Students with Disabilities Pursuing STEM: High School Math Preparation to Postsecondary Degree

This study examines variations between students with and without disabilities as they progress from high school mathematics to a STEM college major and STEM degree. Analyzing data from the Education Longitudinal Study with multinomial logistic regression found 10th graders with disabilities take less advanced high school math than students without disabilities, creating a disparity that persists through college. This places what might otherwise seem equivalent STEM college opportunity into an already unequal context. This disparity underlying the STEM college pipeline means enhancing STEM career access for individuals with disabilities ought to begin in high school or earlier.