AERA Open - January-December 2025, Vol. 11, No. 1 - A National Look at Shifts in Disability Self-Identification for Students Enrolled in Higher Education

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious

A national study examines how disability self-identification changes during the first three years of postsecondary education using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 2012/2017. Nearly 10% of undergraduate entrants reported disability status at some point within their first three years. Students who identified as having a disability were typically older, more often enrolled full-time and living on campus, and less likely to feel a positive sense of belonging. Results also highlight underestimation risks when students do not formally disclose.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

AERA Open

Study Design and Dataset

Key Findings on Disability Self-Identification

Context: Prevalence and Underreporting

Barriers to Formal Disclosure and Accommodations

Distinction Between Self-Identification and Disclosure

AERA Open January-December 2025, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 1–16 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584251322511 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2025. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) A National Look at Shifts in Disability Self-Identification for Students Enrolled in Higher Education Katherine C. Aquino St. John’s University Kyle D. Cook Boston University Joshua Bittinger Gartner Utilizing data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 2012/2017 dataset, this study examined disability self-identification during the first 3 years of postsecondary education in a nationally representative sample of students in the United States. Findings revealed that nearly 10% of undergraduate students enrolling in higher education identified as having a disability status at some point during the first 3 years of their postsecondary coursework. Students who identified as having a disability tended to be older and less likely to be dependents, more likely to be enrolled full-time, living on campus, and less likely to perceive a positive sense of belonging within their campus environment. Keywords: disability studies, higher education, postsecondary education, survey research, disability, higher education, selfidentification, postsecondary student According to the United States Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics ([NCES], 2023a), 20.5% of undergraduate students and 11.9% of postbaccalaureate students report having a disability. While there has always been a documented presence of disabled students in the higher education environment, this student group’s enrollment within the postsecondary setting has increased overtime (Baker et al., 2012; NCES, 2023b) . Despite the growing documentation of disabled students enrolling in postsecondary education, there are challenges in accurately gauging student disability rates in the higher education environment, as many disabled students may choose not to formally disclose their disability status with their institution (NCES, 2022b) or may informally self-identify their disability with peers or other campus community members (Grimes et al., 2019) . Self-identifying a disability may occur in different contextsand with different stakeholders (Lindsay et al., 2018), with Meeks et al. (2021) noting that students may self-identify a disability in anonymous surveys but choose not to formally disclose a disability at their postsecondary institution. Possessing a disability does not equate to choosing to selfidentify a disability or formally disclosing to seek disability support services (Smith et al., 2021) . Unlike the K-12 environment where teachers, parents, and advocates request disability support services on a student’s behalf, students enrolled in higher education programs must self-disclose their disability status with their institution’s disability resource office to receive accommodations. Research continues to highlight that disabled students enrolled in postsecondary coursework have a decreased chance of successfully transitioning to and persisting within the higher education setting (Elias & White, 2018; Moriña, 2017; Newman et al., 2019, 2021) and that this student group frequently experiences delayed time to degree completion and decreased graduation rates (Knight et al., 2018; Mader & Butrymowicz, 2017) . Receiving accommodations can aid their success in higher education (Kranke et al., 2013); however, numerous reasons—including uncertainty with the disclosure process and perceived stigma—may hinder a student from accessing available disability support services. While accommodations and related disability services from an institution’s disability resource office provide important resources and support for disabled students, various academic, environmental, or social factors can create add

FAQs

What dataset and timeframe does the study use to examine disability self-identification?

It uses the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 2012/2017 dataset to examine self-identification during the first three years of postsecondary education.

How common is disability self-identification among undergraduate students in the first three years?

Nearly 10% of undergraduate students who enrolled in higher education identified as having a disability at some point during their first three years.

Why can disability rates in higher education be difficult to measure accurately?

Many students may choose not to formally disclose to their institution, or self-identify informally with peers or in anonymous surveys, which can prevent consistent capture of official disability rates.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious