Special Facilities and Services for University Students with Mobility Impairment: A Demographic Study (U.S.A.)

The purpose of this study was to collect demographic information in 1988–1989 regarding the use of technology in disabled student services programs in higher education. Two different methods were selected: (a) the frequency of availability of 21 special services was tallied in 593 university programs across the United States, and (b) a self-administered mail questionnaire was used to gather information from 150 randomly selected programs. The rate of response to the survey was 65%; 98 questionnaires were returned from programs in 38 states. The results of the studies summarize the special services and facilities generally accessible to disabled university students, the technological assistance available, the numbers of university students having disabilities of mobility, the numbers who need assistance for computer access, and the percentage of programs identifying disabled students using electronic devices. These demographic data may shed new light on current practices related to rehabilitation technology in university settings.