Elizabeth Presents
The disability services system at the college level holds numerous changes for students. Did you know:
- colleges don’t follow IEPs or 504 plans? (Both “expire” once students graduate high school, despite what you may have heard.)
- what responsibilities students have in accessing accommodations at college, as they don’t have “case managers” in the same sense that they do in high school?
- there are four categories of accommodations that colleges don’t have to provide (and what they are)?
- the laws in place at the college level don’t dictate what documentation colleges can/can’t require?
- while colleges have to provide certain basic accommodations, there are supports they don’t have to provide, and they can charge a fee if they do so?
Goals and objectives in high school students’ IEPs must be informed by an accurate picture of what your students can and can’t expect at the college level, to make sure they develop the skills they’ll need to make a successful transition. Accommodations provided and skill instruction should be shaped by this knowledge. 504 Plans should also consider what supports are being provided that are or aren’t likely to be available students at college. Make sure your families, faculty, and staff are operating from the facts, not myths.
Elizabeth C. Hamblet is a university learning disabilities specialist, author of Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023), and a sought-after speaker. (See a brief video sample at the bottom of this page.) She has the facts you need to ensure that the preparation your students with disabilities receive in high school will position them well for a smooth college transition.
Choose from a one-hour or all-day program. Limited presentation slots are available each month. Book a Presentation now to get your desired date and time.
One-Hour Presentations
A) Preparing Students with Disabilities for Successful College Transition
The transition from high school is challenging for any high school student. For students with disabilities, it also presents a disability services system that is very different from the one they knew in high school, but with the proper preparation, students can enjoy success! Elizabeth C. Hamblet, college learning disabilities specialist and author of Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities, explains the shift in relevant laws as students move to college, how the system for accommodations works there, what is commonly available, and some tips for how to help students find the right level of support.
B) Understanding Shifting Laws in College Transition for Students with Disabilities
Colleges have to provide accommodations to students with disabilities. But the prevailing laws have very different mandates for colleges than they do for high schools, and this means there are changes in what accommodations may be available. Gain a deep understanding of the differences in what the laws require colleges to do (or not) and why, and learn about some commonly-approved accommodations and a few that are students may get in high school but not in college.
C) The College Disability Services System: Accommodations and Students’ Responsibilities and Rights
High school students with disabilities may be looking forward to “freeing” themselves of their special education status at college. What most don’t know is that there is no special education. There is system for receiving accommodations, but there operates in a way that provides much more discretion, and it even requires them to initiate the process. Learn how students access accommodations, what might be available (or not) and why, and how the college system grants students flexibility in using their accommodations and privacy around their disability.
D) College Accommodations: Why They Change and What Is Commonly Available (or Not)
As students make the shift to college, they’ll find accommodations are available, but because of shifting laws that bring different mandates, there are categories of accommodations colleges don’t have to provide. This presentation takes a deep dive on accommodations colleges commonly approve and those they don’t – and why. (You may be surprised.) It also reviews process students have to follow for requesting accommodations and dives into the kinds of information students are likely to need in order to do so.
E) How to Make Reports More Helpful for Students Headed to College
Psychologists, neuropsychologists, and learning disabilities specialists want to make sure reports they write for college-bound students contain the information that will give them the self-knowledge they need to self-advocate, and that the reports contain what colleges may expect to see. You also want to make sure families know how colleges might view a student’s eligibility for accommodations, so that they have appropriate expectations for what may happen when their student registers with their college’s disability services office. Learn how old documentation may or may not need to be (you may be surprised!) what kinds of measures colleges may require and how they might want results reported, what should be in the history, and what might be helpful added details that may help your student have a smooth process when they register for disability accommodations at college.
An all-day presentation covers these steps for successful transition:
- Learn the difference between laws K-12 vs. college– reviews the changes in prevailing disability laws when students transition to college
- Learn about commonly granted (or not) college accommodations – discusses several accommodations students are likely to find available and which aren’t, and why
- Understand students’ responsibilities and rights at college – reviews what students have to do if they want to access accommodations at college, and what rights they have there
- Document a disability – outlines what paperwork students need to register for disability accommodations at college
- Develop essential skills – discusses the characteristics what the research says about the skills associated with college success, and how to help students develop these while they are still in high school [Note – this topic is not covered in brief overview programs]
- Disclosure in the admissions process & how to look at disability services during the college search – answers to some commonly-asked questions about disclosing students’ disability during the admissions process and provides suggestions for how students can research disability services at their target colleges
Contact information for presentation references
| Contact | School | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms. Carollee Moorefield | Manalapan High School | 732-792-7300 ext. 5017 | cmoorefield@frhsd.com |
| Ms. Suzanne Sanders | Sparta High School | 973-729-6191 ext. 239 | suzanne.sanders@sparta.org |