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The number of students with learning disabilities attending colleges and universities has grown dramatically over the past thirty years, increasing the complex issues faced by students, parents, and educators during this transitional period. The most significant changes include:

• an increase in the hot button issues surrounding high school exit exams and college admissions testing for students with learning disabilities,
• an increased prevalence of college students with disabilities including an increase in the number of students with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD),
• changes in the laws and the documentation requirements for high school and college students and the expectations between high school and college for students with learning disabilities,
• a new emphasis on high expectations for transition planning in students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs),
• growth in the number of colleges for students with learning disabilities and programs within colleges focused on providing services to students with learning disabilities,
• growth in assistive technologies that increase learning opportunities and independence in higher education,
• changes to the reporting of admission test scores for students with learning disabilities who received testing accommodations.
  

This symposium focused on recent educational and legal changes and illustrated how they impact college opportunities, transitions, and outcomes for students with learning disabilities.  Participants included parents, school administrators, guidance counselors, college admissions professionals, postsecondary disability coordinators, researchers, and members of learning disabilities advocacy groups.

The Current State of Students with LD in Transition

According to recent data, 26% of the 2.9 million students with LD in public schools nationwide drop out of high school before completing the 12th grade. To put that statistic in context, over 750,000 students who, by definition, are of average or above average intelligence do not currently reach their high school graduation or postsecondary goals.  However, the most recent findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 show that improvements are being made:

•  35% of students with LD participate in some type of postsecondary program-includes vocational training (this is up 19.7% from 15.0% in 1987)"doubling enrollment rates
•  23% of students with LD participate in 2-yr college (a 20 percentage point increase -- up from 3.4% in 1987)
• 11% of students with LD participate in 4-yr college (a 10 percentage point increase --up from 1.1% in 1987)

The aim of this symposium is to create a foundational roadmap for success, so that all students, with and without disabilities, will have the supports they need to succeed.  Recommendations, expert advice, and overviews of  key issues are all provided on the following pages, and offer a starting point for addressing the challenges students with LD face as they transition from high school to postsecondary education. 

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