Supporting Adult Learners with Disabilities in Community Colleges

By Jeongsan Hwang

Community colleges have long been recognized as a great place to serve nontraditional students, including students with disabilities. The unique characteristics of community colleges—such as accessibility and affordability, along with smaller class size and flexible course delivery and schedule—make them promising entry points for students with disabilities to begin their postsecondary education journey (Madaus et al., 2021). In addition, two-year colleges can provide more intensive supports, offer developmental or remedial courses, and enable students to quickly obtain occupation-specific skills (Mamiseishvili & Koch, 2012). In short, community colleges appear to be well positioned to meet the needs of students with disabilities. 

Despite these strengths, the promise of community colleges does not always translate into actual enrollment or positive educational experiences for students with disabilities. In fact, they are less likely to attend community colleges than four-year institutions, and students with disabilities at community colleges tend to access fewer institutional supports. According to the National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] (2022), while 69% of students with disabilities who had reported their disability during their K-12 education enrolled in four-year institutions, only 28% attended two-year institutions. In addition, while these students were more likely to take remedial courses at two-year colleges (44%) compared to their four-year peers (21%), those at four-year colleges tended to use academic services and request help at higher rates than those at two-year colleges (NCES, 2022). These patterns suggest that students with disabilities not only face barriers to accessing community colleges but may also encounter more negative experiences compared to their peers at four-year institutions.

Considering these disparities, this article focuses specifically on adult learners with disabilities at community colleges. While the national data and legal frameworks mentioned above often use the broader phrase “students with disabilities” to encompass all age groups, adult learners in this population face overlapping challenges common to other nontraditional students, such as balancing work, family, and other responsibilities (MacDonald, 2018). These demands, compounded by disability-related barriers, heighten their risk of marginalization in higher education and make their experiences and needs an urgent focus for research and practice.

Building on this understanding of the challenges community colleges face in serving adult learners with disabilities, the following section will outline key challenges the population has and offer practical recommendations for addressing the challenges.

Key Challenges at the Structural and Institutional Levels

Structural Limitations in Disability Support

One major reason for these challenges lies in structural differences in disability support services between K-12 and higher education. In K-12 settings, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), schools are mandated to identify students with disabilities and provide legally mandated support systems, such as individualized education plans (IEPs); in contrast, higher education institutions, including both four- and two-year institutions, are not required to identify with individuals who have disabilities (Kirksey et al., 2025; Rae-O’Donnell, 2015). Instead, the responsibility lies with the students themselves to document their disability status in order to be eligible for institutional accommodations (Kimball et al., 2016).

Both K-12 and higher education are covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Acts, which focuses on preventing discrimination based on disability rather than providing direct disability-related services. (Kimball et al., 2016). In higher education, the Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) reinforces this approach, requiring institutions to provide reasonable accommodations only to students who self-disclose their disabilities (Kirksey et al., 2025; Rae-O’Donnell, 2015). Given that only 12% to 13% of students at both four- and two-year institutions have reported a disability status (NCES, 2022)—likely an underrepresented number—many students with disabilities may remain unidentified and, consequently, underserved in higher education.

Resource Constraints in Community Colleges

Even when students at community colleges self-disclose their disabilities, community colleges may struggle to provide adequate accommodations due to limited financial and human resources. The spectrum of disabilities represented within the community college population is highly diverse, encompassing mental, emotional, or psychiatric disabilities as the most prevalent, along with deaf or hard of hearing, blind or low vision, chronic health disability, and other disability types. (Phillippe, 2024). Moreover, many community colleges rely heavily on external funding to support accommodation-related expenses and often lack a dedicated budget for disability support (Kirksey et al., 2025), further constraining their capacity to provide comprehensive services and to equip quality human resources with disability-related expertise. These financial and human resources disparities vary considerably by institution, particularly by urbanicity, with rural community colleges facing greater financial vulnerability than their urban counterparts (Kirksey et al., 2025). Such structural limitations can exacerbate inequities, leaving some students without the necessary supports to fully participate in community colleges.

Individual-level Challenges

Academic Preparedness and Disclosure Barriers

Adult learners with disabilities navigate multiple intersecting challenges that stem from both their age and life stage, as well as their disability status. A key academic challenge lies in preparedness. Research shows that students with disabilities frequently enter college with gaps in foundational skills and limited knowledge of how to navigate postsecondary systems. This is partly due to insufficient transition planning during high school and a lack of exposure to self-advocacy practices (Zamani-Gallaher & Bell, 2018), which is often linked to their reluctance to disclose their disabilities.  

