How many wheelchair ramps are available in your high school? What about auxiliary aids, Braille textbooks, or sound amplifiers? For students with varying abilities, picking the perfect school goes beyond academics and extracurriculars. If you’re searching for schools with more than just great teachers, here is a list of resources to help you get started.
Getting In
If you meet the admissions requirements, you cannot be denied entry based on disability alone. This means that no matter where you go, all colleges are required to accommodate students with disability facilities and housing (if also provided to non-disabled students).
Begin by calling admissions and asking if they have amenities that fit your needs. Declaring (and documenting) that you have a disability is always optional, but it may be necessary if you need an academic adjustment, special housing arrangements, or auxiliary aids.
Getting Funding
Financial support is available for students with disabilities, but it is scarce. The best place to begin the search for scholarships is by contacting your school’s financial aid office as well as disability services.
The HEATH Resource Center at George Washington University offers an extensive database of grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study programs that are available to students with disabilities, as well as information about support services. Contact the HEATH Resource Center online at www.heath.gwu.edu
Getting Going
Once enrolled, it is up to you to coordinate how your school will accommodate your needs. Students should stop by or call their school’s disabilities services office for details on exactly what kind of aid is available. This office can also help with academic adjustments including course substitutions, special seating, and registration assistance, as well as with finding medical specialists in the area in case of emergency.
Sidebar:
Resources for Students with Learning Disabilities Publications
- Unlocking Potential, by Juliana M. Taymans
- College and Career Success for Students with Learning Disabilities,
by Roslyn Dolber - Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You The Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution, by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole
- Survival Guide for College Students with ADD or LD, by Kathleen G. Nadeau
- K and W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder, 7th Edition, by Imy F. Wax and Marybeth Kravets
- You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!, by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo
Web sites
- LD Online, www.ldonline.org
- National Center for Learning Disabilities, www.ncld.org
- Family Education, www.familyeducation.com
- National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov
- CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), www.chadd.org
» Counselors