Supporting postsecondary students with a traumatic brain injury

by O'Rourke, Catherine Dawn

This research explores the transition issues for students with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Ontario community colleges. Data were collected from 15 colleges through a survey instrument. The data show trends in enrollment over the past four academic years and report the types of intervention provided to 95 students with TB1 during 1996-1997. Although not significant, there has been a small increase in the number of students with traumatic brain injury entering Ontario community colleges. Data about gender, year of accident, age, and supporting documentation are reported for the academic year of 1996-1997. Service providers responded to open-ended questions about potential barriers, assets, and similarities of interventions for other disability groups supported within the college environment. For nearly half of the students with a TBI, service providers in community colleges did not have a neuro-psychological evaluation in their files that would assist service providers in developing a comprehensive educational plan and an intervention plan. Most service providers surveyed indicated that students with TB1 were treated similarly to those with learning disabilities. Despite the practice of requiring, and basing academic accommodations on, psychological evaluation for students with learning disabilities, the practice of requiring neuro-psychological evaluations was not followed for students with TBI. The second phase of this study describes the specific experiences of two students with TB1 within a post-secondary setting. Key pre-morbid characteristics including personality, and function as well as severity of the injury, can impact on academic success. The two students' learning experiences are reported and relationships are paralleled, as they relate to the provincial Spproach to service delivery to students This exploratory study recommends future direction for with TBI. empirical study in order that educators may support students with TBI.