This is the time in the semester when some students with
learning disabilities start to struggle in classes. Sometimes, a student with a
documented learning disability will refuse to self-identifying to the college’s
student disability office and will try to “tough it out” through the semester
without seeking help or accommodations
for his learning disability. This tactic almost always leads to the student
struggling and being more stressed than necessary. If this sounds like your
student remind him that it is never too late to meet with someone in the student disability
office (sometimes accommodations are also managed through the counseling, student
affairs, or academic affairs office.)
Some things to consider as your student seeks help:
- If your child had a documented disability in high school and benefited from an Independent Education Plan, or IEP, in K-12 he may be eligible for accommodations through his college’s Disability Services office.
- Once a student starts college he has a much greater responsibility for his own education including self-identifying as having a disability and presenting the required documentation to the college’s disability services office.
- Even students who've had IEPs from age 6 and beyond will need to provide current documentation of the disability and the need for academic accommodations.
- The college environment and academics are quite different from K-12, for example, K-12 public school districts are required to provide a “free appropriate public education” to students with disabilities. Colleges however, are required to provide “appropriate academic adjustments as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability.”
- An excellent site for basic information about disabled students’ rights and responsibilities is: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html
