Schools known for good disability supports!

Applying to College Learning Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD
1

Hi all,

I’m aware this may sound a little out of place, and I am so sorry for posting in the parents forum when i am a student, but i was wondering if anyone can take a look at the list of schools that I’m applying to and/or let me know of any “success stories” or like, experiences that your child(ren) have had there?

I’m speech and language impaired and have an IEP, so I am wondering what accommodations may look like in the collegiate setting.
I am getting re-evaluated for a lot of different things soon (Psychological, Educational, Social, Speech, and possibly in Occupational Therapy*)
*For quick context, I recently had a Physics test primarily on drawing Vectors and made 11/12 detail-errored and drawing mistakes, and only one of them was a conceptual math problem. I received OT services in the past, but was declassified from them. I cannot hold a ruler, protractor, or compass (geometry compass…not the directional one!), I struggle opening things (eg: chips/jars), I cannot hold chopsticks, I hold pencils and pens irregularly, and yeah…! So, I have no idea how I got declassified from that a long time ago if I still clearly struggle with it…?

I also (may) be meeting with an ACCES-VR Counselor (a New York State program w/a goal to help disabled New Yorkers get jobs/gain employment), but I am currently still doing research on that…if anyone knows more about that please relay information to me, thanks! I’m scared of possibly holding a job, heh-

Lastly, I am (un(?)diagnosed) officially with OCD (my therapist says it’s likely, she has a lot of different reasons, too!!!), but I have depression and anxiety (these are actually official, and I want to use mental health services on campus) so…once again…if there’s anything I should know regarding those on the schools I have, please let me know!

the schools i’m applying to (and yes I know my list is not realistic in terms of my chances)

  1. NYU
  2. Northeastern
  3. Clemson
  4. North Carolina State University
  5. Binghamton University
  6. Stony Brook University
  7. SUNY University at Buffalo
  8. Rochester Institute of Technology
  9. CUNY Hunter
  10. CUNY Baruch
  11. Wellesley
  12. George Washington University

Also- thanks MYOS for telling me to ask this! It was a really good recommendation because I’m scared about requesting them and telling Profs. on my own., etc.

2

You might want to ask when you are reviewed for the IEP if it can be changed to a 504 plan. The IEP does not continue after high school, and while colleges may accept the IEP in the disabilities office, there will be no way to update or make changes to the IEP once you graduated from hs. The 504 plan can include other accommodations, such as housing and life skills to help you too.

1 Like
3

Oops, forgot to mention that!! – at the end of this school year, my school creates an Exit Summary (which also is the meeting where my IEP → 504 plan)

I did NOT know this, thank you for informing me! (I knew the housing part, but not the life skills portion!!)

That sounds mildly terrifying!

4

You might add Marist - they’re in the geographic zone you’ve chosen and known for services.

I hope you get the answers you are looking for.

2 Likes
5

Yeah, my guidance counselor recommended it but I don’t want to go for a couple of reasons:
a. feeder school (a lot of people in my district go there)
b. the supports make me think it’s a special education repeat in college and I really want a fresh start (I am currently judged in my school mainly because of my IEP and stuff, no one really can see me past it – I’m friends with a lot of Fr/So/Jrs because of that…!)
I know I have more reasons, I just- cannot remember them.
(however, as a Plus- I may readd Marist once i finish other apps!)

6

I’m in the Ohio/PA/WV area and a student similar to you was told to try Bowling Green ( near Toledo , Ohio). they have a great center for students with accommodations.

1 Like
7

I can’t speak to how all colleges work, but mine is at UNC. She submitted her most recent educational evaluation and then met with a person at UNC. They worked out her accommodations based on the report and what she used in high school. They said to reach out if she finds she needs other things once she’s at school. They were incredibly flexible. FWIW, all students who have needs (disability, serious allergies, etc.) get priority registration, which has been huge. She registers on the first day, so she can make a schedule that works well for her needs. She also gets extended time and separate setting.

