A Randomized Controlled Trial for Self-Advocacy Intervention in College Students With Disabilities

Purpose/Objective: People with disabilities often achieve lower educational attainments and face worse employment outcomes compared to the general population, a disparity partially due to the insufficient development of self-advocacy skills in academic and professional environments where targeted interventions are limited. This study designed and evaluated a 6-week self-advocacy program (SAP) enhanced with solution-focused brief therapy techniques for college students with disabilities (SWDs). Research Method/Design: A program evaluation on process and outcomes was conducted using a pilot randomized controlled trial with college SWD (n = 28). Process evaluations included feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability, whereas the preliminary impact was determined by comparing the outcome assessments of SAP and the control groups. Results: Process findings indicated that the SAP was conducted as planned, with facilitators effectively employing solution-focused techniques. The program gained traction among SWD and proved feasible for implementation in college settings. SWD reported satisfaction with their participation and shared SAP's strengths as well as areas for improvement. Results indicated that SAP significantly increased SWDs' confidence in disclosing their disabilities and requesting accommodations in the workplace compared to their peers in the waitlist control group. However, no group differences were observed in self-advocacy and self-determination. Conclusions/Implications: The findings suggest that SAP offers benefits in various aspects of self-advocacy for college SWD, informing future implementations of SAP or similar initiatives targeting this group.