Recent research at MSU has identified important gaps in services provided to college students wilth disabilities. The number of students with disabilities is increasing, but dropout rates, especially for students with LD are high. Students with LD are unaware of the assistive technology that may improve their retention rates, and students with acquired disabilities are unaware of types of assistive technology that will increase their employment options.

Students who are blind/visually impaired have better support services and awareness of accommodations than students with other types of disabilities, but these students indicate a need for more training in the use of assistive technology. Services need to be implemented to address specific accommodation needs that will facilitate student academic success and increase employment opportunities.

Service providers for students with disabilities need training to be equipped to advise these students about types of assistive technology and resources for information. In addition, administrators, faculty and staff in postsecondary education must be trained to provide appropriate academic accommodations or modify instructional strategies to promote academic success, retention in school, and higher rates of graduation for students with disability specific needs.

• Goal 1: College students with disabilities and personnel in student support services, career services, vocational rehabilitation, and business and industry will be knowledgeable about accommodations, adaptations, and devices that facilitate academic success and are appropriate for transfer to employment settings.
• Goal 2: University administrators, faculty, and staff will be informed and trained to meet the needs of college students with disabilities for academic accommodation and modification of instructional policy in a range of academic setttings.
• Goal 3: The model project will be established at Mississippi State University and will be disseminated nationally for replication in other postsecondary settings.

Objectives:

Under goal 1:

• To develop training materials and train college students with disabilities to be equipped to determine, acquire and use accommodations and assistive technology that can be transferred to the workplace;
• to develop training materials and train service providers to be prepared to determine accommodations and assisstive technology that students with disabilities need in their employment.

  Under goal 2:

• to develop training materials and train postsecondary administrators, faculty, and staff to meet the academic accommodation and modification of instructional policy needs of students with disabilities.

  Under goal 3:

• to prepare and evaluate products and training strategies of goals 1 and 2 and disseminate nationally so that the model program can be replicated on other postsecondary campuses.

This project, with a large population of minorities, will address the competitive priority of serving students with disabilities who are also members of minority groups.

Outcomes: College students with disabilities and their service providers will be knowledgeable about assistive technology both for academic success and transfer to the workplace. Future rehabilitation counselors and student affairs staff will be trained in their internship experiences to meet the needs of students with disabilities. College students with disabilities will have their needs for academic accommodation and modification of instructional policy met by trained adminstrators, faculty, and student affairs staff. Faculty and staff will continue to be prepared to meet these students' needs through new faculty orientation and departmental meetings.

The project will be established at MSU and the products and final report will enable other postsecondary institutions to replicate the model. MSU has made a strong commitment to this project and will provide the resources and staff of the new Comprehensive Assistive Technology Center (CATC) and the Department of Industrial Engineering to assist in meeting the goals. In addition, MSU will allow an 8% indirect cost in place of the usual 31.5% for a grant of this kind. The grant total for cost-sharing is $71.546.