Even when students do disclose their disabilities, stigma can play a significant role in limiting their engagement with available support services. In Illinois, for example, approximately 10% of students who disclosed a disability did not access any of the support services offered (Illinois Community College Board [ICCB], 2024). Many students, particularly those with disabilities such as mental health or learning disabilities, may fear being perceived as less capable and thus choose not to disclose (Grimes et al., 2020). They tend to decipher that the losses derived from disclosing their disabilities are significantly more substantial than the benefits from institutional support services.

Social and Instructional Exclusion

Limited faculty knowledge and willingness present another barrier. Studies have shown that a substantial proportion of college instructors have limited understanding of disability-relevant policies, which may result in inconsistent accommodations and limited classroom inclusivity (Zamani-Gallaher & Bell, 2018). Although many faculty members are now more aware of disability policies and the value of inclusive teaching frameworks, their actual implementation often varies widely and is constrained by limited time, insufficient training, and a lack of institutional support (Hills et al., 2022). In this context, adult learners with disabilities are likely to struggle with academically adjusting to the community college classroom. 

Adult learners with disabilities often confront significant social and emotional isolation among their peers. Studies show that students with learning disabilities experience higher levels of loneliness and social withdrawal compared to peers without disabilities (Icekson et al., 2021). Additionally, adults who are managing service-related disabilities, such as veteran students with disabilities, may find it challenging to transition into a campus community that is typically composed of traditional students with no experience related to service (Flink, 2017). In other words, the intersection of nontraditional characteristics and disability status exacerbate the marginalization of adult learners with disabilities.

The challenges facing adult learners with disabilities are multidimensional and span the domains of academics, structure, and identity. Addressing these challenges requires institutions to design and implement strategies with a consideration of the aforementioned unmet needs of adult learners with disabilities.

Strategies and Supports

To enhance the educational experiences for adult learners with disabilities, community colleges can consider the following suggestions. 

Enhance Faculty Preparedness and Instructional Strategies. Faculty unpreparedness to teach students with disabilities leads to inconsistent accommodations and limited socioemotional support (Hansen & Dawson, 2020). Community colleges can offer internal professional development programs or provide financial assistance to attend external trainings to educate faculty on the diverse needs of students with disabilities and the importance of inclusive teaching practices, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). 

Implement Peer Mentoring Programs. Peer mentoring programs can enhance the experiences of both mentors and mentees by leveraging shared experiences among individuals with similar characteristics and/or identities (Hillier et al., 2019). Adult learners with disabilities can be more confident in their ability to achieve college success, develop social skills that facilitate their social integration, and become more knowledgeable about institutional accommodation services (Hillier et al., 2019). Therefore, community colleges can implement one-on-one peer mentoring programs or support disability community networks if a small number of individuals within the population are available to provide support. 

Improve Digital Accessibility of Educational Resources. Inaccessible digital content can create significant barriers for students with disabilities. According to the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Community introduced by the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (2024), colleges should regularly audit their digital resources, including websites and course materials. Providing training for faculty and staff on creating accessible digital content can help lower access barriers for students with disabilities, particularly those with vision and mobility impairments. Moreover, by leveraging the economies of scale offered by digital resources, community colleges can develop more sustainable and cost-effective infrastructures to support students with disabilities.

By implementing these strategies, community colleges can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for adult learners with disabilities, fostering their academic success and overall well-being. This requires individual community colleges and departments to regularly review their policies that pertain to this group and offer suggestions for improvement. In addition, community colleges should proactively engage in fundamental work such as cultivating a positive perception of disability.

Conclusion

Community colleges play a vital role in supporting adult learners with disabilities by offering accessible and affordable education. However, these institutions must address the unique challenges faced by this student population, including faculty preparedness and social isolation. By enhancing faculty training, implementing peer mentoring programs, and improving digital accessibility—all of which can be scaled up at relatively low costs—community colleges can foster an inclusive environment that promotes academic success and well-being for adult learners with disabilities. These efforts, including regular assessment of the initiatives and the cultivation of an inclusive climate for disabilities, are important for ensuring that all students have the opportunity to thrive in higher education.

References

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