What the Data Show about Students with Disabilities in STEM · 2017. 8. 8. · 116 5.0 4.7 5.4 4.9 6.2 5.0 0 20 40 60 80 100 S&E total Computer and math sciences Life sciences Physical

National Science Foundation

Division of Science Resources Statistics

What the Data Show about Students with Disabilities in STEM

Joan Burrelli

Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and EngineeringOctober 15, 2007

National Science Foundation

Division of Science Resources Statistics

www.nsf.gov/statistics

National Science FoundationDivision of Science Resources Statistics

100

About 24 million people, or 16% of the U.S. working age population, have a disability

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

With adisability

Difficultyseeing

Difficultyhearing

Difficulty withspeech

Difficultywalking/using

stairs

Learningdisability

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

NumberPercent

Number (in millions) Percent

Population of the United States ages 25 to 64, by disability status and type of disability: 2002

NOTES: “With a disability” includes other disabilities not shown separately. Respondents could report more than one disability. SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2002.


101

Among secondary students ages 14-21, learning disabilities are the most prevalent disability.

0

20

40

60

80

100

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Per

cent

Population ages 14 to 21 that are served under IDEA Part B, by type of disability: 1996-2005

NOTE: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B provides federal assistance for education of children ages 3through 21. Other disabilities include autism, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay, speech and language impairment, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, and other health impairment.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

0

1

2

3

4

5

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 200

Per

cent

Specific learning disabilities

Other disabilities

Multiple disabilities

Hearing impairments

Orthopedic impairments

Visual impairments

4 2005


102

Undergraduate students with disabilities choose S&E majors at about the same rate as students without disabilities

17

19

8

16

14

9

18

15

20

9

16

13

9

18

0 20 40 60 80 100

Other nonS&E

Business

Education

Health

Humanities

Social/behavioral sciences

Natural sciences andengineering

Percent

No disability

With disability

Undergraduate students, by major and disability status: 2004

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2004


103

More than half of postsecondary students with disabilities are in public 2-year schools

Postsecondary students with disabilities, by type of institution: 1966-97 or 1997-98

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Less than 3000 students

3,000 to 9,999 students

10,000 or more students

Public 2-year

Private 2-year

Public 4-year

Private 4-year

Percent

All studentsStudents with disabilities

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999. An Institutional Perspective on Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education, NCES 1999-046.


104

Students with disabilities are less likely than those without tocomplete a bachelor’s degree

Students who began at 4-year colleges or universities in 1995, by disability status and persistence in 2001

0

20

40

60

80

100

Attained bachelor's Attainedassociate's

Attained certificate Never attained, stillenrolled

Never attained, leftwithout return

Per

cent

No disabilityAny disability

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study.


105

Bachelor’s graduates with and without disabilities enroll in and complete graduate school at about the same rate

2

26

6

67

1

24

5

70

0

20

40

60

80

100

Attained graduatedegree, currently

enrolled

Attained graduatedegree, not enrolled

No graduateattainment, currently

enrolled

No graduateattainment, not

enrolled

Per

cent

No disability With disability

1993 bachelor’s graduates, by disability status and graduate enrollment and attainment by 2003

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study.


106

Graduate students with disabilities are less likely than those without to major in natural sciences and engineering

18

14

33

11

7

9

9

14

18

26

15

8

6

13

0 20 40 60 80 100

Other nonS&E

Business

Education

Health

Humanities

Social/behavioral sci

Natural sciences andengineering

Percent

No disability

With disability

Graduate students, by majors and by disability status: 2004

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2004


107

Why we don’t have data on bachelor’s and master’s degrees by disability status

Schools differ in how they count students with disabilities. Counts can be based on services or accommodations provided, verification of disabilities, self-report to the disability support services office, or external/proxy report to the disability support services office.

Schools differ in availability of records:• Half of institutions maintain paper records on students with

disabilities in the disability support services office• Only 13% of institutions include data on students with

disabilities in the general student record system from which degree data are reported to the Department of Education.



