Tips for College Students with Disabilities
Heading off to college can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. For many, it marks the first time they’ll live away from home. For students with disabilities, this transition requires additional preparation and planning. Whether you’re wondering how to get classroom accommodations or what campus resources are available to you, this guide will answer basic questions about the accessibility of college campuses and accommodations for college students with disabilities.
Understanding Your Rights
Under federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, college students are entitled to reasonable accommodations that provide equal access to education. On college campuses, these can include classroom accommodations, housing modifications, and access to campus resources such as career services, student organizations, and tutoring. By understanding your rights and utilizing the services available to you, you can have a positive college experience both in and out of the classroom.
Tip #1: Visit the Disability Services Office
Attending classes will be crucial to your success in college, but sometimes, to attend those classes, you’ll need accommodations—that’s where your university’s disability services office can help.
It's important to note there is no special education in college. If you had an IEP or 504 plan in high school, those documents will not follow you to college. However, many of the accommodations in them can still be applied. Instead of an IEP or 504, you’ll discuss your accommodations with your university’s disability services office. Accommodations should then be documented and discussed with your professors.
Accommodations can range from sign language interpreters and closed captioning to assistive technology like audio textbooks and note-taking assistance. Other examples include flexibility with attendance, extended time on tests and assignments, and permission to record lectures. Each student’s accommodations will depend on their specific needs.
Tip #2: Familiarize Yourself With Accessible Housing Options
If you have a disability that requires housing accommodations, you’ll want to speak with your university’s housing office. Common housing accommodations include:
- Ground-Level Room: Helpful for students who use mobility aids, so they don’t have to navigate stairs, especially in emergencies.
- Single Room: Ideal for those with larger medical equipment. This ensures medical equipment doesn’t encroach on a roommate’s space.
- Accessible Room: May feature automatic doors, height-adjustable furniture, visual and auditory fire alarms, and lowered light switches and closet rods.
- Accessible Bathroom: Could include a roll-in shower, shower chair, lowered shower head, and a wheelchair-accessible sink.
- Kitchen and Dining Access: Housing options with dining facilities in the same building reduce the need to travel far for meals, which may be ideal for students with mobility impairments. Students with severe allergies may need access to a kitchen to prepare their own meals, avoiding allergens in dining halls.
- Air Conditioning and Heating: Ideal for students with allergies, asthma, or temperature regulation disabilities.
On-campus housing may be ideal for students with mobility impairments, offering close proximity to classes, dining halls, and other campus buildings. However, off-campus housing can be disability-friendly too, especially if there are accessible transportation options available to get to and from campus. Off-campus housing often provides many of the same accommodations you’d find in an accessible dorm room but with more space.
Tip #3: Build a Supportive Network
College campuses often have multiple resources available to students both with and without disabilities. Many of these services are included as part of your tuition cost. Services are often available to support:
- Academic Advising: Making sure you take all the classes you need to graduate; academic advisors play a significant role in your academic completion. Academic advisors can be especially helpful for students with disabilities if they need to consider online classes, a lighter course load, or even if they need to consider specific class times due to medical needs.
- Developing Effective Study Strategies: Professors tend to have office hours multiple times a week; attend them if you need assistance with coursework. Some professors hold study sessions before tests too. Tutoring services are usually available on college campuses as wellif you need additional help, and you can always ask other students in your classes if they’re interested in a study group.
- Preparing for Career Success: College career services can help students with multiple aspects of career readiness—from practice interviews and resume reviews to information on open positions for jobs and internships.
- Managing Mental Health and Wellbeing: Universities often have services available to students to help them manage mental health and wellbeing. These services can be especially helpful to students with disabilities who may face challenges specific to disability while in college.
Resources Available to Disabled College Students
A few additional resources available to college students include:
- Financial Aid and Scholarships: Thousands of scholarships are available to help curb tuition costs for students with disabilities. Some scholarships are specific to certain types of disabilities, while others are broader.
- Student Organizations: Some universities have student organizations with a specific focus on disabled students and disability allies. These organizations are great to join if you’re looking for community on a college campus.
If you’re heading off to college soon and are unsure where to start, be sure to read our guide to the most accessible colleges across the U.S. for students with disabilities to find a campus that meets your needs and supports your academic and personal growth.
