Students with Disabilities: Making the Transition to College

The number of students with disabilities who participate in higher education has increased greatly during the last 20 years. In 1984, approximately 126,400 students with disabilities attended colleges and universities [16; 19]. This enrollment increased to an estimated 1,669,000 students during the 1999-2000 academic year [20]. Students with disabilities now have a better chance of attending college than ever before. Yet, much like other transitioning students, students with disabilities are not always prepared to function and succeed in higher education. This article describes some of the obstacles and issues students with disabilities face as they enter colleges and universities. This article also discusses transition planning, with special attention to things parents and students should consider as the student prepares for, chooses, and attends a college.

Changing Access Needs

Federal programs make it easier for students with disabilities to participate in elementary and secondary schools, but students with disabilities continue to experience difficulties in graduating from high school and succeeding afterwards. In spite of improved services, only 29% of students who participate in special education earn high school diplomas, compared to 75% of students enrolled exclusively in general education courses [21; 22].

After leaving high school, students with disabilities are less likely to go on to postsecondary education and more likely to have trouble finding employment. While 68% of general education students enter college, only 27% of students with disabilities continue their education after high school [11; 22]. Students with disabilities make up only 5.3% of the national undergraduate enrollment and are more likely than other students to leave without a degree [20; 21]. Just over half of all students with disabilities find employment within 3 to 5 years of leaving high school [11; 22]. People with disabilities are also more likely to rely on public assistance, as 43.8% of people with disabilities ages 18 to 34 at some point stop working altogether [14; 22]. Although it will not solve every problem, continuing education beyond high school decreases the likelihood that students with disabilities will experience difficulties finding and maintaining employment [9; 22].

Legal Overview

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (1990) make it easier for students with disabilities to participate in higher education. ADA promotes college access for students with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination in admissions decisions [19; 29]. Passed in 1973, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires colleges and universities that receive federal funds, including federal financial aid monies, to provide access and services to students with disabilities [17; 19; 29]. Initially named the Education for the Handicapped Act (1975), IDEA requires that the individualized education plan (IEP) of each secondary student with disabilities include transition planning and preparation for life after high school. Transition services and activities may include planning for higher education, vocational training, employment, and independent living [17].

Issues Affecting College Transition

Although more students with disabilities now enroll in colleges and universities, failure to understand the differences between college and high school can jeopardize student success. Campus culture, course expectations, and classroom procedures also make it difficult for students with disabilities to succeed at the college level. In high school, students attend classes where enrollment is generally limited to 30 students, have the same teachers and courses everyday, and take most of their classes in the same building. Once in college, students often participate in courses containing more than 200 students, have course schedules that vary from day to day, take classes taught by both professors and teaching assistants, and have to learn to navigate several buildings instead of just one to find their classrooms. As a result, students often have a hard time adjusting and developing personal connections to staff, faculty, and peers at their new institutions [5].

Students with disabilities attending postsecondary schools often have more difficulty finding on-campus support than they did in high school. While institutions are required to provide disability support services, the independent nature of college life makes students responsible for getting the help they need. Unlike high school, colleges and universities generally do not go out of their way to bring services to students [1; 2; 5; 12; 19; 23; 24; 26].

Students also encounter different academic expectations when they enter college. College students typically spend more time out of class studying than they did in high school. Most secondary students spend 6 hours a day in class, where a significant portion of their work is completed. By comparison, college students attend class for 12 hours per week while devoting an additional 20 hours or more per week studying outside of class whether they have a disability or not. Even if students invest adequate time in their studies, the limited feedback offered in most college courses makes it difficult for students to monitor their progress and avoid failure. In high school, students often receive daily updates on their performance in each course. At the postsecondary level, on the other hand, students complete only a few graded assignments during each course. As such, many students do not find out that they are in danger of failing a course until it is too late to avoid failure [5].

In addition, many students with disabilities do not receive the accommodations they need to complete their academic work. Fearing their professors and peers will stigmatize them, some students with disabilities risk failure by not communicating that they have a disability or choosing not to utilize support services at all [2; 26]. Many of those who participate in support programs find that professors are not always willing to make the necessary accommodations, such as allowing more time to complete exams, arguing that these opportunities provide an unfair advantage to a group of students [1; 2; 12; 19; 24; 26]. Furthermore, the strong support provided at the secondary level neglects to prepare students to advocate for themselves. As a result, students are either unfamiliar with their rights regarding accommodations or do not feel comfortable asking instructors for the assistance they need [1; 2; 5; 6; 12; 13; 19; 24; 26; 28].

Beyond knowing who and how to ask for help and support services, many students with disabilities simply do not know enough about their own disabilities to help themselves effectively [6; 12; 13; 18; 24; 26; 28]. Students with learning disabilities are especially likely to have problems in this area [6; 12; 13]. Although students are encouraged to participate, few have any real involvement in the IEP process. As a result, these students sometimes enter college with little information on their disabilities--including how their disabilities affect learning, the strengths they possess, or what accommodations they need [1; 2; 5; 6; 12; 18; 24; 26].

Transition Planning

Under IDEA, transition planning for activities and life after high school should begin by age 16 [5; 22; 28]. The purpose of transition planning is to provide students with access to coordinated services and activities designed to help them move from high school to employment, vocational training, higher education, independent living, and other aspects of adult life [17]. Similar to the IEP planning team, the transition planning team should include parents, high school counselors, special education teachers, general education teachers, school psychologists, and other service providers, if applicable. In addition, students should also be encouraged to participate in this decision-making process as a way of promoting self-advocacy and independence [5].

