How is College Different From High School?

In college, there are no ARDs. IEPs or other people (i.e., parents or guardians, teachers, counselors, etc.) who will make decisions for you. You are responsible for making all disclosures and decisions about your program – not your parents/guardians or vocational counselor, VA counselor, etc. only you can disclose that you have a disability (ADA, 1990).

Disclosure is a very personal decision. If you choose not to speak about your disability, nobody will ask and nobody can allow accommodations. If you choose to speak about your disability, you need to be prepared to describe it, to tell how it effects your day-to-day functioning, and to tell what you need to do to accomplish an activity, class-work or to take an exam.

The course work and requirements for a class are determined by the faculty. The essential requirements cannot be changed by anyone but the instructor. Accommodations for students with disabilities are designed to reduce the negative impact of the disability, not to change the content of what is to learned and/or mastered.