Recipe for Success March 22, 2011

1. Nuts and Bolts of being a College Student Recipe for SuccessMarch 22, 2011

2. College is different from High school • IN High School, most of your education decisions are made for you by your parents or teachers or the state curriculum • IN College, a few decisions are made for you but there is a LOT of choice. And lots of independence!

3. Who advocates for you? • High School • Your Parents • Your Teachers • You after age 16 • College • YOU • Your parents might be in one meeting with you and the Disability office

4. Plans in High School v/s College High School • 504 Plan • IEP • Teachers responsible for plans being implemented College does not have a written plan like High School Student is • responsible for requesting academic accommodations from the Disability Office with documentation supporting the request • Notifying Professors • making testing arrangements • Ensuring they are using the services necessary • Following the time lines of their school

5. What do I mean by Advocate? • You have a disability. • You have to be COMFORTABLE discussing your Disability. • You have to KNOW your Disability and any limitations your disability causes that might impact your access to a College Education. • You have to KNOW your disability and any limitations well enough to ASK for reasonable accommodations.

6. What Do I mean by “Advocate” ? • By knowing your disability, you will have ideas about what the college and you can do to reduce the impact of your disability. • You are allowed reasonable academic or residential accommodations to help reduce the impact of your disability on educational access. • If you don’t ask for the help or the accommodation you may need, it may not be offered.

7. Help Resources on campuses For All Students: • Academic Support Services • Writing Center • Tutoring office • Help tables in various departments • Counseling Center • Health Center/Wellness Center • Academic Advisement Center In Addition, For Students with Disabilities: • Disability Office

8. Disability Office • This is the office that will work with you to receive equal access to the College • You have to identify yourself to this office as a person with a disability • You have to provide documentation of your disability and its functional limitations • You have to work together with the Disabiltiy Office to determine reasonable accommodations • If you don’t’ identify with the Disability Office the college does not know that you are on campus and does not know you may need accommodations. • Accommodations start AFTER you identify with the office

9. Documentation part of Advocacy • Each disability has different documentation requirements • Discuss with your college what documentation it needs for your particular disability • Discuss how CURRENT the documentation needs to be (some within 6 months, others within 3 years - - you are responsible for documentation NOT the college)

10. Good Advocate knows: Reasonable Accommodations – • Reduce the impact of the disability on access to the educational environment, physical or educational • Do not reduce the rigor of the academic program • Do not change the graduation requirements • Do not provide a service for free that others have to pay to receive • Do not provide personal aides or tutors • Do not provide free technology that others have to pay to receive

11. Good Advocate knows: Unreasonable Academic Accommodations • Free services that other students pay to receive ( tutoring, for example) • Personal Aides for personal care or assistance with study or work outside the classroom • In general any request that changes the graduation or major requirements of the college • There are some colleges that will consider substitutions, but other colleges consider a substitution a fundamental alteration of the curriculum. • Know the GRADUATION or major requirements before you apply.

12. Good Advocate knows: • Other requests that may be unreasonable • Color code the important information in the text book FOR you • Someone to keep you on task in the classroom • Directions simplified • Test questions explained or simplified • Exemptions from general education requirements • Door to door transportation

13. To be a good Advocate for yourself you need to: • Know the NAME of your Disability • How does your disability impact or limit you in School? • How does your disability impact or limit you with on-campus housing? • How does your disability impact or limit you in everyday life?

14. What are the limitations of YOUR disability? Example: • YOU may have a Learning Disability It: • May slow down your reading speed • May slow down how fast you get information in or out of your brain • May make it very difficult to listen to lecture AND take notes at the same time • May prevent you from reading text books (reading vocabulary is low), but you can understand what you hear.

15. Learning Disability example • Reading speed slow, processing speed slow • REASONABLE accommodation may be • extra time on exams • pacing your courses so you have fewer reading intense courses each term

16. Learning Disability cont. • Can’t read the text book but can understand what you hear • REASONABLE academic accommodation may be • Electronic books so you can hear your computer read the book to you. • Books on tape from RFBD • Reader for exams

17. Learning Disability • Can’t listen to lecture and take notes at the same time • Reasonable academic accommodation might be • Student note taker OR • Copy of lecturers notes OR • Use of a digital recorder to record the lecture

18. Physical Disability Example • How does your physical disability get in the way of your education? • Mobility? • Opening doors? • Stamina? • Fine motor control (hand writing)?

19. Physical Disability • Mobility • Reasonable accommodation may include: • Special Housing • Door openers • Elevators in building • Special parking • Reasonable paths to classes • Extra time between classes to give time to move around campus • Accessible Washers and Dryers

20. Physical Disability • Stamina • Reasonable accommodations may include: • Reduce course load • Extra time for exams • Customizing your schedule with one class in morning and one in afternoon

21. Physical Disability • Fine motor control • Reasonable accommodations may include: • Word processor for essay exams • Scribe for exams • Person to bubble in scantron exam answers

22. Your turn to play advocate: • What are the limitations a person with these disabilities might have? • Hearing impaired • Visually impaired • Attention deficit disorder • What might be Reasonable accommodations for each?

23. Did you suggest - - - • Hearing impaired • Notes? • Sign language interpreter? • Hearing aid system that works with Audio in lecture area?

24. Did you suggest - - - • Visually impaired • Enlarged print for hand outs • Braille for handout or books • Auditory or electronic text books • Reader OR large print OR Braille for exams

25. Did you suggest - - ? • Attention deficit disorder • Less distracting testing environment • Extra time on exams to re-focus • Special class schedule to have classes during the part of the day when more likely to be focused

26. Other Disabilities: know what you have and how it impacts you • Psychiatric or Emotional disabilities • Allergies that are limiting in nature (allergic to wheat, peanuts, etc) • Medical disabilities • Chronic illnesses • Combinations of conditions (LD + ADD, ADD + Anxiety) • Recovery from drug or alcohol dependence • Traumatic event syndromes

27. Final Words • Think about yourself carefully • If you go away to school • Can you clean your room? • Can you do laundry? • Can you get up and get to class on your own? • Do you take showers and change your clothes on a regular basis? • Remember medications on your own? • Remember to eat regular meals?

28. Final Thoughts cont. • Deal with room mate issues? • Can you study with out some one telling you to study? • Can you remember test dates and homework due dates with out constant reminders? • You can be Academically qualified to be at College BUT you also need to have the self care and self motivation to succeed at college.