Over Christmas break, I met with a former student who will soon be wrapping up her college experience. This young lady has the distinction of being the first student to go through her school system (k-12) with disabilities that require a wheelchair. Her mission continued by applying to and attending college, despite being told that “it was not for everyone”.
Our interview was lengthy, and my next few blogs will each be devoted to specific topics related to independent living skills, and what one needs to know in order to attain the services that they need in the most expedient way.
Blog 1 Transitioning from an IEP in High School to Receiving Disability-Related Services in College – this blog will describe how this young lady and her family found out about which colleges offered what services, how easily that information was found, and how schools, colleges and parent groups can do more to organize information to be shared more easily to those who come after them.
Blog 2 Choosing a College- Beyond the usual questions that seniors must ask themselves: how big of a school do I want to attend? How far away from home do I want to live? What major do I want to pursue? Students with disabilities must also ask (and then find out) what are the housing facilities like? Are there elevators in each dorm? In each classroom building? Is there assistance available for student with disabilities and how do I access it? What type of health services are offered? What are the hours and how available is it? Is transportation available through the campus or the town that the school is in? Is this transportation handicap-accessible? Will I be able to fully participate in all aspects of campus life, or will I be denied access to any of it because of my disability?
Blog 3 Fire Drills & Other Unexpected Emergencies- Just because one gets a room on the first floor, does that mean that the college’s responsibility ends there if there is an emergency? Should someone be legally responsible for ensuring the safety of those with a disability, or is it up to the person herself?
Blog 4 Personal Care Assistants – How to Get What You Need When this young lady was accepted to college, she immediately sought the assistance of her State’s Rehabilitation program, who told her that they could not do anything for her until she actually graduated. This red-tape, and the red-tape that goes along with Medicare made finding a personal care assistant (PCA) difficult. The college told her “they were not in the PCA business”, so she did what she has always done- took matters into her own hands and solved the problem…but not without difficulties.
Please read and comment on each blog, requesting any further information on any needed topic. The student and I hope that this is a first step to accumulating a “bank” of information about colleges who do and do not readily service students who have disabilities.
[Ed. note: the five-part series will be released one blog at a time over several weeks. See the following
- Part 1: Transitioning from an IEP in High School to Receiving Disability-Related Services in College
at ChildRC.com]
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