Opportunities For Students with Learning Disabilities

More and more students with learning disabilities are taking on the challenge of postsecondary education and training and succeeding. Postsecondary education is any education beyond high school. It includes trade or business schools, vocational-technical schools, colleges, universities, and adult and continuing education programs.

If you are in high school, it is time to give serious thought to your academic and career goals. What are your main interests and favorite subjects in school? What skills have you learned through hobbies, special classes, clubs, jobs and/or any volunteer work experiences? Discuss career plans and questions with your parents, friends, other people with disabilities, and especially with persons working in jobs of interest to you. Discuss academic program needs with your teachers (i.e. special education, regular education, vocational education) to make sure your program contains career exploration, and possibly, a work-study component while you are still in school so you can learn about different careers and be better prepared to make choices later. In addition, talk with your school guidance counselor and/or vocational rehabilitation counselor to discuss career interest inventories and the availability of a vocational assessment to help you further explore and identify your career interests.

Explore all the postsecondary educational possibilities available to you. Write to HEATH for Education After High School - The Choice Is Yours. This fact sheet describes different kinds of programs: universities, four-year colleges, community and junior colleges, a variety of vocational-technical program, and adult education. Above all, take an active role in planning for your career and education needs. Participate in your IEP (Individualized Education Plan).

Students with learning disabilities who have completed postsecondary education and who are now employed in jobs as a result of good training stress the importance of studying in the best program available for the subject matter to be mastered. Advisors of students with disabilities agree that selecting schools and programs should begin with a list of the best programs in your chosen field of study. The list can then be narrowed by investigating which of these best and most appropriate ones can meet your needs. Thus,

• Step one is gathering information about schools which offer training in your field.
• Step two is being aware of accommodations you need.
• Step three is being aware of the accommodations and special services available in the programs of interest to you.

Once you have made some decisions, write or call ahead to arrange a visit to the school or schools) that interest you, if this is at all possible. Try to time your visit to campuses while classes are in session but not during exams, so that you can meet and talk to other students, both disabled and non-disabled. Find out who is responsible for services to disabled students. Is it the Dean of Students, a Vice President (VP) of the institution, or is there a Disabled Student Service (DSS) program or officer?

Be sure to find out about admissions requirements of programs you may wish to attend. Become involved in some extracurricular and community activities. That helps develop your competencies, and enhance your record as recognized by admissions officers. Many schools require standardized admissions tests or other assessment. Special test-taking accommodations (such as large print copy, use of a reader, or additional time) can be made for students with disabilities who need them. Write for these free pamphlets: Information for Students with Special Needs - Admission Testing Programs for the College Board from ATP Services for Handicapped Students, PO Box 6226, Princeton, New Jersey 08541; and Special Testing Guide form ACT Assessment, Test Administration, PO Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52243.

Many postsecondary schools and training programs routinely provide auxiliary aids, accommodations, and services, which enhance access to learning disabled persons. Federal legislation such as the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Vocational Education Act and amendments provide assurance that qualified disabled students can participate. For details of these federal laws contact the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, Washington, DC 20202.

Arrange for Necessary Services

Most campuses require that a student present to the Dean of Students or Disabled Student Services Officer documentation of disability in order to receive services. A medical report, educational assessment, or a Vocational Rehabilitation-prepared Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan are examples of such documentation. Once you present your documentation to the appropriate person, you should indicate the particular accommodations you need to participate in the academic program and campus life.

Things to do:

• Arrange for necessary auxiliary aids and services well before the semester begins.
• Check on the availability of a reading machine, or readers, if you need them.
• The Library of Congress has a Directory of Volunteers who Read Books which can help you locate a reader in the community. For further information contact the National Library Science for the Blind.

Contact your local vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency while you are still in high school or soon after disability occurs. VR is a public agency set up in each state to assist eligible disabled people with services they need to become employable. In order to be eligible, a person must have a physical or mental handicap, which causes a significant barrier to employment, and must be able to benefit from vocational rehabilitation services. Write for the HEATH fact sheet Vocational Rehabilitation, a Postsecondary Student Consumer's Guide, which explains how you can use VR, and State Resource List which gives the address for VR and other postsecondary funding sources in your state. If you are in high school, see if your school district and VR agency are involved in activities for transition between school and employment.

Disabled student support groups are appearing at more and more colleges and universities. A disabled student organization can provide you with the opportunity to meet students who have similar concerns and who can share ideas on ways to make needed improvements on your campus.