Exploring College Adjustment Issues among Physically Disabled Students

Adjustment refers to balance or harmony between the demands made on the organism by the environment and organisms functioning to deal with such demands. It is the outcome of efforts to deal with our environmental, biological, physical and social demands. When resources are limited and one fails to utilize the resources to maintain the balance it leads to maladjustment. Pursuing a college education requires adjustment on the part of all students, though the type and degree of adjustment experienced by each student will vary depending on background, experience, and prior schooling. Adjustment to college will also vary depending on the size, mission (e.g., research intensive versus teaching intensive), affiliation (e.g., religiously affiliated institutions), and control (e.g., public versus private) of the institution in question. Arthur Chickering and Nancy Schlossberg (1995) point out that students who are leaving high school, attending college full-time, and living on campus tend to experience the most dramatic adjustment.