Support for Parents of Students with Disabilities

How parents can help their student transition to college

Approximately 6.7 million students — or 13 percent of all public school learners — received special education services during the 2015-16 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Eventually, many of these students move on to higher education and their parents must prepare for that transition. College brings a wealth of new opportunities and greater independence for students with disabilities, along with a different role for their parents. This guide takes a look at some of the biggest differences between K-12 school and college and offers advice on how parents can support their college-bound children and encourage self-advocacy along the way

High School Vs. College: Top 5 Differences Parents Can Expect

The transition to college can feel just as overwhelming for parents as it does for the students themselves. In addition to legal obligations changing from K-12 to college, parents can also expect their roles in their child's education to evolve during this time. Knowing these five key differences between K-12 education and college can help parents get a grasp of what to expect.

1. Lack of 504 Plans and IEPS.

In primary and secondary school, parents work with educators and administrators at the school to develop 504 plans and individualized educational plans (IEPs) that ensure the educational needs of their children are met while in a learning environment. Because colleges are not required to exist under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, rules differ.

Students entering college are legally viewed as adults by the institutions, meaning parents do not have any say in how the school acknowledges and handles their child's disabilities. This is true even if the parent is paying for higher education. At this stage, students must learn how to advocate for themselves and their needs.

2. The Responsibility Falls on the Student

As minors, students in high school were not expected to manage accommodations for their disabilities. At the college level, however, the responsibility shifts to their shoulders. In order to receive any type of accommodation, the student must speak with the disability services office, disclose their disability and provide appropriate documentation on the types of accommodations needed. Learners can also go directly to their professors to discuss ways of structuring their participation in the class and assignments to best suit their needs.

3. Not all College Disability Services are Create Equally

Although every college receiving any type of federal funding must provide accommodations, that does not mean all schools provide the same level of services. Common types of accommodations might include allowing students to use a laptop to take notes, providing a separate, quiet space for taking examinations and allowing audio recordings of lectures.

Some learners require accommodations that go beyond these simple steps. Students who need additional support should speak to the disability services office to learn about existing programs and whether the school is ready and willing to add other types of accommodations that meet specific needs.

4. Accommodations May [Depend/Rely] on Updated Diagnoses

Just because your child received accommodations based on their disabilities in high school doesn't mean they will qualify for those same services at the collegiate level. While many colleges used to base accommodations off whatever services a student received in high school, many now request updated diagnoses before signing off on anything.

If the paperwork your child uses to receive accommodations is more than three years old, chances are that a doctor will need to provide new evaluations in order to qualify. While this may sound problematic at first, it's important to remember that students are still growing and changing at this time in their lives, so a new diagnosis may provide updated information that schools can use to better serve your child.

5. Parents Won't Automatically Know What's Going On

Because students are seen as adults once they turn 18, colleges and universities are not legally required to disclose information about accommodations or services to parents or guardians. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the goal is to protect the individual's privacy. While your child can still decide to share all of this information with you, do not expect to be given information if you call or write the school and ask for it. The child must sign off.

This can feel disorienting for some parents who are used to managing their child's disability and ensuring they get the best possible care. Instead of seeing it this way, however, consider the benefits of growing independence and self-reliance that allows the students to advocate for themselves and their needs.

Sources: National Center for Learning Disabilities, Understood.org, Simmons University

Expert Advice: Achieving the College Transition

Martha Zeher - Special Educator

What are some of the unique challenges that parents of students with disabilities face when transitioning to college?

Often students with disabilities have a harder time scoring well on the SAT and ACT college entrance testing. It is important that students use their 504 plans, IEPs, or psychologist's testing to gain accommodations in taking these tests. Often the most helpful accommodation is increased time for testing for students with slower processing speed and lower reading comprehension.

If testing isn't their child's strength, then I recommend community college as the best place to start. Students entering community college are often not required to take the SAT before the entrance. They will take a placement test and may need to take lower level math or English classes before the college level classes can be taken. This should not be considered a failure, but just a good time to review and prepare for their college-level classes to come.

How can parents best support their children while also helping them gain independence and self-confidence?

Parents can best support the students by helping them to understand their diagnosis and learning to accept and embrace their strengths and weaknesses. Then their kids will be able to self-advocate as they enter college. Students, along with their parent if needed, should meet with the special needs coordinator of the college to request accommodations.

