WSJ Story: Finding a College That Suits Students with Special Needs

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Sorry for the whole article but I'm forwarding this from another list.

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WORK & FAMILY

SEPTEMBER 17, 2008

Finding a College That Suits

Students With Special Needs

By SUE SHELLENBARGER

Students with learning disabilities are applying to college this fall at more

than five times the rate of the 1980s -- and facing a confusing thicket of

special-needs jargon in the process.

Colleges and universities are " the new frontier, in terms of access to

education " for students with learning differences, says Jesien of the

Association of University Centers on Disabilities. Only recently have they made

much progress in leveling the playing field for qualified students with

disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Picking a School

Resources for students with learning disabilities:

The Princeton Review 'K & W Guide'

's 'Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities'

www.ahead.org

www.heath.gwu.edu

Campus attitudes and programs for special-needs students vary wildly, as Robbie

Burnstine, Cambridge, Mass., saw on a tour of campuses. Her son needs

accommodations for a learning difference; on some campuses, questions about the

topic elicited " whole paragraphs " describing fine-tuned supports. On others,

however, " they'll say, 'We don't really have a need for much of that' -- which

is a red flag. "

This is a sharp contrast to the standardized approach required by federal law in

public schools; they must tailor instruction to fulfill all students' right to a

suitable education. But colleges are required by law only to make " reasonable

accommodations " for qualified students with disabilities.

Some complex terminology surrounds these accommodations. Colleges lack universal

labels to describe their supports, and guidebooks and educational consultants

use no less than a half-dozen terms -- basic, limited, self-directed,

decentralized, coordinated, structured and proactive -- to describe various

service levels.

Thinking of support programs in three main categories can help students compare

colleges. " Basic " programs, also called limited, self-directed or decentralized

programs, offer only the accommodations required by law, such as untimed testing

or note-taking help. Most schools fall into this category, and it works fine for

many students. Among my five step- and biological children, two have special

needs, and one attended a college with basic services, where she got the minimal

help she needed to secure extended-time testing.

At worst, however, a " basic " label is a smokescreen for doing nothing. Such

failings are one reason retention rates among undergraduates with learning

disabilities trail overall retention rates by 10 percentage points, federal data

show.

At the next level of support are programs described by beth Kravets,

co-author of a Princeton Review guidebook on the topic, as " coordinated

services. " These go beyond the minimum supports required by law. They have at

least one trained staffer, may have input on admissions decisions and offer

study-skills classes, tutors and other services.

The highest level of support is found in what experts describe as " structured "

or " proactive " programs. These programs often require students to sign a

contract, and may charge fees of $2,000 to $8,000 a year. They may offer

modified coursework, and trained staffers monitor students' progress. Fewer than

100 schools fall into this category, Ms. Kravets says.

At least as important as all these categories, however, is a campus visit.

Students should make an appointment with the disabilities office or staffer,

which all schools should have; interview staff about services and size up their

comfort level in working with the personalities there. While many students worry

that tipping their hand about a disability will poison their chances of

admission, campus officials say that isn't likely to happen at most colleges.

(Besides, if a college discriminates against you for visiting the disabilities

office, maybe you don't want to go there anyway.)

Make the first cut of target colleges based on general factors, such as academic

and extracurricular offerings and campus climate; then do a second cut based on

disability supports.

And don't forget an exit plan. Often, " people are so focused on, 'Can I get in?'

that they're not sufficiently worried about, 'Can I get out'? " with a degree,

says Shuttic of the Association on Higher Education and Disabilities.

Make sure graduation requirements, such as math or foreign language, aren't

insurmountable, and that needed course substitutions or remedial classes are

provided.

Write to Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@...

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[Guest guest]

Thanks, . This was excellent information.

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

WSJ Story: Finding a College That Suits Students with

Special Needs

Sorry for the whole article but I'm forwarding this from another list.

H.

?

WORK & FAMILY

SEPTEMBER 17, 2008

Finding a College That Suits

Students With Special Needs

By SUE SHELLENBARGER

Students with learning disabilities are applying to college this fall at more

than five times the rate of the 1980s -- and facing a confusing thicket of

special-needs jargon in the process.

Colleges and universities are " the new frontier, in terms of access to

education " for students with learning differences, says Jesien of the

Association of University Centers on Disabilities. Only recently have they made

much progress in leveling the playing field for qualified students with

disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Picking a School

Resources for students with learning disabilities:

The Princeton Review 'K & W Guide'

's 'Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities'

www.ahead.org

www.heath.gwu.edu

Campus attitudes and programs for special-needs students vary wildly, as

Robbie Burnstine, Cambridge, Mass., saw on a tour of campuses. Her son needs

accommodations for a learning difference; on some campuses, questions about the

topic elicited " whole paragraphs " describing fine-tuned supports. On others,

however, " they'll say, 'We don't really have a need for much of that' -- which

is a red flag. "

This is a sharp contrast to the standardized approach required by federal law

in public schools; they must tailor instruction to fulfill all students' right

to a suitable education. But colleges are required by law only to make

" reasonable accommodations " for qualified students with disabilities.

Some complex terminology surrounds these accommodations. Colleges lack

universal labels to describe their supports, and guidebooks and educational

consultants use no less than a half-dozen terms -- basic, limited,

self-directed, decentralized, coordinated, structured and proactive -- to

describe various service levels.

Thinking of support programs in three main categories can help students

compare colleges. " Basic " programs, also called limited, self-directed or

decentralized programs, offer only the accommodations required by law, such as

untimed testing or note-taking help. Most schools fall into this category, and

it works fine for many students. Among my five step- and biological children,

two have special needs, and one attended a college with basic services, where

she got the minimal help she needed to secure extended-time testing.

At worst, however, a " basic " label is a smokescreen for doing nothing. Such

failings are one reason retention rates among undergraduates with learning

disabilities trail overall retention rates by 10 percentage points, federal data

show.

At the next level of support are programs described by beth Kravets,

co-author of a Princeton Review guidebook on the topic, as " coordinated

services. " These go beyond the minimum supports required by law. They have at

least one trained staffer, may have input on admissions decisions and offer

study-skills classes, tutors and other services.

The highest level of support is found in what experts describe as " structured "

or " proactive " programs. These programs often require students to sign a

contract, and may charge fees of $2,000 to $8,000 a year. They may offer

modified coursework, and trained staffers monitor students' progress. Fewer than

100 schools fall into this category, Ms. Kravets says.

At least as important as all these categories, however, is a campus visit.

Students should make an appointment with the disabilities office or staffer,

which all schools should have; interview staff about services and size up their

comfort level in working with the personalities there. While many students worry

that tipping their hand about a disability will poison their chances of

admission, campus officials say that isn't likely to happen at most colleges.

(Besides, if a college discriminates against you for visiting the disabilities

office, maybe you don't want to go there anyway.)

Make the first cut of target colleges based on general factors, such as

academic and extracurricular offerings and campus climate; then do a second cut

based on disability supports.

And don't forget an exit plan. Often, " people are so focused on, 'Can I get

in?' that they're not sufficiently worried about, 'Can I get out'? " with a

degree, says Shuttic of the Association on Higher Education and

Disabilities. Make sure graduation requirements, such as math or foreign

language, aren't insurmountable, and that needed course substitutions or

remedial classes are provided.

Write to Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@...

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