From High School to College:

What Parents Need to Know

About the Transition for Students with Learning Differences

Most material comes from

“Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities”

by Elizabeth C. Hamblet

Presented by

Jennifer Rowe

jennrowe39@gmail.com

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Today's Agenda

1

The Legal Landscape

What changes when your student leaves high school

2

Self-Advocacy Skills

The most important skill you can help develop

3

Academic Preparation

Building independence before college

4

Finding the Right College

Fit First, then services

5

College Disability Services

What DS is - and isn’t

6

The Application Process

Disclosure, transcripts, and admissions myths

7

Requesting Accommodations

Registration, documentation, and what to expect

Section 1: The Legal Landscape

The most important shift your student will face

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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High School vs. College: The Legal Shift

HIGH SCHOOL (IDEA and ADA Section 504(d))

COLLEGE (ADA / Section 504(e))

School identifies & evaluates students

Student must self-identify and register

IEP/504 plan guides services

Student provides documentation; DS decides eligibility

Modifications are common (shorter papers, etc.)

Modifications rarely approved — same standards for all

School monitors progress & provides support

Student initiates everything; no automatic monitoring

Parents have full legal access to records

FERPA: Records belong to student (18+)

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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What Colleges Are NOT Required to Provide

Modifications to assignments or grading standards

Personal aides or attendants

Services identical to those in an IEP or 504 plan

Waivers of academic or technical requirements

Anything that would "fundamentally alter" their programs

Key message: The shift is from ENTITLEMENT (IDEA) to ACCESS (ADA). Your student's role also changes fundamentally.

Section 2: Self-Advocacy Skills

The most important skill you can help your student develop

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Self-Advocacy: Why It Matters More Than Any Accommodation

Students Need to Know:

• Their diagnosis and what it means practically
• How their disability affects reading, writing, testing, and daily life
• Which accommodations help them — and why
• What strategies they use independently vs. with adult help

How Parents Can Help:

• Use accurate terminology — avoid euphemisms
• Involve students in IEP/504 meetings starting in middle school
• Gradually reduce adult scaffolding
• Practice self-advocacy in low-stakes settings
• Role-play requesting accommodations

FERPA Reminder: Once your student turns 18 or enrolls in college, their records belong to them. Set up access together if you want to stay involved.

Section 3: Academic Preparation

Building the skills for college independence

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Build These Skills Before College

Study Skills

• Note Taking (linear, Cornell, visual)
• Study from notes without teacher guides
• Long-form exam practice
• Multi-week assignment planning

Reading

• Variety of text types (textbooks, articles, studies)
• Strategic reading methods (e.g., SQ3R)
• Practice both on-screen and on paper
• Using a printing allowance strategically

Writing

• Long-term research paper with primary sources
• Break projects into interim deadlines
• Citation and plagiarism (practice Turnitin)
• Graphic organizers and dictation tools

Technology

• Text-to-speech and speech-to-text
• Note Taking software
• Built-in device accessibility tools
• Practice AT tools well before college

Section 4: Finding the Right College

Start with overall fit — then look at disability services

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Finding the Right Fit: The Right Order

1

Overall Fit

Location, size, cost, class format, social environment, majors

▶

2

Support Services

General tutoring, counseling, health center, career services

▶

3

DS Office

Level of support, documentation requirements, extras offered

General Fit Factors:

• Location, size, cost, faculty-to-student ratio
• Class format: large lectures vs. small seminars
• Assessment style: exams vs. papers vs. projects
• Social environment, housing, campus culture

Key Search Resources:

• K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Differences
• NCCSD CeDaR Database (nccsd.net)
• CollegeWebLD.com
• Think College (thinkcollege.net) — intellectual disabilities

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Alternatives to a Four-Year College

Community

College

• Eases academic transition without also adjusting to dorm life
• Many states: AA degree → automatic eligibility at state 4-year schools
• Articulation agreements determine which credits transfer
• Can reapply to target school after demonstrating success

Career &

Technical Ed

• Right choice if a four-year degree isn't required for career goals
• Finish sooner, spend less, start working earlier
• Look for programs with disability services and accommodations

Gap Year

• Programs for students with disabilities: Ingenuity Year, SOAR, Inventive Labs
• ADA and Section 504 do NOT apply to gap programs
• Always ask: How do you handle disability needs and medications?
• Goal: stretch the student — but not stress them

Section 5: College Disability Services

What DS is — and what it isn't

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Three Levels of DS Support

Level 1

Bare Legal Minimum (Free)

• Meets legal requirements only
• Coordinates required accommodations
• No additional services offered

Level 2

Enhanced Services (Free)

• More staff; specialist coordinators
• May offer software, study lounges, AT
• Free structured programs (e.g., for autism)

Level 3

Fee-Based ($3,000–$8,000/yr)

• Weekly specialist meetings & coaching
• Enrollment caps; first-come, first-served
• Not guaranteed even if admitted to college
• Compare carefully — free services may suffice

Important: Private colleges are NOT automatically better-staffed than public ones. Don't assume — research each school.

