✅Relating to a report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding enrollment and success in higher education for students with disabilities.

✅ SB 769: Statewide report on college access for students with disabilities

What it says it does:
SB 769 requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to study how students with disabilities are entering and succeeding in higher education. The report must include enrollment numbers, barriers to access, and the types of services and accommodations offered by colleges and universities.

What it actually changes:
It adds a new, temporary reporting duty to the Coordinating Board. Public colleges must submit data when asked, and private colleges may choose to participate. The report must be delivered to the Legislature by September 1, 2027. The section expires in 2028.

Who is pushing for it:
Senator José Menéndez authored the bill. Support came from disability rights groups, higher education advocates, and social service organizations such as The Arc of Texas, Disability Rights Texas, and United Ways of Texas.

Who benefits:
Students with disabilities and their families gain transparency about how Texas colleges support accessibility and inclusion. Lawmakers and campus officials also benefit from having consistent statewide data to inform policy and funding decisions.

Who gets left out or exposed:
Private colleges can opt out of the data request, which could leave major blind spots. Campuses with limited staff or poor data systems may struggle to meet the reporting expectations.

Why this matters long term:
This is the first statewide effort to document how well colleges are serving students with disabilities. It forces accountability through data and sets the stage for future reforms once the report is public.

What to watch next:
Watch whether private colleges participate and whether the Coordinating Board builds clear reporting standards. The value of this bill depends on the quality of the data collected and whether lawmakers act on it after 2027.

Bottom line:
SB 769 is a fact-finding bill that puts real numbers behind an issue often ignored. It does not fix every problem, but it gives Texas a chance to confront the truth about accessibility in higher education.

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