Do Students with Learning Disabilities benefit from accommodations? A Literature Review

In the United States, there is a growing gap between learning disabled college students and their non-learning disabled peers in academic achievement and graduation rates. Since the incorporation of learning-disabled students in public education on a large scale following the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, many interventions have been tried to help learning disabled students achieve higher success in postsecondary education. Not all have been successful, and those that do work produce small, inconsistent effects. In this review, the history of legislation that gave rise to accommodations for students with learning disabilities is reviewed and several accommodations and interventions are examined. In addition, the practices and trends in the number of students choosing to take tests at the alternate testing facility at Baylor University are analyzed. Finally, recommendations are made regarding possible solutions and what important questions to pursue in the future.