related burdens. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1490699 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Students with disabilities attain a 4-year college degree at only 12.5% of the national average. By studying the intersection of inclusion, higher education, and disability studies, my capstone explored a subset of this dilemma to focus on wheelchair users' decision-making process about where to attend college and their subsequent time at college. In this capstone I adhered to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990's definition of a disability as "a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity." A wheelchair user will be defined as a person who expected to and did use a wheelchair in college as a necessary vehicle of independence. Interviewing nine students who used wheelchairs--living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Muscular Dystrophy (MD), or Cerebral Palsy (CP)--and graduated from an American college or university in the last ten years revealed wheelchair users' tremendously complicated decision-making and experiences in college along with aspirations they shared with other college students. Confounded often with a heightened need for students in wheelchairs to attend college to gain a sense of independence they may especially lack due to their disability-related dependence, this capstone is critical in making a supportive college experience possible. This research will hopefully inform policy recommendations related to care, accessibility, and inclusion that supports students in wheelchairs by minimizing disability-related burdens. |
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| ISSN: | 2836-8339 |
