From High School to College

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From High School to College

• Understanding the Differences

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• To have opportunities for higher education,
  students with disabilities clearly need strong
  academic preparation. However, academic
  achievement alone will not lead to successful
  results for students with disabilities.
• The Presidents Commission on Excellence in
  Special Education
• Students also require non-academic skills
• self-advocacy
• self-determination
• social skills,
• organizational skills
• community and peer connection
• communication
• conflict-resolution
• career skill building and career development
• computer/technological competency

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In the reauthorizations of IDEA in 1990 and
1997, the IEP requirements were amended to
include transition services. Transition
services are defined as a coordinated set of
activities which promotes movement from school to
post-school activities, including post-secondary
education, vocational education employment ,
continuing and adult education, adult services,
independent living, and community participation.
IDEA now requires that beginning at age 14
students must begin to be made aware of
transition issues by including a statement of
the transition service needs in his/her
IEP beginning at age 16 students must be
provided with actual transition services by
including a statement of needed transition
services in the IEP. Without the skills of
self-advocacy and self-determination, students
with disabilities seeking secondary education
will find this an extremely difficult goal to
achieve, National Council on Disability.
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• Different Rights
• Dramatically different rights and
  responsibilities in higher education
• In preschool, elementary, and secondary
  education students are provided a free
  appropriate public education
• In higher education handicapped persons may not
  be subject to discrimination in admissions,
  academic programs and other programs, services
  and activities
• higher education is not free
• no obligation to meet all of the expenses of
  students with disabilities
• higher education isnt compulsory, so it need
  not be made available
• no mandatory IEP-like process in higher
  education
• in higher education the burden is on the
  student, not the school, to find the appropriate
  services
• federal student privacy laws require the
  students written permission to allow information
  about students academic progress and
  non-academic activities
• cost of diagnostic tests and assessments usually
  fall on the students and their families

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• in higher education the curriculum itself need
  not be modified in any fundamental or
  substantial way
• students with disabilities are primarily
  responsible for their own success and must be
  self sufficient and have well-developed skills to
  be able to advocate for themselves
• IEP transition plans should include an updated
  assessment and documentation of their disability
  before leaving secondary school to enhance
  opportunities for higher education.

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• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal
  program serving 1.4 million persons with
  disabilities
• goal of VR is to promote employment and
  independent living for individuals with
  disabilities
• secondary schools area major source of referral
• self-referral is the largest single source
• when judged appropriate, VR provides assistance
  gain access to postsecondary education and
  progress to completion
• 300,000 to 400,000 persons with disabilities
  annually receive postsecondary education services
  through VR (about a quarter of all undergraduate
  students with disabilities in postsecondary
  education)
• VR counselors make an eligibility determination
  on a case-by-case basis
• federal law those with the most significant
  disabilities given service first
• states establish criteria for the most severely
  disabled and devise the order of selection
• learning disabilities tend not to receive VR
  services

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• If postsecondary education is determined to be
  the appropriate course
• counseling and assistance in identifying an
  appropriate program
• completing applications paying for assessments
  to document a clients disability
• paying for direct educational expenses such as
  tuition, fees, books, and supplies
• paying for maintenance (room and board) costs in
  coordination with other sources of support
• determining the need for and paying for
  assistive technology
• finding appropriate housing
• arranging for transportation
• some services are free and others require
  payment of a fee
• source for sustained and substantial support
• services limited 25 states had waiting lists

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• Accommodations
• Students have the responsibility for starting the
  process of accommodation by knocking on the
  door.
• college has no obligation to identify students
• first step meet with a disability counselor to
  whom documentation of the disability must be
  provided
• document not only the presence of conditions but
  also sufficient severity to constitute
  disability
• diagnosis or evaluation and documentation by a
  qualified and impartial professional in the field
• next step the student and the counselor to
  decide on the accommodation needed
• basic goal of the accommodation equal
  opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the
  benefits of higher education
• variety and combinations of accommodations
  almost infinite depending on the nature and
  severity of the students disability

