| This qualitative study examined California community colleges' holistic, campus-wide compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws and regulations, looking beyond individual academic adjustments. After considering the history of disability law, the research used officially reported legal decisions involving California community colleges as a foundation for the study. The paucity of cases that consider ADA compliance programmatically across the entire campus, combined with the results in those cases, led the researcher to explore this question further with seasoned community college leaders.;Interviews with these senior executives revealed wide variations in their training, background, and experience with disability law. None of the individuals interviewed had received any training in disability law that was designed specifically for senior executives at community colleges. Further, their varied backgrounds reflected their differing understanding of disability issues at the administrative level.;An interview with Dr. Martha Kanter, United States Undersecretary for Education, whose career background began in alternative education and whose training and experience encompass disability law, encapsulated the problems revealed by the CEO interviews. Dr. Kanter offered her insight into the situation and discussed potential avenues for change.;The results of the study provide researchers and practitioners with insight into the implications on leadership, policy, and practice of California community colleges' compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws and regulations, as well as possible approaches for addressing compliance issues. |
