Social class and learning disabilities: Intersectional effects on college students in New York City

• Published in: Disability and Intersecting Statuses Vol. 7; pp. 267 - 292
• Main Author: Thompson, Ashleigh
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Emerald Group Publishing Limited 27-12-2013; Emerald Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Disability: social aspects; Medical Sociology; Personal & social issues: disability & special needs (Children's/YA); Sociology; higher education; Learning disabilities; urban education; socioeconomic status
• DOI: 10.1108/S1479-3547(2013)0000007012
• ISBN: 9781783501564; 1783501561
• ISSN: 1479-3547

Abstract
Purpose
Previous quantitative research documents that college students with disabilities do not attain higher education at rates equal to their nondisabled peers. This qualitative study posits that socioeconomic status (SES) is a determinant of this discrepancy, and explores how SES and disability shape the college experience of New York City (NYC) students with learning disabilities (LDs), specifically.
Methodology
Research findings from semi-structured interviews with students with LDs (n = 10) at a low-SES and a high-SES colleges are presented against the backdrop of administrative data from NYC baccalaureate-granting colleges (n = 44), disability staff surveys (n = 21), and disability staff interviews (n = 9). Examined through the lens of political economy, qualitative data demonstrate the ways colleges create environments that enable or hinder student success through difference in policy implementation.
Findings
Student themes like stress, identity, and entitlement are discussed against the theoretical and empirical exploration of the intersectionality of SES and disability. Socioeconomic differences are linked to variation in students’ college choice, accessing evaluations, requesting accommodations, and receiving supplementary supports.