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Alexander’s Disability and His Tips on Finding the College that Best Supports Your Disability and Ac

Learn more about how after acceptance at two different universities, Alexander decided on the university that would provide the highest quality support in the area of his need.

Some advice from Alexander to help you decide which college to go to:

  1. Have some idea of what accommodations you think you will need.

  2. Do some research on well-reputed disability services departments. There used to be a reference book published on this topic, but now I imagine there are many different ways to educate oneself online about which schools have highly regarded services.

  3. Speak with a disability service person at the schools you are interested in and find out more about their services. If possible, speak with the person who would actually be your contact if you matriculated there. This person will be able to answer any question you might have about what your life would be like on campus regarding your accommodations.

  4. Visit the campus and meet with the disability service person directly. You will get a great sense of how effectively and thoroughly they will be able to help you by seeing the office, where it is located, its facilities, the size of the staff, etc. You want to be confident that they have the experience, knowledge, resources, and recognition on campus to support your needs. I highly recommend beginning the process of establishing a personal relationship with the department as early as possible before you freshman year. You will be relying on the department most in the first few months on campus, so it will make the transition easier if you can begin preparing for your accommodations as early as possible.

  5. Ask the disability service person to recommend accommodations to you that you had not thought of before. This is an indication that they are experienced in assisting similarly disabled students.

  6. Does the department have a presence and recognition on campus? Talk to a professor or two about their experiences with students with disabilities in their classes. Has the professor heard of the disability services office? Do they know anyone by name? This will give you an indication of how much trailblazing you may need to do, or whether the culture of accommodation is well established.

Best of Luck!

Alexander

Learn more about Alexander’s disability, idiopathic optic nerve atrophy:

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