Participation of Students with Disabilities and Special Needs in Postsecondary Enrollment Options. Research Report No. 1. Enrollment Options for Students with Disabilities.

This study examined the extent to which students with disabilities or special needs participate in Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), a Minnesota program which allows 11th and 12th grade students to complete high school credits at a 4-year or 2-year college or a postsecondary vocational training institution. Directors of the PSEO programs at the 77 participating postsecondary institutions were surveyed. Among findings were: (1) 8 percent of the reported 4,183 PSEO participants were considered to be students with disabilities or special needs; (2) 90 percent of these students were attending technical colleges or the University of Minnesota; (3) 47 percent were identified as having learning disabilities or special needs and 17 percent were gifted; (4) 8% reported English as their second language; (5) 8 percent of students were reported as having mental retardation or developmental disabilities; (6) 42 percent of PSEO students in urban areas were identified as disabled; and (7) Individualized Education Plans existed for 132 of the 318 program participants with disabilities. Comments from respondents addressed concerns about resources, knowledge of handicapping conditions, policy, positive feedback, student characteristics, accessibility issues, and inadequate transition. The study's implications for provision of support services, transition planning, and the need to supply more information to the postsecondary institutions are addressed. (7 references) (DB)