Transition Magicians

How to Choose a College: Guide for the Student with a Disability

    This guide is part of a joint project of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and the Heath Resource Center.  The purpose of the guide is to give high-school students with a disability an organized approach in making the decision on which college to attend after they graduate.

            The initial introduction makes the point to each student using the guide that the decision of which college to attend should not be based solely on one’s disability, but on the individuals academic ability, interests and goals.  Understanding the requirements to attend a college, what a college has to offer and the steps each individual should take prior to applying to a college are important steps.  Each step a student takes in preparing for a college decision will help to ensure that the student’s particular needs be met and not just the needs based on his or her disability.

            The guide begins by asking the student questions directed toward helping him or her assess their particular level of independence.  Questions such as, what is the longest period of time I have ever lived away from my home/parents?, do I want to stay near my family?, and do I know how to manage my own finances?.  These questions and others in the guide help students direct their attention to what they may need to address before actually making that final college decision.

            Once the student has created a list of colleges the guide then takes him/her through a series of six sections.  These sections help the student to begin an assessment of their present level of performance and goals, using the information to evaluate the appropriateness of their college choice.  The student is then given the guidance toward determining what the college offers in the way of specific support services, participation in programming and the time line for applying to the college and for financial aid.   The student is able to read through each section and create a list of questions, which could be utilized when reviewing the college catalog and through subsequent visits.

            The guide is very user friendly, the language is easy to understand and follow.  Students are directed through the assessment and information gathering process step by step.  The guide is definitely one that a student could use on his/her own or with the guidance of a parent, teacher or guidance counselor.  Teachers may find the guide very useful as a classroom tool and resource for a lesson activity relating to language and reading goals as well as toward independent living goals.

  Reference

            Heath Resource Center and Association on Higher Education and Disability. (1997). How to choose a college: guide for the student with a disability (5^th ed.) [Brochure]. 

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Last modified: December 02, 2000