cover letter

Attachment 1

Students with Disabilities at Postsecondary Education Institutions

Cover Letter

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

September 2009

Dear Survey Respondent:

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education, I am requesting your participation in the national survey Students with Disabilities at Postsecondary Education Institutions. Westat, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland, is conducting the study for NCES using the Postsecondary Education Quick Information System (PEQIS). The questionnaire is designed to be completed in about 30 minutes. Applicable sections of the questionnaire should be completed regardless of whether your institution enrolls any students with disabilities.

The purpose of the survey is to provide information to the U.S. Department of Education about students with disabilities at postsecondary institutions and the services and accommodations provided to these students. The survey also asks about various aspects of institutional accessibility. The survey is designed to be completed by the person or office at your institution most knowledgeable about students with disabilities, and the services provided to these students by your institution. In most cases, this will be the disability support services office or coordinator. Please feel free to collaborate with colleagues at your institution who may be able to assist you in completing the survey.

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the survey (OMB No. 1850-0733). Your participation, while voluntary, is vital to the development of national estimates. The information collected will be published in aggregate form only and will not identify individual participants or their institutions. Your answers may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose unless otherwise compelled by law. (Public Law 107-279, Education Sciences Reform Act, Section 183.)

You may complete the survey using either the enclosed questionnaire or an online version available through the Internet. The online version of the survey is available at www.peqis-XXX.org. Your username and password appear on the enclosed Web Survey Information Sheet. If you complete the paper version of the questionnaire, please return it to Westat in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. Please complete the survey only once, using either the paper or the online version.

We ask that you complete the survey within 3 weeks, and that you keep a copy of the completed survey for your files. If you have any questions, please contact Kimberley Raue, the Westat survey manager, at 800-937-8281, ext. 3865 (toll-free) or 301-294-3865, or by e-mail at kimberleyraue@westat.com. You may also call Peter Tice, the NCES Project Officer, at 202-502-7497. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Stuart Kerachsky

Acting Commissioner

Enclosures

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006