Hi Rebecca:
One issue you might consider looking into is whether any of the
colleges included in your sample have a strong disability rights
presence within the campus (ie., groups made up of disabled
people advocating for suitable accomodations) . You might also
look into particular 'incidents' that may have lead to pressure being
put on the university administrations to become more compliant
with said legislation (ie., section 504). Since I'm not in the U.S., I
can't speak specifically to this legistration. But, I suspect that
getting an organization to become more compliant with a law that
aims to integrate certain marginalized groups within a particular
environment (school, work, etc) will have something to do with
whether the group is vocal in pressuring the administration to
comply.
good luck!
David
Date sent: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 21:02:18 -0400
Send reply to: Rebecca Williford <[log in to unmask]>
From: Rebecca Williford <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Disability and Higher Education
To: [log in to unmask]
> I am a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
> and I am beginning research for my honors thesis. It's in political
> science, and my research question is to find why some colleges and
> universities in North Carolina are more compliant with Section 504 than
> other colleges and universities in North Carolina.
>
> First, I'll be generating a data set that measures different levels of
> compliance at about 8 different universities in North Carolina (a mix of
> private and public schools). Then I will conduct different statistical
> analyses of the numbers, so it's important that I can quantify the
> different levels of compliance. Because of restraints on my time and
> resources, I'll probably focus on accessibility for individuals with
> mobility impairments, especially for wheelchair users.
>
> At each campus, I want to measure:
> *percent of students who have a disability
>
> *percent of the university's total budget that is allocated to disability
> services, ADA office, barrier removal projects, etc.
>
> *percent of residence halls, classrooms, dining halls, and libraries that
> are wheelchair accessible
>
> *athletic teams for students with mobility impairments
>
> *accessibility of study abroad programs
>
> *efficiency of paratransit system
>
> *accessibility of campus website
>
>
> My question is whether these are the best and most accurate measures of
> 504 compliance. I'm still reading up on this legislation and trying to
> understand it. We don't have a faculty member who is an expert on this
> topic, so I'm hoping that someone on this listserv will have some ideas
> and expertise that can help me be sure I'm heading in the right direction.
>
> Thanks so much for any help you can give on any aspects of my research.
>
> Rebecca Williford
> [log in to unmask]
>
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