The US Government Accountability
Office (GAO)1 reported that nearly
11% of students attending
postsecondary institutions in 2008 identified
having a disability. Disability conditions
identified most often by college students
included emotional or psychiatric
conditions (24.3%), attention deficit disorder
(19.1%), orthopedic or mobility impairment
(15.1%), and other disability
(15%). Similar to college students without
disabilities, students with disabilities
most often reported their gender as female
(57.7%) and their ethnicity as White
(62.5%), followed by Black (14.5%), and
Hispanic or Latino (13.4%). The same
majority (69.2%) of students with and
those without disabilities primarily attended
public higher education institutions.
The GAO1 report also observed an increase
in students with disabilities attending
4-year versus 2-year higher education
institutions. College students with
disabilities attended college sooner after
completing high school as well; students
who delayed enrollment less than one
year after high school graduation increased
by 12% in 2008. More students
with disabilities 23 years old or younger
attended college in 2008 (54.9%) than did
students of the same age with disabilities
in 2000 (42.5%). Attendance among students
24 to 29 years old with disabilities
also increased from 2000 (16.6%) to 2008
(20.2%) whereas attendance significantly
decreased among students with disabilities
aged 30 or older. The GAO concluded
that college students with disabilities
were similar in 2008 to college students
without disabilities with regard to age,
race, and schools attended.