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• two basic types of accommodations
• academic adjustments
• substituting courses that do not pose
  disability-related barriers scheduling classes
  and other activities to provide adequate time for
  a student with mobility problems to get from
  class to class on time, for a student to get
  necessary medical or psychological treatment or
  for a student to adequately rest and recuperate
  between academic activities extending the time
  for examinations
• offering examinations in alternative locations,
  such a place that is quieter and has fewer
  distractions than the regular examination
  location
• providing examinations in alternative formats,
  such as oral instead of written
• auxiliary aids and services
• priority access to course registration
• a special parking space for a persons with a
  problem that makes walking distances difficult
• a note taker or tape recorder for a person with
  impaired vision or hearing or a learning
  disability

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• braille calculators, printers, or keyboards
• interpreters or real-time captioning for the
  deaf
• reaching devices for library use
• readers and scribes for testing
• academic, personal and vocational counseling
• wheelchair-accessible desks and tables
• calculators or keyboards with large keys
  materials provided in alternative media, such as
  large print
• obliges the institutions to make these
  accommodations at their expense, not required to
  lower or waive essential requirements

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• Delivering accommodations
• The process of providing accommodations to
  students with disabilities can in many cases be
  quite straightforward
• student must take a letter specifying the
  accommodation from the disability services office
  to the instructor
• letter notifying a faculty member that a
  particular accommodation be provided not request
  or suggestion is order
• disability services office does not have the
  same status as faculty have
• difficulty advocating effectively on behalf of
  students to the academic staff
• many faculty react negatively from being told
  what to do
• more difficulty when the student seeks academic
  adjustments
• Self Advocacy
• The student with a disability might need to meet
  with an associate dean, a department chairperson
  or with a classroom professor.
• disparities in age, status, and expertise
• difficult for those whose secondary school
  included learned helplessness

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• faculty attitudes and academic culture major
  barrier to successful accommodations for students
• faculty have complete and unchallenged control
  over content and conduct of courses
• faculty see themselves as both creators and
  guardians of academic standards and values
• external intrusions into curriculum and
  classroom practice threats to academic freedom
• faculty also are often ignorant about their
  responsibilities
• how to relate to students with particular
  disabilities
• how to deliver the required accommodation
• combined with fear of doing the wrong thing or
  fear of legal liability
• ignorance and fear create more resistance
• resent low-level administration bureaucrat
  telling faculty what to do
• faculty denied access to the documentation
  establishing right to accommodation
• not permitted to review the determination
  (documentation)
• lack of ownership of accommodation plan
• diminishes commitment to implement

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• Most disability experts and advocates report that
  faculty resistance and skepticism have diminished
  substantially in the last decade. They also have
  grown more comfortable in dealing with students
  with disabilities and their needs.
• Community Colleges
• Traditional academic culture is less strong and
  pervasive at community colleges.
• forty-nine (49) percent of undergraduates with
  disabilities
• reputation for using highly effective teaching
  strategies and support services
• educate very diverse populations
• broad array of academic and occupational courses
• many open admissions more accessible if have
  lower levels of academic preparation

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• Learning Disabilities
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
  and the ADA explicitly prohibit discrimination
  against persons with specific learning
  disabilities.
• what constitutes LD fluid and unsettled
• disagreement whether compared to most people
  or to his or her own expected performance
• must provide LD accommodations necessary to
  assure equal access
• possible
• part-time schedules
• assistive technology
• tape recording of lectures
• note taking assistance
• tape recorded texts
• extended time for timed tests
• distraction-free test areas
• course substitutions
• even more, beyond required

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• The fastest growing category of disability is LD.
  Currently, about one in 25 students in higher
  education, or at least one in most classes, has a
  LD.
• additional factors lead to faculty and
  administrator resistance and skepticism in
  providing accommodations
• large, rapidly growing and new group
• disability is invisible
• incidence is disproportionately among students
  from affluent families.
• many of the accommodations delivered directly by
  the faculty or involve direct participation.
• note takers
• tape recording
• examinations in alternative formats
• more time to accomplish academic tasks viewed
  as compromising academic standards
• The resistance and skepticism that students with
  disabilities face from faculty and administrators
  results in stringent requirements for
  documentation, particularly of hidden
  disabilities.

