Supporting the needs of students with undiagnosed disabilities

Students with disabilities, especially those with non-apparent conditions, are entering universities in growing numbers. Yet more and more students are going off to college unprepared to manage their disabilities, in part because their high schools are overburdened, understaffed, and uninformed to identify and support them. A recent survey of students receiving disability supports at one public university revealed that the majority of these undergraduates with disabilities did not receive special education services in high school, instead waiting until college to seek help. Respondents reflected on what could have been improved about their high school experience, and they offered advice to school practitioners as to how to support these underserved students for postsecondary success