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Learning Objective 1: Know the epidemiology profile of disability in a group of Mexican college students
Learning Objective 2: to know research efforts that had been held about disability in a institutional context
Methods. We carried out a cross - sectional study from September 2001 to September 2008. The sample size was of 14,752 freshman college students who get the medical examination; 59% (8,106) were females with average of age of 18.2 years old (SD= 3.5). The medical examination included anthropometric, laboratory and clinical assessment to identify motor and sensorial disabilities (visual and hearing).
Results: Prevalence of disability was 27.28% (4,025 students). 73% of disabilities were presented by 18 and 19 years old students. Visual disability was the type of disability more frequent among the students (92%; 3,715), followed by hearing impairment (3%), motor (2.3%), and other combinations. Women had a higher prevalence of disability (55%; 2,234). Bilateral myopia was the most common visual disability in women.
Discussion: Data shows a discordant phenomenon of disability in college students compared with general population. Contrarily to general data, motor disabilities were not common in this population. Nevertheless, as in general population, women were whom presented higher prevalence of disability.
Conclusion: Disability in college context is a real situation; prevalence showed that is necessary to establish rapidly strategies to adjust person –environment, promoting changes to transform toward an accessible teaching - learning environment.