Volume 3, Issue 2 (2018) Retaining African American Males with Learning Disabilities in Higher Education

Special Edition

The foci of this special issue are to offer insights into the challenges that African American (AA) males with learning disabilities (LD) encounter within the contexts of higher education, as well as to provide prescriptive viewpoints on how to retain and help them succeed academically (Banks & Hughes, 2013; Harper & Kuykendall, 2012; Palmer, Wood, Dancy, Strayhorn, 2014). To set the stage for this critical area of scholarship, Banks, and Gibson (2016) discussed findings that investigated the experiences of African American male college students with learning disabilities who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The authors employed qualitative interviews to examine: (a) the role of family involvement in selecting a university; (b) the importance of academic and social belonging; and (c) how faculty supports the disability support services that influence their development. The findings argue for institutions to actively construct environments that facilitate academic engagement while being intentional in the development of an inclusive curriculum that addresses issues of equity and cultural differences for African American students with disabilities. We sincerly hope you enjoy reading the articles and that they provide an incentive for change.