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A Parent’s Guide to College

A short guide to help you understand the transition process from high school to college for your child with a disability.

About College

College life poses different challenges for students with disabilities. When students enroll in college, they are considered responsible adults by faculty and staff. The expectations are that they will assume responsibilities for meeting their class requirements.

This added responsibility is coupled with a change in environment. Whereas the high school was a very structured environment with a set schedule, college schedules can vary dramatically. For the first time students may have considerable time between classes and frequently do not use this time wisely. Students must enforce their own attendance policies and prepare to realize personal consequences if they choose not to attend class.

Is my child ready to assume responsibilities? If not, how will she/he learn these responsibilities?

Self-Advocacy

Another student responsibility is that of self-advocate. Students must become adept at realistically assessing and understanding their strengths, weaknesses, needs, and preferences. Also, they must become experts at communicating these to other adults including instructors and service providers. Although services will be available to them through the Disability Services (DS) office, students will be responsible for seeking these services and supports. Good communication skills and knowledge about oneself become crucial to success in college.

How well does my child describe disability information? How well does my child self-advocate?

Comparison of Services

High School and college are very different. Consider these differences and their importance to your child.

High School

Services are delivered to the student
Services are based on an agreed upon time allotment and menu of choices
Case manager acts as advocate
Annual review & IEP
Regular parent contact
Entitlement law (IDEA)
Education and psychology testing is provided

College

Student must seek out services
Services are based on situational/individual needs as well as the functional limitations imposed by the disability
Student acts as advocate
No annual review or IEP
No parent contact
Anti-discrimination law (ADA)

Student is responsible for providing documentation of their disability.

Acceptable Documentation

It is the student’s responsibility to provide recent professional documentation of his or her disability. (Please see Documentation Guidelines)

Setting Demands

Keep in mind that the college demands will be different and often greater than in high school. These demands include the need for greater organizational skills, assertiveness, and use of self-advocacy skills. Students must be prepared to handle a complicated course schedule and make more time for studying and completing assignments. Mastering learning strategies and study techniques will make college coursework more manageable. Because adults will not be seeking the students out to offer assistance, students cannot be shy about asking for help.

How good are my child’s study and test-taking skills?

How to Lend Support

You can support your child entering the college setting in a number of ways:

First, be knowledgeable about the rights and responsibilities your son/daughter has under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your son/daughter is responsible for using the information.
Prior to enrollment, make sure that your son/daughter has all the paperwork needed to obtain services. Once you have gathered the necessary paperwork, make copies and turn it over to your son/daughter as the first step toward he/she assuming responsibility (make sure that you keep a copy in a safe place).

Further Support

Beyond taking care of paperwork, consider these steps:

Encourage the development and use of self-advocacy skills.
Help your son/daughter understand his/her disability.
Talk about it comfortably. Once your son/daughter has a class schedule, discuss how each class will affect his/her strengths and weaknesses and what kinds of services he/she might need in order to be successful.
Once the semester is underway, ask questions about progress, but remember that your son/daughter is ultimately responsible for his/her success.
Listen and ask questions when you sense a problem is occurring.
Ask how the student would handle a situation before giving a solution.
Provide encouragement without always “telling” the student what to do.
If the student has no solutions, suggest a few and discuss which option is best and why. Use concrete examples explaining what the other parties’ thinking might be.
Students should be encouraged to speak for themselves, even when parents accompany them to a meeting with a school official.
Help students to prepare by making a list of questions to be asked at meetings and even role-playing the scenario if necessary.
Do not ask for secret conversations with the service provider that the student does not know about. The student is the client, not the parent. Concerns should be open between the “coaches” and the student.
Have a frank discussion about the new roles needed with the student as they enter this new phase of their life. In some cases, this may best be accomplished with a therapist familiar with the difficulties inherent with young adults whose judgment of their own adjustment is uncertain.
Take a tour of the campus before move-in day to familiarize the student with the environment. Be sure to include the dining hall, laundry, student center and places in the community such as grocery, drug and discount stores, as well as food establishments and other places students may use for amenities. If a student has a focused interest that would involve neighborhood resources such as movie theaters, electronic game establishments, or parks, help to locate them and find out how the student can get there.
Encourage the student to plan and organize the new dormitory living environment. Help the student to identify problems they might not anticipate on their own and let them suggest solutions. You may be surprised at their novel ideas!
Realize that the coursework will be more difficult and time consuming than during high school.
If your son/daughter is living at home, make sure he/she has a quiet place to study and ample time to finish assignments.

For some students, the transition to college can be a rocky time. With teamwork and preplanning by parents, students, and DS providers, it can be much smoother.

Parents’ Rights

Your child is considered an adult at the age of 18. You will no longer have access to your child’s records, unless your child chooses to share information with you. You cannot call the school and get updates on your child. In advance of the meeting with the disability service provider, discuss whether the student will sign a release allowing the DS provider to speak to you as a parent.

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Moorhead, MN 56563
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Last Update Date: 10/01/08