The Role of College Counselors in Working with Students with Learning Disabilities
The prevalence of learning disability identification has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. Today, up to 10% of the population are affected by specific learning disabilities. These range from ADHD, hearing or visual impairment to emotional disabilities. If your student has a learning disability, you will likely want to find a supportive environment for higher learning.
According to the Hechinger Report, a national nonprofit newsroom that reports on education, 94% of high school students with learning disabilities get special assistance for their disability, while that figure drops to just 17% for college students.
Unlike the elementary through high school public school setting, colleges do not fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Consequently, there are no IEPs for college students nor minimum special education requirements for these institutions. Although most colleges do have some level of disability service offerings, they are under no legal obligation to provide individualized education programs for each student. There are a few laws that do affect special education at the college level; these are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Broadly speaking, these ensure equal access for students with disabilities to protect against discrimination but do not go much further than that. Therefore, the quality and quantity of assistance varies greatly from institution to institution.
So, how can a Special Education College Counselor Help?
We specialize in considering the specific supports various colleges offer for a disabled student. The first thing we ask is is there a dedicated office serving students with disabilities? Are there mandated accommodations? Are there services such as testing accommodations, assistive technology, tutoring, or note taking? Are these necessary services free or are there additional fees associated with them? What level of involvement can be expected from the special education services office? Will they work with your student to develop a customized plan based on their unique needs? Have any services been modified or added to reflect the changing learning formats necessitated by the pandemic?
The range of colleges with special education accommodations is wide. There are a handful of schools that accept only learning disabled students and offer a multitude of specialized services, then there are many universities that offer a range of accommodations for a range of disabilities. Some schools have many services, some have few. Some charge additional fees, some don’t.
What you can expect from a College Counseling session with Maureen:
Review of all of your student’s reports, plans, and testing before the meeting so that Maureen can be ready to discuss history and diagnosis with your student.
Two hours of time to:
Review testing and documentation with your student to make sure they can articulate their learning issues and accommodation needs, which they will be expected to do when requesting accommodations at college
Discuss which accommodations have been helpful in the past and plan what accommodations they will request at college. The conversation will address the expectations that colleges have for students, what accommodations might not be offered, and possible alternatives.
You will leave with a list of suggested accommodations to request and, where indicated, a list of skills to develop and/or technological aids to consider.
Research disability services and documentation requirements for at least two colleges from your student’s list and check your student’s paperwork to see if it meets the requirements. If it doesn’t, Maureen will provide you with templates to help you get the additional information you need.
Research and create a list of other sources of academic assistance available at the target colleges.
According to the National Center for Education Research, just 34% of students with a documented learning disability who enter college will go on to complete a 4-year degree within 8 years of finishing high school. The national average is 56%. Let us help you defy that statistic by identifying the center for higher learning that is the perfect fit to match your student’s unique needs. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Ask The Advocate, Maureen Brown
Special Education Advocate Massachusetts
Warm Regards,
Maureen