Parents and teachers can coach the student prior to the visit so that the child can self-advocate for accommodations such as extra time, notes provided, signals for discussion monopolizing, and taped lectures. Some colleges even allow students to meet with professors prior to the start of class for a one-on-one talk about their special needs to be successful.

What should parents and their students look for when touring and speaking with prospective colleges?

First of all, students with disabilities should seek a college that has smaller classes and support services available. A good resource for finding colleges is the guide “Peterson's Colleges with Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention DeficitDisorders” (available on Amazon). It is often most helpful to find a college program that is more hands-on in nature rather than lecture based. 

When touring a campus, parents and students should go together and make sure all the support services offices and tutoring centers are pointed out. Students must be in a frame of mind to ask for help and support and to use all the extra support services available.

What is your best advice for preparing and transitioning students with disabilities to higher education?

In our county, Howard Community College has a program entitled Project Access designed for special needs students to prepare them for college-level work. I send college-bound students there for one month each summer in their sophomore and junior years of high school. This helps them get used to the college level work, takes them on tours of several colleges, and helps them adjust to the campus prior to their first college year. If your community college doesn't offer such a program, I highly recommend taking summer classes designed for high school students after sophomore, and junior years of high school to familiarize the students with the campus and reduce anxiety levels.

From my experience of over 30 years, it is best for college-bound students with disabilities to start off living at home and trying one or two community college courses at a time. As they are successful with a couple of classes, they can gradually increase their workload and eventually transfer to a four-year college. The college they are transferring to should be chosen as soon as possible so their community college counselors know which courses can most easily transfer. The gift of extra time is often the best gift we can give our students.

Parents: Your Role in the Transition to College

Parents can do plenty to help their children transition to college without taking over and doing everything for them. The following section takes a look at some of the common steps involved in transitioning from high school to college and how parents can best support and empower their children.

Teaching Your College Student to Be a Self-Advocate

Self-advocacy serves as an important personal quality that allows individuals to express their needs and ensure that they receive attention. Parents spend most of their student's childhood and adolescence advocating for them, but college represents a time when learners can break out on their own and start voicing their needs. Parents can begin teaching the basics of self-advocacy from a young age and continue building on those basics as children move through middle and high school.

What Can You Do If Your Student's Needs Aren't Getting Met in College?

Despite best efforts to prepare your child and instill self-advocacy skills, sometimes professors and administrators do not adequately meet their needs. When this happens, parents must find new ways of handling these situations without overstepping boundaries. Some things parents can do if and when this happens include:

Support Groups for Parents of Students with Disabilities

As students excitedly head off for college, the culmination of love and care in raising children with disabilities comes to a head. While your son or daughter spends their days in class and making friends, it's a great time for parents to find support groups with other parents going through the same situation. In addition to sharing experiences, these spaces can also be great for gathering tips on navigating this new phase in your child's education.

Emotional Support Groups

Plenty of online and in-person groups exist that bring together individuals experiencing similar emotions around this topic to live and learn alongside one another. The Parent Center Hub offers a great example of one type of program. As of 2019, each state has at least one Parent Training and Information program or Community Parent Resource Center that provides a space for fellowship.

Disability Specific Groups

If looking for support around helping your child navigate a specific disability while transitioning to college, plenty of groups exist. The Autism Parents Association provides just one example of what to look for. Support for Parents of Children with ADD/ADHD is also a great resource, with more than 22,000 members.

National Advocacy Groups

Many disabilities have national non-profit organizations that connect the community and provide support for parents. These groups often exist online and in-person, making it easy for parents to find the right level of involvement based on their needs. CHADD, for example, provides parent-to-parent training and mentoring for those whose children experience ADD or ADHD. The March of Dimes arranges tons of local and national events around cerebral palsy and other brain disorders for parents looking to get involved.

Regional Groups

In addition to the most well-known organizations providing support for individuals with disabilities, plenty of regional and state-specific groups also do incredible work in supporting parents and their children. Parents can do research in their area or check with their local nonprofit management organization to learn about groups making a difference in their communities.

Sources: National Center for Learning Disabilities, Understood.org, Parent Center Hub, National Collaboration on Workforce & Disability