Among the myriad of bills enacted at the beginning of September stands State Sen. Jose Menéndez’s bill to research the state of students with disabilities at Texas universities. Senate Bill 769 is set to be the first step in addressing potential issues students with disabilities face on campuses statewide.
SB 769 allows the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to initiate a report researching enrollment and success in higher education for students with disabilities. The report will identify existing students, barriers to enrollment and existing policies and services for students with disabilities at public and private universities. The THECB will then be authorized to make recommendations for legislative action. The report is due no later than Dec. 1, 2027.
In his statement of intent for the bill, Menéndez cited a multitude of existing issues students with disabilities face.
“Many students feel they are at a higher disadvantage when applying to or enrolling in Texas colleges and universities,” Menéndez wrote. “Many barriers are keeping students with disabilities from enrolling into Texas colleges, including but not limited to, accessibility of campuses and dorms, lack of assistance with an application and little information about special services offered that aid students with disabilities.”
His statement primarily referred to a 2020 University of Texas at Austin study comparing college attainment of students with and without disabilities. The study was issued in response to the concerns stakeholders in Texas higher education had regarding the limited information available on students with disabilities attending college.
Researchers discovered that college enrollment and degree attainment were substantially lower for high school graduates with a disability than for graduates without a disability. They found that while 51% of high school graduates without disabilities attained a bachelor’s degree, that number significantly dropped to 16% for those with a disability.
The data did not differ significantly for students who initially enrolled in a two-year college. Among those students, 34% without a disability eventually enrolled in a four-year college, compared to 17% with a disability. In addition, they discovered that university enrollment for high school graduates with disabilities varied by eligibility for the national school lunch program, race/ethnicity and type of disability.
While the report made some policy recommendations for institutions and legislatures to take, it concluded that college administrators are likely constrained in their ability to aid students with disabilities by the overall lack of information. Further, despite many college campuses having an office for students with disabilities, 72% of students who had a designated disability in high school did not report it to their college.
Menéndez hopes the law will shine a light on “any barriers to admission, total enrollment levels [and] availability of accommodations and related school policies.” Menéndez represents District 26 of Texas, encompassing much of San Antonio, including UT San Antonio. He has been in office since 2015 and serves on the Senate committee for Education K-16 where he has worked to “improve the state’s education system.”
Readers can stay up to date on the new law’s findings on paisano-online.com.