108

Science and engineering doctorate recipients, by disability status: 1997–2005

Disability status 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

All S&E doctorate recipients

27,229 27,273 25,931 25,966 25,496 24,582 25,274 26,272 27,974

No disability 26,909 26,951 25,594 25,638 25,156 24,254 24,961 25,986 27,667

With disability 320 322 337 328 340 328 313 286 307

Blind/visually impaired

39 55 54 49 39 26 28 22 24

Deaf/hard of hearing

45 36 40 38 48 42 48 33 40

Learning disabilities

na na na na 83 78 74 99 89

Physical/ orthopedic disability

104 92 96 94 99 121 95 88 86

Vocal/speech disability

7 11 6 6 8 8 11 11 14

Other or more than one

98 96 110 110 58 48 52 28 49

Unspecified 27 32 31 31 5 5 5 5 5

SOURCE: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 1997–2005.


109

Percentage with disabilities, by type of disability

Population 25 to 64 STEM doctorate recipients

Total 100% 100%

No disabilities 83.7 98.9

With any disability 16.3 1.1

Seeing 2.5 0.1

Hearing 2.3 0.1

Speech 0.9 0.1

Mobility 8.0 0.3

Learning 1.4 0.3

NOTES: Any disability includes other disabilities not shown separately. Respondents could report more than one disability. SOURCES: Population—U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2002; STEM doctorate recipients, National Science Foundation, Survey of Earned Doctorates 2005.


110

Estimates of disability

Percent with disabilities Number with disabilities

Population 15-24 11% 4,128,000

Students 6-17 12% 5,708,900

STEM undergraduates 11% 580,000

STEM graduate students 7% 30,000

STEM doctorate recipients 1% 307

Population 25-64 16% 24,350,000

US workforce 21-64 10% 14,313,000

STEM workforce 5% 242,700

STEM doctoral faculty 8% 13,500

SOURCES: Population and U.S. workforce—U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2002; Students 6-17—U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 2005; Undergraduate and graduate students—U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2004; STEM doctorate recipients, NSF/SRS, Survey of Earned Doctorates 2005, Workforce and doctoral faculty—National Science Foundation, SESTAT data system, and Survey of Doctorate Recipients.


111

EXTRA INFORMATION


112

Students with disabilities age 14 to 21 exiting special education, by exit reason: 2005

16

1 1

28

54

0

20

40

60

80

100

Graduated withdiploma

Received acertificate

Reachedmaximum age

Died Dropped out

Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, www.ideadata.org


113

Postsecondary students with disabilities, by type of institution: 1996-97 or 1997-98

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

Public 2-year Private 2-year

Public 4-year Private 4-year

Less than3000

students

3,000 to9,999

students

10,000 ormore

students

Number



114

0

1

2

3

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Number (in millions)

All disabilitiesSpecific learning disabilitiesOther Multiple disabilitiesHearing impairmentsOrthopedic impairmentsVisual impairments

Population ages 14 to 21 that are served under IDEA Part B, by type of disability: 1996-2005

NOTE: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B provides federal assistance for education of children ages 3through 21. Other disabilities include autism, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay, speech and language impairment, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, and other health impairment.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, www.ideadata.org


115

243

88

21

78

16

40

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

S&E total Hearing Lifing Seeing Walking Multiple

Number

Employed scientists and engineers with disabilities, by type of disability: 2003

SOURCE: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT): 2003


116

5.0 4.7 5.4 4.9 6.2 5.0

0

20

40

60

80

100

S&E total Computer andmath sciences

Life sciences Physicalsciences

Social andbehavioralsciences

Engineering

Percent

Employed scientists and engineers with disabilities, by type of disability: 2003



117

243

95

24 1631

78

0

50

100

150

200

250

300




Engineering

Number (in thousands)

Employed scientists and engineers with disabilities, by occupation: 2003



118

13,500

4,300

1,300

4,700

900

2,400

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

S&E total Hearing Lifing Seeing Walking Multiple

Number

Doctoral science and engineering faculty with disabilities, by type of disability: 2003

NOTE: Faculty include full, associate, and assistant professors.SOURCE: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients: 2003


119

Doctoral science and engineering faculty with disabilities, by occupation: 2003

8.3 7.7 7.1 7.9 10.1 7.2

0

20

40

60

80

100




Engineering

Percent

NOTE: Doctoral faculty include full, associate, and assistant professors.SOURCE: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients: 2003

Documents

What the Data Show about Students with Disabilities in STEM · 2017. 8. 8. · 116 5.0 4.7 5.4 4.9 6.2 5.0 0 20 40 60 80 100 S&E total Computer and math sciences Life sciences Physical