{"title":"Youth Leaders With Learning Disabilities and Their Decision to Enroll in Higher Education","authors":"J. McNaught, Elizabeth M. Pope","doi":"10.1177/21651434221076063","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Students with learning disabilities (LD) have not kept pace with peers without disabilities regarding enrollment in postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of I’m Determined youth leaders with LD who have enrolled in higher education. Participation led to structured experiences and opportunities to practice self-determined behaviors in an environment built to support the development of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The three major themes identified (struggle, community, and resilience) corresponded with experiences before, during, and after participation in I’m Determined. The major theme of struggle encompassed experiences at school and not understanding their disability. The theme of community affected participants in the context of disability awareness and opportunity. Resilience necessitated a change in mindset and the ability to overcome barriers. Altering classroom environments to support autonomy, competence, and relatedness is one way to reproduce the supports that led to these participants’ success.","PeriodicalId":47075,"journal":{"name":"Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals","volume":"45 1","pages":"187 - 199"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2022-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434221076063","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SPECIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Students with learning disabilities (LD) have not kept pace with peers without disabilities regarding enrollment in postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of I’m Determined youth leaders with LD who have enrolled in higher education. Participation led to structured experiences and opportunities to practice self-determined behaviors in an environment built to support the development of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The three major themes identified (struggle, community, and resilience) corresponded with experiences before, during, and after participation in I’m Determined. The major theme of struggle encompassed experiences at school and not understanding their disability. The theme of community affected participants in the context of disability awareness and opportunity. Resilience necessitated a change in mindset and the ability to overcome barriers. Altering classroom environments to support autonomy, competence, and relatedness is one way to reproduce the supports that led to these participants’ success.
期刊介绍:
Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals specializes in the fields of secondary education, transition, and career development for persons with documented disabilities and special needs. CDTEI focuses on the life roles of individuals as students, workers, consumers, family members, and citizens. Articles cover qualitative and quantitative research, scholarly reviews, and program descriptions and evaluations. Published by the Hammill Institute on Disabilities and SAGE in association with the Division on Career Development and Transition of The Council for Exceptional Children.