You sound like you’ll have different needs, but ask each school about their process. She has to sent a letter at the start of each semester (it’s prewritten, so she just clicks it and sends to each teacher) and then schedules each test through the learning center at school.

1 Like
8

Thank you for the rec., I will check it out!

9

Are you open to outside this area since you’re looking at bowling green ? Arizona has the SALT Center that you might look into.

Within your area you might research Adelphi, Hofstra, E Carolina, Quinnipiac, Susquehanna, and Delaware.

Check each, including your list, to ensure they offer proper supports for your specific situation.

The biggest names may not be the best given your situation.

Publics may not be in general, although some, like Arizona, have extra fees to help cover costs.

Good luck.

10

I mean, hey, if Bowling Green has good accommodations, then I will possibly look into other areas, but I’m inclined to stay in the Northeast.

Adelphi and Hofstra are in extreme proximity to my house…
UDel is popular in my school…
umm I can check out East Carolina, Quinnipiac, and Susquehanna though!
Trying to get as far away from the bubble my school is in AMAP!

Yeah I have (for the ones on my list) and I don’t know how you can accommodate someone with a speech and language impairment (which will change to who-knows-what once I get a 504)…like I probably won’t have a speech/language pathologist on campus to help me break down complex language structures or someone to teach me how to understand unwritten social language…so like…what happens to that?

The future (IEP->504 future) scares me…

11

UNC…Chapel Hill? UNC…Greensboro? Sorry for asking in specifics, there’s just a lot of UNC campuses.

I plan on doing the same thing upon attending the university that wins my heart over! (aka where I end up committing)
at my Home School, I do get extended time and flexible settings
(meaning I can choose where I want to take a test! [classroom v. testing room])

Yeah, I plan to possibly send emails to admissions and ask what I’d get!

This would be REALLY nice! :slight_smile: I don’t know why but I’m really bad at self-advocacy and wouldn’t want to really tell a Prof.!

12

Keep in mind mental health assistance on college campuses tend to be limited/temporary, you’ll want to find some off campus.

2 Likes
13

You want to communicate with the disability office…not necessarily admissions. Admissions doesn’t determine the types of accommodations you can receive.

The disability offices will let you know what types of documentation they need to make a determination.

And remember…college isn’t high school. It’s possible you won’t receive the same accommodations in college as in high school…and you will need to be a good self advocate. There won’t be a case manager to make sure you are doing what you need to do, and that the professors are doing what is asked.

3 Likes
14

So, if I stay in New York, I plan on using my current therapist…whether it’s on Telehealth or not (I currently see her in-person!)
I don’t really like meeting new people, as when I had a crisis (to say the least) in March the hospital asked me if I wanted to go to my old therapist or get a new one…I really wanted to go to my old therapist but they ended up transferring me to a new one and I really like my current therapist. I don’t want to give her up :frowning:
I already have to give up the Social Worker at the end of this school year, and she’s been a great asset to my learning/school career.

No wonder I was ignored when I sent an admissions office an email regarding that…this was a month ago.

Yeah, but I’m just scared that I may not get anything at ALL…eek (maybe just the bare minimum which would be extended time and seperate location)

This is also a scary reality. I’ve had case managers from sixth grade to now and if I lose it I don’t think I’ll be able to use my words (I sound like a kid, but the harsh reality about me sometimes is I go mute for like no reason and I’m constantly told it’s inappropriate and that my current teachers are not trained to obviously react/respond accordingly, soooo.) to actually say what I need.
CSE meetings are so great for me in the sense that the people there also know what I want or what I need, rather, to be successful. I like communication on paper. I like expressing things through emails. Hence why I like this platform…, too! If I go mute I normally discuss my feelings through actions (not fun ones!) or through words written down and I know that in college I can’t just go mute on a teacher for no apparent reason because college professors are FAR different than high school teachers who are trained to comply with IDEA and ADA rules/regulations as they’re laws.
(sorry if that sounded like a ramble/rant, it was not intended to!)