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• required to produce current ,specific
  documentation
• from designated types of professionals
• from someone who has an arms length
  relationship to the student (not my uncle the
  doctor)
• Physical Barriers
• The requirements for architectural accessibility
  for students with disabilities were reinforced by
  the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990)
• non-discrimination by institutions matter of
  civil rights law
• broadened civil rights protections of persons
  with disabilities
• employment
• transportation
• public accommodations
• telecommunications
• Beginning with the Higher Education Facilities
  Act (HEFA, 1963), which was incorporated into the
  Higher Education Act as Title VII, broad federal
  authority existed for the Construction,
  Reconstruction, and Renovation of Academic
  Facilities. The elimination of architectural
  barriers to educational opportunities

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• for students with disabilities was one of the
  most successful fronts in the effort to make
  higher education more inclusive. These federal
  higher education facilities programs were
  repealed in the 1998 reauthorization of the
  Higher Education Act. Future federal support for
  architectural barrier removal does not seem
  likely.
• Financial Aid
• To apply for federal student aid a student must
  file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
  (FAFSA).
• also used by many states and institutions to
  award their financial aid
• does not include questions related to disability
  status or any other special conditions
• advises If unusual circumstances that might
  affect need for financial aid, submit form then
  consult with financial aid office
• have expenses related to disabilities included,
• take the initiative
• make case to financial aid officer
• document expenses related to their disabilities
  not provided by another source

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• Documenting disability-related expenses does not
  matter if there is not enough money available to
  meet all the demonstrated need of students with
  disabilities. Currently, fully meeting the needs
  of students with disabilities would require
  diverting resources from other low-income
  students. This would not be a just or desirable
  result.
• Low-income students usually receive financial aid
  from several sources
• assemble aid from various programs into a
  comprehensive package
• students with disabilities packaged from a
  larger number of sources
• few financial aid programs specifically for
  students with disabilities
• receive most of their financial aid from the
  same federal, state, and institutional programs.
  federal programs which accounted for 68 percent
• often support from Supplemental Security Income
  (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance
  (SSDI)
• support from VR
• These sources of support require that students
  with disabilities must seek them out, qualify for
  aid and bring them back to the financial aid
  administrator to combine with the other aid
  programs. To qualify for these non-student-aid
  programs students must fill out more forms and
  meet with more counselors and administrators.

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• VR counselors and financial aid administrators
  want the other program to pay as much as possible
  up front, pay the first dollar.
• each could use resources to provide less aid for
  a particular student
• pay the last dollar, demand other maximize
  contribution first
• could stretch resources further to serve more
  students
• low-income student with a disability negotiator
  and mediator between two sources
• delays assembling aid package
• wastes time and energy of students
• Another issue that confronts students with
  disabilities in assembling their financial aid is
  the standard rules for packaging aid.
• each financially needy student mix of gift aid
• self help
• grants that need not be repaid
• loans
• work

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• students with disabilities not able to work
  during the school year because of limitations
• time
• skills
• capacity for work
• packaging rules expectation of summer work
  earnings
• do work, face losses from other sources, such as
  SSI.
• leery of borrowing concerns about their future
  job and income prospects
• These students may especially need additional
  counseling about available loan deferment options
  related to low-income and disability status that
  could put their minds somewhat at ease.
• Information compiled by Thomas R. Wolanin and
  Patricia E. Steele, THE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHER
  EDUCATION POLICY, 2004