The History of Disability Services in Higher Education

Overview & Synopsis

In 2002, Brinckerhoff, McGuire, and Shaw observed that the field of postsecondary education and disability services had "moved through its adolescence and was embarking on adulthood" (xiii). Indeed, the field had undergone rapid expansion nationwide in the prior 30 years and grew into a full-fledged profession within higher education (Jarrow 1997). Now nearly a decade later, the field serves an estimated 11% of all students in higher education (National Center for Education Statistics 2009). However, the development of this sector of higher education is largely unrecognized in books covering both the history of higher education, and disability rights and history. This article will provide an overview of some of the seminal events in the development of postsecondary disability services, and will highlight some emerging trends that may influence services in the coming years.