The transition to college is an exciting, challenging time for all students. The attitude and self-advocacy skills of students with disabilities may be two of the most important factors in determining their level of success in college. Students with disabilities need to be prepared to work collaboratively with Disability Services to enable them to have an equal opportunity to participate in an institution’s programs and activities. To ensure that students with disabilities possess the desired levels of self-advocacy to succeed in college, high school educators and parents/guardians may encourage the students to:
Accept responsibility for their own success. One important point for families to know is that students’ high school accommodation plans, whether they are IEPs or 504 plans, are not valid once they graduate from high school. While students may receive the same accommodation in college that they had high school, they are not guaranteed the same adjustments. Certain basic accommodations are widely available, such as testing in a room with fewer distractions. Accommodations are assigned on a case-by-case basis rather than by a category and it is the student’s responsibility to apply for services. Students with disabilities, in particular, are moving from a system where parents and school staff usually advocated on their behalf to a system where they will be expected to advocate for themselves. Kalamazoo College staff will communicate directly with students when issues arise and are generally not required to interact with students’ parents. This is why it is important to make sure that students can function as independently as possible before they leave for college.
Learn time management skills. Although a primary role of high school educators is to provide monitoring, direction and guidance to students as they approach the end of their high school career, staff also need to prepare students to act independently and to manage their own time with little to no supervision. High school educators can assist students by identifying resources that will help them learn time management and scheduling skills.
Research post secondary education programs. Students with disabilities may select any program for which they are qualified but should be advised to review carefully documentation standards and program requirements for their program or institution of interest. For example, students should pay close attention to Kalamazoo College’s program requirements, to avoid making a large financial and time commitment only to realize several years into a program that they cannot, even with academic adjustments, meet an essential requirement for program completion. Campus visits can be helpful in locating an environment that best meets a student’s interests and needs. In addition, while all institutions have a legal obligation to provide appropriate services, certain colleges may be able to provide better services than others due to their size or location.
For more information about disability services at Kalamazoo College please contact: Dana Jansma, Dean of Students (269.337.7210 dana.jansma@kzoo.edu).