The Nation - News from March 23, 1987

The percentage of disabled college freshmen has nearly tripled since Congress passed a law barring discrimination against the handicapped, according to a study released by the American Council on Education’s resource center for the handicapped and the President’s Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped. The survey of nearly 300,000 entering freshmen at 546 institutions found that the proportion of students who identified themselves as disabled has grown from 2.6% in 1978 to 7.4% in 1985. The study also found that, “in general, the college freshman with a disability is older, less academically prepared for a higher education, from a lower high school class standing . . . and more dependent on outside funding.”