Access and Basic Need Experiences of Students with Disabilities In the California State University

The previous Basic Needs Initiative Reports: (1) Study of Student Service Access and Basic Need (April 2019); and (2) Study of Basic Needs (January 2018) lack specific reporting on students with disabilities (SWD). While demographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity, first generation students, foster youth, etc. are reported on, disability is consistently left out of basic need reporting throughout the CSU System. The intention of this study was to describe SWD in the CSU system, conduct a needs assessment for SWD, and amplify the voices of SWD to share their experiences accessing supports and services for basic needs. 

The data were collected during the 2019-2020 school year (August 2019-February 2020). From the analysis, the top three most common disabilities were psychological/mental health, ADHD/ADD, and learning disabilities. Most race/ethnicity groups with a disability had a higher representation than what is observed in the general student population. While students with disabilities reported being stably housed, food security was a problem with students with disabilities reporting concerns about making food last and having enough money to buy more food. Survey results indicated half of SWD felt that they were a part of campus with room for improvement in the area of support by professors and visibility of others with disabilities in marketing and promotional materials. The vast majority felt that their physical health was poor and also reported high levels of stress, depression and anxiety. Even with the number of barriers faced, 90% of SWD anticipated passing their courses. 

The following results indicate the need for the development and implementation of specific strategies in order to meet the basic needs of students with disabilities and to support their academic success. There needs to be a system wide call to action with support for more targeted and context appropriate solutions for the individual campuses. Furthermore, the intersectionality of disability and race disparities should be considered. It is imperative that students with disabilities take part in identifying the problems and the solutions that affect their basic needs. Findings from the survey, interviews, and focus group data demonstrate the urgent need to ensure that students with disabilities are intentionally included in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the CSU Basic Needs Initiative and related projects.