The Self-(un)Identification of Disability in Higher Education

Use of the self-identification process and accommodation services can, in theory, positively contribute to student success; however, students with disabilities may be negatively impacted if they perceive others viewing them as less significant members of the college community. This study identifies the number of students with self-identified disabilities within higher education and the change in self-identification cases over the course of postsecondary enrollment. Utilizing data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, findings indicate that, 59% of students who self-identified during the first year of postsecondary education, unidentified by the first follow-up and, of those who identified as having a disability at the first follow-up, only 38% also self-identified during the base-year