HBCU DISABILITY
CONSORTIUM
PRESENTED BY DR. SISLENA
LEDBETTER- CO-PRINCIPAL
INVESTIGATOR, DR. WENDY HARBOURCO- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND
DENIZE STANTON-WILLIAMS- PROJECT
DIRECTOR
History of Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
 There are 105 historically black universities and
colleges.
 The majority were created after the Civil War.
 They were defined by the Higher Education Act of
1965 as any college or university established prior to
1964 whose main mission was (and is) to educate
Black Americans and were accredited-or made
strides towards being accredited-by nationally
recognized agencies.
Overview of Project
 The HBCU Disability Consortium focuses on
matriculation, retention, and graduation rates
for Black and African American students with
disabilities and addresses gaps in research on this
population.
 This project is a collaboration including Syracuse
University (primary grantee), The University of the
District of Columbia (base) and Howard University
(advisor).
Project Goals
 1. Create an online consortium of disability
providers at Historically Black colleges and
Universities and Predominately Black Colleges and
Universities to promote dialogue and exchange best
practices
 2. Conduct research with Black and AfricanAmerican students with disabilities and DS providers
at HBCUs to discover best practices that can be
modeled or replicated at other schools
Project Goals cont.
 3. Create and pilot a website that promotes
culturally relevant, universally-designed transition
and college materials.
Research Methods
 Surveys conducted:


Disability service providers (inviting all 105 HBCUs) through project
list serve -N=42
Students with disabilities through their Disability Service providers
(incentives offered)
 Focus groups conducted:

HBCU’s by self selection/geographic location, public or private
status (incentives offered); 5 completed
 In-Depth interviews:


Disability Service providers
Students
 Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis (SPSS and Nvivo)
 Team/Co-PIs-PD-Graduate Student
Preliminary DSP Survey Findings
Type of Campus
 53% Urban – located in a large city
 33% Suburban or small town
 14% Rural – not located near a major city
 76% 4-year university
 19% 4-year college not offering graduate degrees
 5% 2-year college offering associates degrees
Preliminary DSP Survey Findings
Demographics
 78% Female
 22% Male
 85% Have no disability
 11% Have one, prefer not to say
 89% Black; 8% White
Preliminary DSP Survey Findings cont.
Where does your office fit within the institutional
organization?
• 70% student affairs
• 27% Academic affairs
• 3% Human Resources
Preliminary DSP Survey Findings cont.
What other types of jobs have you had?
 43% College Administrator
 39% Counselors etc.
 39% professors or instructors
 17% Business or Corporate
Preliminary DSP Survey Findings cont.
How many students do you serve with the following
disabilities? Top 4




Mean
47% Learning Disabilities
20% ADHD
19% Health med.
15% Psychiatric illness
N
n=1,164
n=536
n=472
n=297
Preliminary Student
Focus Group Findings
• Self Advocacy is reinforced and received by many,
•
•
•
•
•
•
but not all students
Wanted to attend college
Had a family member who attended
Know what they intend to do after college (i.e. music,
education, government policy)
Limited participation/excessive participation
Most proud to share disability/some guarded
Extremely limited resources at most schools,
although minimums met
Opportunities
 Focus on research that drives resources to schools
 Research on students with disabilities at HBCU’s and




Predominantly White Institutions (PWI’s)
Research on how students respond to culture
sensitivity (both disability and racial)
Research on best practices in disability services
regardless of type of institution
Research on existing and potential partnerships
Create Cultural Model of Disability Service delivery