Although IEP transition plans focus on meeting the individual needs of students and their families, Loring Brinckerhoff [5] recommends that plans for parents of students with disabilities who plan to go on to college do the following:

* Encourage students to actively participate in the development of their transition plans. Allow students the opportunity to help make planning decisions since they will have to carry them out. In addition, be sure the student is aware that many of the services offered in high school are not available in postsecondary settings, and that students frequently have to be their own advocates.

* Be sure students develop an understanding of their disability so they will know when to seek help and what type of help to seek.

* Educate students about their legal rights regarding support services and institutional responsibility. Students should know the legal obligations colleges and universities have regarding support services and other types of assistance.

* Insist that students get access to and take courses that will prepare them for college. Students will adjust to college life much more easily if they are prepared to do the work.

* Assess students' learning strategies and provide skills instruction. This assessment will give students an opportunity to address problem areas before they leave high school. At the same time, students will develop a greater understanding of how they learn and will be better prepared to do college-level academic work.

* Discuss and investigate career options. Students who enter college with specific career goals and objectives generally perform better than those who do not have goals and objectives.

* Foster self-advocacy and self-determination in students. Encourage students to set goals, monitor and assess progress, make decisions, and solve problems independently.

* Evaluate support services available at an institution before the student selects it.

* Prepare students for SAT or ACT exams. Institutions generally require one of these exams, so check admissions requirements before selecting a test.

* Be sure students are both academically and personally prepared to make the transition to college. Offer students life skills training in addition to academic courses and skills development.

Tips for Parents and Students

In addition to transition planning, here are some things parents and students should consider as they prepare for college.

* Start college planning early! Starting early ensures that you have time to decide what you want from an institution long before the application deadline. Children who begin thinking about college in elementary school improve their likelihood of attending college after high school.

* Stay in contact with school counselors so that you can get updated information about college fairs and other events in your area, practice interviewing, and update and complete the transition plan.

* Learn as much about prospective colleges and universities as possible before applying. Talk to offices in charge of providing support services to see what they do and to learn about any eligibility requirements or fees they may have.

* Utilize accommodations for SAT and ACT exams if needed. Taking advantage of accommodations should not have a negative impact on college admissions since both tests have discontinued the practice of flagging the scores of students who received extra time.

* Talk to other students with disabilities enrolled at prospective colleges and universities. They can give you a more realistic idea of what to expect and the difficulties you might experience.

* Establish good study habits and routines before leaving high school. Established study habits are easier to maintain than those developed after entering college.

* Visit campus before enrolling. Check out campus housing, libraries, public transportation, and other features that can make college life easier.

* Look into both community colleges and four-year institutions. Community colleges are generally smaller, making it easier for them to offer personal support. Most of the courses offered at community colleges can transfer with students when they move on to four-year institutions.

* Take advantage of orientation and mentoring programs, if available.

* Be sure to get to know professors and instructors before problems arise or accommodations become necessary.

* Participate in sports, clubs, and organizations on campus. Students who have these out-of-class experiences develop leadership skills, make more friends, have higher self-esteem, improve their decision-making skills, are more satisfied with college, and are better prepared to succeed in a career.

* Establish and maintain relationships with academic advisors to ensure that courses completed will count toward the intended major and degree [3; 4; 5; 7; 8; 10; 15; 18; 25; 27; 28].

For More Information

ACT Policy for Documentation to Support Requests for Testing Accommodations on the ACT Assessment
http://www.act.org/aap/disab/policy.html

AHEAD
http://www.ahead.org/

Beckman, Pat. (2001, October). Access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. ERIC Digest [Online]. Arlington, VA: ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education. Available: http://npin.org/library/2002/n00650/n00650.html. (ERIC Document No. ED458735).

Cobb, Joyanne. (2001). Learning how to learn: Getting into and surviving college when you have a learning disability. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.

The College Board [SAT]: Services for Students with Disabilities
http://www.collegeboard.com/disable/students/html/indx000.html

College Planning for Students with Learning Disabilities
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/college.planning.LD.html

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DuChossois, Georgeann; Cummings, Rhoda E.;& Maddux, Cleborne D. (2000). Colleges and universities for students with learning disabilities. Exceptional Parent, 30(1), 123-124.

George Washington University HEATH Resource Center (National Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities)
http://www.heath-resource-center.org/

Heiligenstein, Eric; Guenther, Greta;& Levy, Andrea. (1999, January). Psychological and academic functioning in college students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of American College Health, 47(4), 181-185.

Kravets, Marybeth, & Wax, Imy. (1998). K & W guide to colleges for the learning disabled (4th ed.). New York: Princeton Review.

LD In Depth: Guide to Postsecondary Information
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/postsecondary/index.html#anchor79203

Learning Disabilities Association of America
http://www.ldanatl.org/

McClelland, Susan. (1999, September 13). Giving the learning disabled a head start. Maclean's, 112(37), 61-62.

Mooney, Jonathan, & Cole, David. (2000). Learning outside the lines: Two ivy league students with learning disabilities and ADHD give you the tools for academic success and educational revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Nadeau, Kathleen G. (1994). Survival guide for college students with ADD or LD. Washington, DC: Magination Press.

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
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Peterson's Guide. (2000). Peterson's colleges with programs for students with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders (6th ed.). Lawrenceville, NJ: Author.

SAT: Welcome, Students and Parents
http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/html/students/indx001.html

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