“Self-determination is what it's all about”: What Post-secondary Students with Disabilities Tell us are Important Considerations for Success

Abstract

This article describes results of a series of focus group interviews conducted with post-secondary students with disabilities about the importance of self-determination in their success in those settings. Participants attended community college and/or state universities in Virginia and were between the ages of 18 and 48. They indicated that self-determination skills were important to their success in taking courses, finding the supports they needed, and advocating for their rights. Implications for supports for students with disabilities in post-secondary settings, as well as those K-12 students who are planning to transition to post-secondary educational settings are discussed.