Family Checklist for Students with Disabilities Transitioning from High School to College
This checklist is designed to give family members an easy to use list of topics that should be taken into consideration when discussing transition from high school to college.
- Help your student set postsecondary education & career goals (consider person-centered planning).
- Ensure that your student is enrolled in academic courses throughout high school, which will prepare him/her for PSE courses.
- Know the difference between the laws that govern education at
the secondary level (IDEA = entitlement) and at the college level
(ADA = otherwise qualified).
Encourage your child to attend and participate in the IEP and ITP process. - Help your student learn to advocate for him/herself while in high school, which will prepare him/her for when it needs to be done in college.
- Obtain college catalogue(s) and review them carefully with your
child and with support from high school staff (e.g., guidance
counselor, transition coordinator), as needed.
Ensure that documentation of your child's disability is up-to-date and that he or she has a current (not older than 3 years) psychological report. - Discuss with your child the nature of his/her disability and how it affects their school work?
- Encourage teachers to discuss what accommodations and technology your child uses now and what he/she may need in college (e.g., reader, note taker, scribe, books-on-tape, speech-to-text software, screen reader, tape recorder, personal data assistant (PDA)).
- Visit college(s) together before helping your student to make
a final choice.
Your student should meet with college Disability Services Office (DSO) staff to talk about documentation and learn about how accommodations in college are different from high school. - Discuss goals, learning needs, and how to access specific accommodations, including academic supports that are available for all students (e.g., tutoring, writing support) with your student and DSO staff before classes begin.
- Figure out and set-up transportation prior to the start of school (e.g., driving, car-pooling, learning to use public transport, travel vouchers).
- Be aware of financial aid resources available to your family
and make sure that funding for all costs is arranged before school
starts (e.g., tuition, books, fees, transportation).
Identify how financial support your child may receive impacts other benefits (e.g., SSI, SSDI). - Know what services are available through adult human service agencies (e.g., vocational rehabilitation - tuition, books, transportation, employment supports; One-Stop Career Centers - Individual Training Accounts, Development Disability agencies).
- Be prepared for the fact that you, the family member, need written consent from the student to obtain access to their records at the college level.
This article was copied from www.thinkcollege.net.