15

This is why rather than having a list of popular names, you need to find the right school - whether it’s near home or not.

Hofstra and Marist are not near one another etc. just because you are near home doesn’t mean your life will be like home.

Most important is you find a school that can support your needs or you will be looking at a tough college transition. Ask those questions b4 building the list.

Best of luck.

1 Like
16

My son submitted his neuropsychological evaluation, plus a letter from his therapist. He had a zoom meeting with someone from the disability office to discuss his accommodations. I think it needs to be done every semester (he never needed them so hasn’t added them since freshman year). They will not talk to parents.

3 Likes
17

But they’re close to my house! (one is like 15mn., the other is 2 hours)
So many people in my school district tell me that Marist is like the 13th grade. I don’t want that experience.

Honestly I feel like it’s going to be tough no matter what happens. I’ve already sent in some applications, and disclosed my disability in my Personal Essay.

Thank you!

Also maybe I’ll ask my therapist to write a letter too!

I feel this question is crossing something for some reason, but who did the neuropsych eval? Only because I don’t think that’s the same thing that my school is giving me but I do not remember. Maybe I should ask my therapist and the school social worker to convince my parents to let me get one because that is why they will get me one. Plus, I think my doctor is doing something too for when I go to college but I cannot remember.

ARGH!!! This is going to bother me so much- everyone on my support team is like, “Liv’s such a good self-advocate” yet here I am emailing my teachers instead of telling them things. plus my parents are forced to attend my CSE meetings (as I’m under 18)
Like two weeks ago my English teacher changed our seats and she put me in the back. I get preferential seating, but in order to tell her, I smacked out my IEP and when she came over, I pointed to the part where it says preferential seating and she said, “Oh, let me move you.” and moved me to the front. I like my new seat now, too!

But yeah I’m a horrible self-advocate.

18

Fully agree.

Your IEP should have a transition plan for post high school as part of it. You should be an integral part of that plan…and understand what it means and what is being suggested in it.

Remember, you are going to college to learn to continue to develop and enhance your ability to do things for yourself. Learning to be a self advocate is very very important.

I agree that you need to find and attend a college that can support your learning needs while at the same time developing your ability to support yourself.

19

UNC Chapel Hill is where she goes. I would assume it’s similar elsewhere. I know UNCG is known for good accomodations too.

I think most schools have testing centers for kids who need extra time/separate setting and it’s set up digitally. The prof just gets notification that they need to send the test there.

20

Okay, so I have no choice but to cite what it says, but:

Coordinated Set of Transition Activities
Instruction: Liv will participate in IEP meetings and articulate personal accommodations needed in an education setting. Furthermore, she will use the computer to research information on post-secondary settings and complete a post-secondary school application.
Agency Responsible: Student, Parent, CSE Chairperson, Special Education teacher, School Counselor, SLP.
Related Services: Liv requires speech/language services to improve her communication skills. She also requires counseling to demonstrate appropriate social, emotional, and coping skills.
Agency Responsible: SLP, Social Worker, School Psychologist, Student.
Community Experiences: Liv will continue to be involved in extracurricular clubs, like Robotics, to support her career interest in the STEM field.
Agency Responsible: Student, Parent, School Counselor.
Development of Employment/Other Post-School Adult Living Objectives: Liv will complete interest inventories that provide information on specific careers within the STEM Area.
Agency Responsible: Student, parent, Special Education Teacher, School Counselor.
Acquisition of Daily Living Skills (N/A): Considering Liv’s current levels of performance, acquisition of daily living skills is not needed at this time.

That’s what it says. I sorta get what they want, but not entirely.

This is so freaky! AHHHHH!!(sorry I wanted to react in a way that would show just HOW scared I am and if I could type 100 “H”'s I would!)

This is nice actually. Let’s hope wherever I go is the same…