Colleges in Florida for Kids With Learning Disabilities

Beacon College

• Beacon College, created in 1989 to offer academic degree programs to students with learning disabilities, delivers the most hands-on help for the LD student. The school in Leesburg, 50 miles northwest of Orlando, is the "only accredited college offering BA (Bachelor of Arts) and AA (Associate of Arts) degrees for students with learning disabilities, ADHD or gifted LD," according to its website. Class size is small, with an eight-to-one student-teacher ratio. Students can major in computer information systems, human services or liberal studies. Academic minor programs include business management, education, English/literature, history and psychology. International study is available during the summer term. The Transition Programs offer services including mentoring, time management, help in establishing a routine, healthy eating, exercising and socializing. The program ensures that the students take prescribed medicine and keep personal and medical appointments. The program also provides workshops, activities, clubs and organizations to support student transition.

  Beacon College
  105 E. Main St.
  Leesburg, FL 34748
  352-787-7660
  beaconcollege.edu

Florida Southern College

• Founded in 1883 in Lakeland, Florida Southern College offers 50 programs of study based on a liberal arts and sciences core. The most popular majors are business administration, communication, education, music, nursing, natural sciences and psychology. "U.S. News & World Report" ranked FSC as one of the 10 best baccalaureate colleges in the South. FSC does not have a special program for LD students, instead granting specific accommodations on a case-by-case basis. A student with documentation of a learning disability can receive extended time for tests, for example. The college encourages LD students to use the academic resources available to all FSC students, including peer tutoring, study skills resources and support assistance from faculty advisers, instructors and Student Solutions Center members. FSC's Coordinator for Student Disability Services can guide students to necessary resources.

  Florida Southern College
  111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive
  Lakeland, FL 33801
  800-274-4131
  flsouthern.edu

University of Florida

• The University of Florida in Gainesville, the state's oldest institution of higher learning, is an academically diverse public university. Its 16 colleges offer a broad array of studies, from agricultural and life sciences and fine arts to engineering, nursing, medicine, law and business administration. The Disability Resource Center's learning specialist provides individually designed learning strategy sessions for students that might target time management, study skills, note-taking, course selections and communication skills. The Center also can help arrange examination accommodations. A Teaching Center, available to all students, helps students master effective learning strategies for various disciplines.

  University of Florida
  Disability Resource Center
  0020 Reid Hall
  Gainesville, FL 32611
  352-392-8565 x 200
  ufl.edu