The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates postsecondary transition planning and services for disabled students in public schools. However, federal data from 2023 found that only two U.S. states met the 100 percent target for including transitional services in their individualized education plans (IEPs); 22 states almost hit their target by including transitional services in at least 90 percent or more of student IEPs; and 26 states and Washington, D.C., included transitional services in less than 90 percent of student IEPs. (see Table A1) As states continue to fail in providing required services, young disabled people are less likely to enroll in and complete college, more likely to be unemployed or underemployed, and less likely to be economically secure compared with their nondisabled peers.
In particular, disabled students of color face systemic racism and ableism in education and employment. Yet there are few programs available to assist them in transitioning out of college. This article discusses some programs, including a virtual retreat pilot program developed through Ramp Your Voice!, that can serve as a model for the types of transition programs the federal government can fund.
What the data tell us about disabled students
Disabled people face significant barriers to obtaining an education compared with their nondisabled peers. Approximately 8.4 million students, or 17 percent of the total public school student population, had a disability according to the most recent data from the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection—which covered the 2020-21 school year. Among adults 25 and older in 2024, disabled people were almost twice as likely to have dropped out of high school and were more likely to only have a high school education. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that 20.5 percent of undergraduates and 10.7 percent of graduate students identified as having a disability in 2019-20.
Notably, there is a higher prevalence of disability in Black and Native American communities. In 2022, the disability prevalence rate was 14.1 percent for Black working-age people and 15.8 percent for Native American working-age people, whereas it was 11.3 percent for white working-age people, 5.2 percent for Asian working-age people, and 10.6 percent for other racial categories. With elevated rates of disability in the Black and Native American communities, it seems negligent not to have more culturally sensitive and accessible mentorship programs.
Mentorship programs can help fill the gap
Very few transitional mentorship programs specifically target disabled college students of color. However, there are several programs to support other vulnerable communities. Posse, which focuses on increasing enrollment of nontraditional students into universities across the country, recruits students from more than 20 U.S. cities to provide scholarships and mentorship from high school through post-college life. Ninety percent of Posse participants graduate, compared with only 50.8 percent of the general undergraduate student population, indicating how successful mentorship transition programs can be.
Transitional gap: A personal perspective from Vilissa Thompson
Graduating as a disabled college student was an exciting yet uncertain moment in my life. My post-undergraduate journey looked quite different from that of my able-bodied peers; I was still receiving governmental aid, which affected the kinds of jobs I could apply for and my ability to be considered for health insurance. This was before the passage of the Affordable Care Act; reliable transportation was scarce, and a modified vehicle for a wheelchair user was more a wish than a reality. I understood that graduate school would need to be in my future sooner rather than later since my bachelor’s degree in psychology provided limited job prospects.
The isolation and fear of what post-college life would be like was undeniably heavy. Being able to connect with other disabled college students and graduates who were facing similar challenges would have made a world of difference. That’s why I decided to launch the pilot Ramp Your Voice! virtual retreat in fall 2025. This program is intended to fill in the gap for disabled college seniors of color by addressing the questions, concerns, and changes they are thinking about and creating a safe space for connection.
Takeaways from the Ramp Your Voice! pilot program
In the fall of 2025, Ramp Your Voice! created a virtual pilot program comprised of six participants. The intentionally small cohort included participants who attended colleges in the South and were primarily women and femme-identifying individuals. The program included a variety of activities that allowed the participants to share about themselves and learn from each other, including through reflection sessions and fireside chats. The activities emphasized the importance of being present, understanding others’ perspectives, staying true to oneself, and trusting that personal and professional growth takes time.
As a stressed and overthinking person, this retreat allowed me to block out the noise from all the chaos in my life and made me feel safe and welcomed.
– Ramp Your Voice! program participant (in a video interview with the author)
Participants highlighted several key lessons during the retreat:
- Growth and leadership begin with self-awareness, listening, and authenticity. The fireside chats emphasized the importance of being present, understanding others’ perspectives, staying true to oneself, and trusting that personal and professional growth takes time.
- Self-advocacy and self-care are critical to success. Participants stated they felt encouraged to advocate for themselves, reflect without judgment, and prioritize their well-being, leaving the conversation feeling inspired and affirmed.
Why these programs matter
Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has taken a sledgehammer to programs targeted toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), which has resulted in the closure of cultural student centers. These centers provide marginalized students with spaces to connect and engage, resulting in an improvement of student academic outcomes. Unfortunately, disability centers are still very rare and are increasingly under threat following the administration’s targeting of DEIA initiatives.
That’s why it is essential to develop accessible, community-led programs such as Ramp Your Voice! in order to support disabled college students of color. As one Ramp Your Voice! program outreach coordinator, Zoe B., explained to the author:
Programs that center disabled college students of color are critically important because they … push beyond surface-level inclusion and acknowledge the unique barriers, lived experiences, and systemic challenges that exist at the intersection of race and disability. By offering culturally responsive and affirming environments, these spaces empower students to feel seen, validated, and supported, while building confidence, community, and the tools needed to advocate for themselves and thrive academically, professionally, and personally.
Conclusion
To successfully support disabled people of color in their transition out of college, the federal government should invest in unique programs such as Ramp Your Voice! At the same time, states can leverage unused Rehabilitation Services Administration vocational rehabilitation dollars to revive the Disability Innovation Fund, funding necessary transitional mentorship programs for disabled people of color.
Though still in its early stages, the Ramp Your Voice! virtual retreat offers a promising model—providing not just information but mentorship, connection, and a sense of belonging, which are all critical to long-term success.
The author would like to thank William Roberts, Sarah Partridge, Mia Ives-Rublee, and Casey Doherty for their data analysis, edits, and review; Allie Preston and Chandler Hall for their fact-checking; and the Legal, Editorial, and Art teams for their guidance.
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