Disability Accommodations Vary Widely At Nation’s Colleges
By Michelle DiamentOne in 10 college students has a disability but the federal government needs to do more to accommodate these students, a new report finds.
In 2008, nearly 11 percent of students in higher education reported having a disability. That’s up from 9 percent in 2000, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report indicates. But without a central office at the federal level to address the needs of students with disabilities, accommodations vary widely from school to school, investigators found.
Post-secondary schools are required to provide “reasonable accommodation” to students with disabilities. Confusion on the part of students and school officials about the rights of students with disabilities, however, is a significant challenge.
GAO investigators are recommending that the Department of Education establish a more coordinated effort to help colleges support students with disabilities.
Currently, students with disabilities are attending college at younger ages than in years past, with the average age now 26 — just one year older than their peers without disabilities — compared to age 30 in 2000. But these students are more likely to attend 2-year colleges than 4-year institutions and are more likely to be part-time students than those without disabilities.
One student population highlighted by federal investigators is students with intellectual disabilities, who are expected to be on the rise. These students have unique needs and often are looking to audit classes, the report says. They are more likely to frequent courses with life skills components such as financial literacy.
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I went to a community college for my Associate’s before transferring to a university for my Bachelor’s. Just these two schools showed a significant range of accommodation. At the community college, there was a ‘Disability Programs and Services’ center, but they hardly did anything. They had a service to drive students in wheelchairs up the hills of the campus to most of the buildings, but you had to schedule your appt. to do so several hours before your class if you wanted to arrive on time for your class. They wouldn’t tell you this, but it became evident rather quickly. Other than this one accommodation, there really wasn’t much of anything else they offered. In my opinion, the only good thing about this center was the name change they eventually underwent. They went from ‘Disability Programs and Services’ to ‘Disabled Student Programs and Services.’ Of course, you would only know about the new name if you went inside the center. They never changed the outside sign or letterhead, and the school referred to it by the old name.
At my university, things were much better. There were a wide range of educational accommodations that they offered, and they would keep in contact with each student who used their services to ensure their needs were being met. They definitely made the university experience easier and less stressful. Also, unlike my community college, this university was in full compliance with the ADA’s Code of Federal Regulations. Since I used a wheelchair, this was extraordinarily helpful. In fact, at the university’s Office for Students with Disabilities (yay, a person-first name!), you could inform them of ADA violations, and they would be fixed within a week!
Not surprisingly, even though I spent three years at each school, my time at the community college seemed to last longer than the time at the university. I guess that proves the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” because my time at my university was the best three years of my adult life so far.
Never underestimate the power of a committed student to change the way services are given. When I arrived at my 4-year College, I began a program in Education and learned about Americans With Disabilities laws. Upon finding out that my college did not have a learning disabilities tutor, I informed the school that they were in violation of ADA (which I realized now wasn’t so true)and they needed to hire someone. They hired a part-time Learning Disabilities tutor and students would come up to me and thank me for getting them the services they need. It’s been my experience that while my college wanted to be helpful, the college didn’t know what student’s needs were. My advice ADVOCATE!
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