2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Abstract: Academic success, retention, and graduation rates of students with learning disabilities depend on the provision of appropriate accommodations, accessibility to institutional support resources, and faculty awareness of equitable practices. This research study presents a comparative analysis of the spectrum of student learning disabilities and the availability of academic accommodations across various types of higher education institutions including research-focused, teaching-focused, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions. Additionally, the study examines the differences in pre- and post-COVID accommodation requests across campus among different academic majors.

The study also compares the methods of disseminating information about students' rights to academic accommodations and the processing time for accommodation requests across universities. The study shows a positive correlation between accommodations, peer support, academic performance, and student retention rates both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings aim to shed light on the landscape of academic accommodations across different tiers of universities at the undergraduate level. The study also contributes to the need for customized and potential impact of modern technological resources on student experiences.