Congratulations to Nastacia Gayle who on Friday, October 16, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation proposal.
The title of Nastacia's dissertation is, 'BRIDGING THE GAP: EXPLORING TRANSITIONAL SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE.
The abstract of this study follows:
Overview of Problem: Students with disabilities move from the entitlement-based protections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in secondary school to the civil rights framework of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in postsecondary education, which requires disclosure, documentation, accommodation requests, and greater self-advocacy. Limited research explains how first-year students interpret their preparation and institutional supports or perceive their influence on adjustment.
Research Purpose: This interpretive qualitative study will describe students’ transition experiences and examine how transitional supports shape academic, social, and emotional adjustment through the second semester of their first year. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory and its 4 S System of Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies will guide interpretation.
Research Design: The study will use an interpretive qualitative design. Interview and institutional-document data will be analyzed inductively before findings are interpreted through Schlossberg’s framework.
Sample: Purposeful sampling will recruit approximately 12–15 students, age 18 or older, enrolled in the second semester of their first year at a four-year college or university, who received IDEA services in high school and currently identify as having a disability.
Data Collection: Participants will complete 60–90-minute Zoom interviews. Publicly available documents from their institutions will provide contextual information about disability-related and transitional supports.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Shelley B. Wepner, EdD
Dissertation Committee Members:
Peter Troiano, PhD
Dominique Phinn, DSW, LMSW, SIPI
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