Donna introduced herself as having the personal experience of having a child with ADD and this provided the incentive to help students deal with the difficulties they encountered as they went through school. This extended, of course, to those struggling in college. Her presentation included a wide spectrum of disabilities, not just ADD.
She stated that with respect to both motivation and management, one had to understand that the previous school experience may not have been positive and that there may well be a reluctance for the students to come forward and ask for help. In addition to school issues, college students have to take a more leading role in personal management skills such as managing time and money in addition to developing successful study skills and note taking. Her objective was to find out what worked for them.
Donna stated the #1 requirement for college students was to become their own self advocate. This is followed by a need to understand what their disability is, what accommodations they would require, and what their legal rights were since when in a college setting, students don't always have a close or daily parental support system available.
Colleges are not required to identify students with disabilities so in order to get services, the students must come forward (self-advocacy). In doing so, they should provide documentation. Donna noted that a SUNY requirement is that there be neuropsychological testing which is no more than 3 years old. Failure to provide current documentation is a problem as students can then become declassified.
After a student is identified, it is necessary to find the office or staff which coordinate the support system. Donna noted this is frequently NOT the admissions office and that there is no standardized structure to recommend a student look for.
During a search for the college of their choice, students are urged to make a personal visit to the campus which includes an appointment with the officials who oversee such student serviced. In addition, they're encouraged to talk to students (not just staff people), preferably students who have direct experience with the services the candidate is looking for. Such services may be subject-specific such as note-taking for science, tape recording for English and perhaps nothing for other courses. Having made the school selection and been accepted, Donna recommended the candidate start each semester by introducing themselves to each professor to discuss and agree on strategies. "This clearly helps lay the groundwork for success", she remarked. The new student must realize that dealing with learning disabilities may not have been part of the professor's background and training and there may well be a need to educate them on the need for your special requests and why they mean so much to you.
The student also should be cognizant of the legal rights which exist for college staff members to meet the needs of students with Learning Disabilities. Donna had a handout which was titled ACCOMMODATIONS and defined these as something supplied to satisfy a need or needs (to make fit or suitable, i.e., adaption, adjustments). She also noted that according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a student with a documented disability is entitled to "reasonable accommodation" in course work, testing, etc.. Unlike high school, it will be your responsibility to initiate the provision of services and accommodations. Accommodations may include (but are not limited to) the following:
Alternate Test Location such a particular room/ size/ number of students.
There were many others which Donna didn't mention but these were mentioned to give us an idea of the scope of accommodations which may be utilized.
Donna mentioned the possible need of a coach for personal organization and follow-up. It is NOT a school responsibility to provide for this sort of help.
Regarding medications, it was important to have the student get a local doctor or local source for whatever's needed as after the age of 16, one can only draw a 30 day prescription of some meds. There is also no "school nurse" with the responsibility to issue meds or check that they're taken properly. College students are entirely responsible for managing their medications.
Regarding social activities, even "bright" students have to be cognizant of the pressure and distractions some are faced with. Community colleges do not have dorms so there is an "apartment atmosphere" to contend with.
Students must understand and know their needs and capabilities. Should they try for a single dorm room? Perhaps, but not necessarily.
Students with LD's should be especially cautious about relying on "marathon study sessions" or "cramming" immediately before tests even if they think they're good at it.
Keeping a log of timelines and milestones can be a tremendous help such as breaking a large assignment down into the elements of when to do research, when to prepare an outline, when to start the final draft, etc.
In response to a question, Donna noted that the Rochester Institute of Technology has a special department for students with disabilities but having a designated department is rare.
In response to a question on documentation, Donna mentioned reports from a school psychologist, IEP's, and Triennial test results.
Donna noted that although it was common for scribes to be provided for those who are physically disabled, the scribes could only be held accountable for writing what the student tells them to write.
Another question was how to satisfy the 3-year requirement for documentation in the Senior year. Donna responded that generally the need to have current data was held during initial acceptance and admission. She noted that there was less frequent need to redo such documentation once attending.
With regard to a question on 504 and legal issues, Donna noted that the Rochester Center for Independent Living has lawyers. The Advocacy Center and the LDA also have some legal reps. Donna also noted the need to identify the 504 Compliance Officer at the school.
Donna wanted us all to understand that this process started before actually applying for college and that there was information available to help guide students through this process.
One such system is called "From Here To There", which was prepared by the Advocacy Consortium for College Students with Disabilities. This organization started with a special ed teacher in Hilton in 1992 and has grown into a booklet described as "an assessment of the skills and strategies for your journey from high school to life-long learning". This workbook was developed to help students communicate their learning needs and develop the self-knowledge, skills, and strategies for success as a life-long learner.
The benefits of going through this process include having the students identify the skills they have, not just the skills they don't have. It "focuses" the student to be specific and becomes part of the supporting documentation. Students can also take the opportunity to explain why previous tests (SAT, etc.) were taken under non-standard conditions i.e. why they needed the test read to them or needed more time or a note-taker. Most didn't know that when an SAT test is given under non-standard conditions, that the test must be stamped. However, an explanation of the stamp is not usually given through "official channels".
Donna has offered to have a workshop for interested students in the near future. The workshop will take them through the From Here To There booklet after which they'll be in a position to identify and communicate their needs to school officials. Stay tuned to the GRADDA Warm Line, meeting announcements and web site for details when they're worked out.
Ed Note: Donna Bissonette is the Disability Support Coordinator at the University of Rochester.
PO Box 23565, Rochester, New York 14692-3565.
(716) 251-2322
e-mail us at gradda@www.netacc.net
