Set apprehensions about pursuing a college aside. Ready for college or not, higher education is an option for special education students, despite disability or past academic performance.
U.S. law prohibits discrimination of students with disabilities. Students who know their rights graduate from college at a higher frequency.
Special needs students have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that should contain good information on specific accommodations a college can make for a student.
"Every college or university will have some version of a Learning Assistance Program or Disability Services," says Larry J. Kortering, co-principal investigator with the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center.
Decide if you wish to tell the college of choice about the disability. The disclosure of a disability is optional. Sharing a copy of an IEP with the college's disability office can help a college make accommodations. For example, learning-disabled students are entitled to seek "academic adjustments."
If you elect to disclose a disability to a college, provide them with the necessary information and records in a timely manner. Fair notice provides colleges with time to make the necessary adjustments and accommodations.
Don't let a low GPA deter you from the pursuit of higher education. Students can continue their educations at community colleges (regardless of past school performance). Students interested in four-year universities can complete outstanding units and build up GPAs as community college transfer students.
Evaluate higher education institutions with disability support as a secondary consideration. The 2008 Wall Street Journal article recommends judging college choices "on general factors, such as academic and extracurricular offerings and campus climate" before considering their "disability supports."