Higher Education

 Transition Planning  takes place any time there is a (significant) change in the program, placement, or services that a child/student will receive.  Why Plan?  In an effort to foster a seamless transition where the student/child will have to make as few adaptations or adjustments to the change, transition planning occurs.

 Our Goal  To identify transitional challenges for students with disabilities and higher educational Disability Resource Centers throughout Utah and Idaho.  Interviews  University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, Salt Lake Community College, University of Idaho, and Idaho State University

 IDEA vs. ADA  Students may enter the postsecondary arena with a history of services under IDEA or ADA, post secondary institutions operate solely under ADA guidelines.  All DRC directors interviewed stated that most students are not properly educated about what documentation is required and what services the student may qualify for in a higher educational setting.  Several directors stated a need for diagnostic professionals to gain a better understanding of ADA documentation guidelines.

 Accommodations Seen as an “Easy Way Out”  Professors can also pose significant challenges for students with disabilities.  While the goal of accommodations is to provide a level playing field for students, some professors see accommodations as an unfair advantage for the student.  While most schools interviewed provide disability staff trainings, one director stated the administration does not allow them to provide such trainings.

 Newly Developing Issues Have No Policies  One DRC director discussed the difficulty of providing appropriate services for disability-related issues when no approved written policy is in place.  Policies take time to develop.  DRC staff members must be able to act quickly while still ensuring that all accommodations fit properly under the ADA.

 Old vs. New Buildings  Old buildings can pose great challenges for students with mobility issues  Students with mobility issues are responsible for getting themselves to class. HOWEVER…  DRC’s are responsible to ensure that all elevators and classrooms have Braille number plates and students with mobility impairments have accessible rooms.

 Math Disability vs. Weak Math Skills  Two DRC directors mentioned difficulties that some students have with university-level math classes.  Several DRCs have collaborated with the math department at their university to help students a with diagnosable math learning disability to obtain permission to pursue a math substitution course.  A second option involves the students taking remedial or lower level math courses before attempting the “college- level” math courses.  Neither of these options addresses the math disability, but they do offer some options to students.

 Students with Asperger Syndrome  Students with Asperger Syndrome present some of the most difficult challenges for directors of Disability Resource Centers.  One director stated that individuals with Asperger Syndrome who have been primarily home-schooled have posed a significant challenge. Along with learning skills related to general academic independence, these individuals must also learn how to interact socially outside the comfort of their home and family.

 Michael Dillon, associate professor of Special Education at Dowling College, suggests a collaboration of support and services between disability resource centers and the student’s vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor.  Dillon claims that the DRC’s experience with accommodations in the college setting can work well with a VR counselor’s experience in teaching individuals with disabilities the necessary life skills to be an independent member of society.  In order for the collaboration of services to be an effective means of support for the student there must be clear expectations of what is required of the VR counselor, the DRC and the student.

 Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries  Most common issues for veterans returning to school include mobility impairments due to missing limbs, hearing and/or vision impairments, cognitive disabilities, neurological impairment, and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD).  Some DRC directors stated their office is seeing an increasing number of students with a diagnosis of PTSD, but the DRC is unable to provide any specific services to them, aside from recommending counseling services.  Most common accommodation for PTSD is a quiet testing room where the student can also face the door.

 Create a model for the collaboration process between secondary and postsecondary personnel which would be designed and implemented by them.  A possible project for future URLEND trainees: locate an IEP team at a local high school and partner them with some of the staff at a nearby postsecondary institution, facilitate the development and implementation of a model of further collaboration between the two, and report the results.

 The Great  Gaining family perspectives  Family Interview  Visiting clinics helped me discover services available to families, loved the hands-on experience  The Difficult  Managing time to visit clinics  Communicating with group members regularly  Conference calls were difficult for everyone to attend, while s sometimes could be misinterpreted.

 Strengths of the (UR)LEND program:  There was an incredible amount of information covered in a relatively short amount of time. Ample opportunities were provided to participate in other conferences and webinars.  The information was presented in a variety of formats that led to group discussion.  The parent-directed conferences and visits with assigned families were invaluable.

 Areas of consideration in the (UR)LEND program:  After each webinar, we were asked to fill out a survey. Most of the surveys had to do with acknowledging whether the objectives of the lesson had been met. The objectives of each meeting were not clearly stated, and only sometimes implied.  There seemed to be much less participation when objectives were not clearly stated in conjunction with any reading assignments or the information presented at the webinar.  The trainee population should include more people from diverse cultures.  Since application of the principles we learned was the overall goal of the LEND program, the webinar classes should devote time to discuss this each week.

 Personal Growth:  The reflective papers required a lot of introspection about the covered topics. The requirement to set goals forced me to learn more about topics I was weak in.  I found areas where I would like to learn more, joined early intervention group, ed congressman