Postsecondary Educators' Cultural and Institutional Awareness of Issues Faced by African American Students with Disabilities

Being a part of an ethnic minority group and a student with a disability (SWD) often presents as a barrier to college retention and graduation rates among members of this marginalized group. Purpose: To examine educators' awareness of racial and institutional influences that impact African American SWD. Method: Data for this study were gathered using a snowball sampling technique that surveyed 145 educators at colleges and universities in 16 U.S. states. An exploratory factor analysis with a varimax rotation procedure was used to group items of the Culture and Disability Awareness Scale for Postsecondary Educators into more specific categories. Results: A 3-factor solution explaining 58% of the variance was considered to be most interpretable. The extracted factors were entitled as follows: (a) disability-related issues, (b) personal wellness, and (c) faculty involvement. Conclusion: The results suggest the survey respondents' level of awareness and knowledge was poorer regarding racial and cultural statements in comparison to institutional influences. Implications for practice, education, and future research are discussed.