There are many things that a student needs to do to get ready for college. As a student with a disability there are a few extra steps you need to go through before the start of your first class. Whether you're transitioning from high school or transferring from another college or university these steps will help you be more successful in college.1. Don't assume you will have the same accommodations you had in high school or at your previous college.
The laws requiring special education services in high school differ significantly than those requiring reasonable accommodations in college. Accommodations that are often provided in high school but may not be provided in colleges include open book exams, unlimited excused absences, paraphrasing test questions, personal tutoring and tailored homework assignments among many others. Typically colleges need not provide any accommodation that would fundamentally alter an essential aspect of a course or program or provide services of a personal nature. Check with your intended college or university to verify what accommodations they can provide for students with your specific type of disability.
2. Make sure the documentation of your disability is current and meets the requirements of your intended college or university. Most colleges and universities require comprehensive documentation of your disability that is usually no more than a few years old. This is particularly true for "hidden disabilities" such as ADHD and learning disabilities. Each college will have specific guidelines for documenting a disability. Check with your college or university as to their specific documentation requirements well before your first day of class.
3. Contact the Disability Services Office as soon as possible after you make the decision to attend. In high school your parents and teachers handled all of your accommodation needs. In college the responsibility is yours alone. In order to receive accommodation you must identify yourself to the Disability Services Office of the college you plan to attend and follow all their procedures for registering with their office. This includes contacting the office well before the first day of class especially if you require accommodations such as textbooks in alternate formats or a sign language interpreter. Many accommodations take a significant amount of time to arrange. Any delay in notifying the Disability Services Office of your accommodation needs only hurts you.
4. Become familiar with any assistive technology you will use well before the first day of class. There is nothing more frustrating than finding that the assistive technology that you were planning on using in school doesn't work well for you. Whether its a laptop with screen reading software, a hand held CCTV, or Braille 'n Speak be sure you fully know how to use it and what to do if it doesn't work.
5. Develop effective self-advocacy and self-accommodation skills. Effective self-advocacy skills are essential for success in college. Learn how to tell others about your disability and how it impacts your learning. Be able to explain how your accommodations help you compensate for your disability. Try to figure out your learning strengths and weaknesses. become of master of your own learning!
Getting ready for college is more than just showing up on the first day of class. With careful planning you'll be able to make an effective transition and be successful in college.
For more information check out the Missouri College Guidebook.
