making a successful transition from high school to college susan hannifan, ms, crc disability...
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Making a Successful Transition from High School to College
Susan Hannifan, MS, CRC
Disability Services Counselor
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Charlottesville, Virginia
434-961-5281
Disability Support Services (DSS)
Available on all college campuses
Assistance available for students with documented disabilities.
Student Responsibilities
Make the initial contact with the Disability Services office on campus
Provide documentation of your disability
Be prepared to discuss your disability and request the accommodations needed
Important Skills for Students with Disabilities
Self awareness: Know your own strengths and limitations
Self advocacy: Be comfortable asking for help
Benefits: Self confidence and empowerment
Important Skills for Students with Disabilities
Knowledge of your learning styles
Awareness of your disability and its affect on learning/work
Awareness of personal preferences and interests
Knowledge of post-secondary options
Understand How College Differs from High School
Less structure
More flexibility in schedule
More reading and writing
Increased, more intensive, workload
Less personal attention/no special education
No IEP’s in college
Disability Support Services (DSS)
Students are encouraged to contact DSS prior to or upon admission.
To be eligible, students must provide current and comprehensive documentation of a disability and the need for academic accommodations.
What is considered proper and complete documentation?
Disclosing my Disability
Admissions decisions are made without regard to disabilities.
Students must disclose their disability to DSS in order to receive accommodations.
Colleges and universities are not accountable for providing accommodations to students who have made no request for them
Frequently asked Questions about DSS
Will students receive the same services as in high school?
Who is an individual with a disability?
What are the responsibilities of the student with the disability?
How does the DSS office determine and communicate a student’s accommodations to faculty?
Preparing for College While in HS
Students need to participate in the development of their IEP’s and post secondary goals.If interested in health care, take biology, chemistry and math in high school.Engineering and computer science programs require proficiency in higher level math (Calculus, Trigonometry).
Preparing for College While in HS
Explore collegesComplete a career assessment or vocational evaluationTake the SAT or ACTIf planning to attend a community college, may need to take the placement assessment.
Preparing for College Now
Continue to develop self advocacy skillsVisit college campusesObtain copies of IEP, educational evaluations and/or medical records
Preparing for College Now
Contact the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing or the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired to determine eligibility for services while in college.
Resources
Life after High School – www.lifeafterhs.org
VA College Quest – www.vacollegequest.org
The College Board – www.collegeboard.com
Educational Testing Service – www.ets.org
Association for Higher Education and Disability – www.AHEAD.org