Section 6: The Application Process

Disability, disclosure, and what really matters in admissions

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Disclosure: Busting the Myths

THE MYTH

THE FACT

Disclosing will hurt your student's chances

FALSE — All admissions directors unanimously denied this

Disclosing gives an admissions advantage

FALSE — Illegal to factor disability into admissions decisions

Switch from IEP to 504 before senior year

FALSE — Admissions cannot and does not consider plan type

Contacting DS flags the student with admissions

FALSE — DS and admissions are completely separate offices

Must disclose to receive services later

FALSE — Students can register with DS at any point after enrolling

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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If Your Student Chooses to Disclose & What the Law Says

If Disclosing: How to Do It Well

• Keep it simple and matter-of-fact
• "Own" the disclosure — speak from self-knowledge
• Frame as a challenge adapted to and overcome
• Use it to explain transcript anomalies (late diagnosis, grade improvement)
• Use personal essay OR the additional information section
• Have a trusted advisor review before submitting

What the Law Says

• Colleges CANNOT refuse admission solely on disability
• Colleges CAN maintain their own admissions standards
• Colleges CAN require specific high school courses — no exceptions required
• Colleges CAN require SAT/ACT — extended time addresses this
• There is NO disability cap on admissions
• 1,800+ colleges have test-optional policies

Transcripts CANNOT indicate special ed or disability. IEP/504/testing docs should NOT be sent with the college application.

Section 7: Requesting Accommodations

Registration, documentation, and what to expect at college

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From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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The DS Registration Process

1

Complete Registration Form

What accommodations are requested; how disability affects schoolwork and daily life

2

Submit Documentation

Check your college's DS website for specific requirements — don't assume they match K-12 docs

3

Attend Intake Meeting

DS gathers information; no "wrong answers." Decision (NOA) may come same day or within 2 weeks

Accommodations are NOT retroactive — they begin on the date of approval only. Register early!

Documentation varies widely. Common requirements for LD include:

Cognitive ability/aptitude • Academic achievement • Information processing | For ADHD, autism, mental health, physical: a letter from treating professional often suffices

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Accommodations: Commonly Approved vs. Rarely Approved

Commonly Approved

• Extended test time (50% most common)
• Reduced-distraction testing site
• Permission to record lectures (Section 504 protected)
• Laptop for note taking
• Text-to-speech software for exams
• Texts in alternative formats (e-text, Braille)
• Priority registration
• Reduced course load (case-by-case)
• Course substitution (case-by-case)
• Peer notes (case-by-case)

Rarely or Never Approved

• Modifications (shorter papers, alternative assignments)
• Alternative test formats (fill-in-blank vs. essay)
• Memory aids for tests (formula cards, word banks)
• Extended deadlines for take-home work (except acute medical/MH episodes)
• Professor's notes or advance PowerPoint slides
• Private dorm room for study purposes
• Remote class attendance (for most students)

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Your Role as a Parent: Supportive, Not Doing It For Them

What Parents CAN Do

• Help your student understand their disability accurately
• Help compose a list of desired accommodations and the reason for each
• Model the DS research process, then have your student do it
• Provide campus visit feedback — but ask your student's reaction first
• Attend the DS intake meeting IF your student invites you — let them lead

What Parents Should NOT Do

• Complete the DS registration process for your student
• Advocate directly with professors or DS without student involvement
• Keep the IEP/504 secret to protect from a "label"
• Assume high school accommodations will transfer to college
• Choose a college based on DS services alone — overall fit matters most

The best gift you can give your student is not a list of accommodations —

it is self-knowledge, self-advocacy skills, and confidence that they can succeed.

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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Non-Academic Skills Your Child Should Have Before College

Navigate a new environment. Example: navigating an airport, train station, or new building.

Plan travel or an outing, start to finish.

Fill out forms and follow written instructions. They are old enough to make legally binding decisions.

Manage their time and make decisions without constant supervision. No check-ins or reminders. They can balance life responsibilities (rest, play, and work).

Handle basic finances. Know how to budget money, delay gratification, and anticipate expenditures.

Regulate their emotions. Emotional instability in an unsupervised environment is dangerous.

From High School to College: Students with Learning Differences

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What Parents Can Do Each Year

Freshman Year

• Understand the diagnosis and what it means functionally.
• Educate your student about their LDs
• Help your child understand and assess their accommodations.
• Review and update IEP/504 for high school setting.
• Support development of EF skills.

Sophomore Year

• Include in IEP meetings. Don’t let them leave.
• Build self-awareness: Can they explain their LD to an adult? What strategies actually help?
• Look for opportunities to model, shadow, and practice self-advocacy (doctors’ offices, restaurants, sports teams, etc.).

Junior Year

• If you haven’t already, stop emailing teachers.
• Explore assistive technologies.
• Student drives accommodations requests and changes.
• Visit colleges
• Encourage employment

Senior Year

• Transition IEP meeting focused on accommodations to ask for in college.
• Help evaluate DS Offices
• Focus on college readiness skills (self-advocacy, life skills, academic readiness)
• Promote more independence (getting up, laundry, cooking, budgeting, etc.
• Consider neuro-psych testing update.

Reminder: Kids with LDs often lag their peers

by 3-5 years in the development of EF skills.

Questions & Discussion

Key Resources:

K&W Guide (15th ed.)

Imy Wax & Marybeth Kravets — comprehensive college directory for students with learning differences

NCCSD CeDaR Database

nccsd.net — free searchable database of college DS offices nationwide

CollegeWebLD.com

Consultant-curated profiles of colleges for students with LD and ADHD

Think College

thinkcollege.net — programs for students with intellectual disabilities

College Autism Spectrum

collegeautismspectrum.com — resources for students with autism and their families

Based on: Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities | Arlyn Roffman