How to Thrive in College with Disability

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People with disabilities are able to attend - and thrive in - college. Please read more. Moreover, please read the "Disclaimer" section included with this blog post.

Prologue

Over the course of this post, you will learn what does not go with a disabled student when he or she transitions from high school to college or university. The reader will also find out who has the exclusive responsibility to request accommodations. Additionally, this blog post incorporates a section with legal information regarding the academic switchover. The remainder of the post explains what life will be like for inbound college or university students who are disabled.

Note: The information included herein applies exclusively to the United States of America.

Legal

For starters, here's an obvious statement: student life in college is very different from its high school counterpart. That holds true even more to people with any type of disability. In my post about invisible disabilities, I mention that special education students often have an Individual Education Program (IEP) during their K-12 (i.e., compulsory education) careers. However, that is not the case once he/she starts attending a college or university. That is because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) does not apply to post-secondary institutions. (By the way, IDEA is what Understood calls "the [U.S. federal] special education law.") However, The Understood Team writes that colleges and universities must comply with the federal "civil rights laws" enumerated in the list below. The Understood Team adds that "special education" is nonexistent at the collegiate level. According to Lori Smith, post-secondary institutions are legally obliged to make "a transparent grievance process" available to students. In summary, the college experience for students with disabilities is not the same as it is in K-12.

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

According to editor/attorney Andrew M.I. Lee, a trio of "major federal laws" are designed to "protect the rights of people with disabilities." Lee adds that the laws found on the list above make "disability discrimination" unlawful. The next subsection will outline some of the rights and responsibilities of a disabled college student.

Rights and Responsibilities

Believe it or not, disabled college students do have legal rights and responsibilities. The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) writes that institutions must furnish a learning-disabled student with "[a]cademic accommodations" (refer to the "Accommodations in College or University" section for further information). According to the LDA, "[a]ccommodations are changes in the learning and testing environments" which put learning-disabled students on the same playing field as their non-disabled counterparts. For example, the student must report to the disability services representative and supply it with the latest version of "disability"-related "documentation" on his or her own behalf. The student should likewise notify his or her instructors of being "disab[led]" and his or her approved accommodations. Please refer to the aforementioned LDA article for a listing of what other "responsibilities" the student has, as well as those of the disability service and faculty departments are.

Now that you're familiar with the legalese, the next section will change the subject to accommodations. (See the "Disclaimer" section, which mentions that the information within this blog post [and section] is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.)

Accommodations in College or University

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) writes that an incoming college or university student will not "have the same guarantees to special education and accommodations that [he/she] had in high school." Please keep in mind that the IDEA law goes out of effect upon a student's "graduat[ion] from high school," as Jim Rein writes. That means he/she will NOT have an IEP or 504 plan during post-secondary education. The NCLD also mentions that the learning-disabled student has to initiate his/her request for "accommodations" by "disclos[ing] their learning and attention issues" with the institution's disability services liaison. That's right, it's up to YOU and nobody else. Please consult the "Rights and Responsibilities" subsection (see above) for the definition of accommodation. As the NCLD reports, an inbound student must "[advocate]" on their own. Don't forget, you will be on your own at the collegiate level.

The subsection entitled "Self-Advocacy 101" (see below) will explain that concept.

Self-Advocacy 101

What does self-advocacy have to do with transitioning to college or university for students with disabilities? More than you might think.

In the "Accommodations in College or University" section, the reader learned that self-advocacy is important. Once again, you'll need to be independent if you attend college or university. The next paragraph will explain what the concept of self-advocacy is.

If you do not know what self-advocacy is, here's an explanation. Lee tells Understood that "self-advocacy is [basically] the ability to communicate what your needs are." In an August 2021 article for BetterUp, Kristine Moe mentions that "[s]elf-advocacy is a learned behavior." Of course, Moe adds that "many of us don’t feel comfortable advocating for ourselves" for some "reason." That's because a lot of people believe that "advocat[ing] for others" is far less difficult than "speak[ing] up for ourselves," according to Allaya Cooks-Campbell of BetterUp. She adds that "speaking up is probably the most overlooked" mode of presenting information. The next paragraph turns back the clock to the compulsory education system, where self-advocacy objectives can be incorporated into an IEP.

Before a learning-disabled student reaches the collegiate level, Dr. Donna Volpitta tells Understood that the addition of "self-advocacy goals" to an IEP is acceptable. She adds that an individual must function as his or her own advocate in both the academic and real-life environments, and schools are aware of that. According to Dr. Volpitta, "self-advocacy skills become ... important" as a child ages. Her Understood article linked earlier in this paragraph provides two instances of a student having self-advocacy problems.

Epilogue

Over the course of this post, the reader learned how disability services in college or university are different from their counterparts in compulsory education. Not only that, the post covered the legalese of education for inbound college or university students. He/she also found out what self-advocacy is. Remember, YOU are solely responsible for initiating your accommodation requests. A student with a disability might not be able to thrive, or even succeed academically, without accommodations.

See Also

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
• National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)
• National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
• National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)
• YouTube video: "Wheelchair Guide to University" from Attitude (🇳🇿 New Zealand)

Disclaimer

The author and GAM Productions are presenting the information herein solely for informational purposes. This blog post does not serve as a substitute for consultation, advice, or treatment that involve a healthcare professional. The parties mentioned above shall not be held responsible for any injury or injuries that may affect the reader of this post. Neither GAM Productions or the owner thereof is considered a healthcare professional or provider.

Furthermore, GAM Productions is not an educational institution or law firm. The organization's owner does not work in the legal profession. This blog post is not legal advice, so you need a licensed practitioner of law for this purpose.

GAM Productions is a fictional organization.

Bibliography

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BetterUp, 20 May 2021, www.betterup.com/blog/speaking-up-for-yourself.

Accessed 31 May 2022. 

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www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-which-laws-do-what.

 Accessed 26-27 May 2022.

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---. "What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?"

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 www.ncld.org/news/policy-and-advocacy/life-with-ld-navigating-the-transition-to-college/.

Accessed 26 May 2022. 

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www.betterup.com/blog/self-advocacy. Accessed 26 May 2022.

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Accessed 10 May 2022.

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Accessed 26 May 2022.

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Accessed 03 June 2022.

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www.edutopia.org/article/helping-students-disabilities-understand-accommodations-college.

Accessed 03 June 2022. 

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www.understood.org/en/articles/7-things-to-know-about-college-disability-services.

Accessed 11 May 2022. 

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www.understood.org/en/articles/can-i-ask-to-have-self-advocacy-goals-included-in-my-childs-iep.

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