Accomodations in college- experience

[Anonymous]

NP here. Note that the UC prof said that s/he cannot take care of paying attention to an individual student's needs him/herself. This is a really big deal. If your child is not very self-motivated, it is incredibly easy to fall through the cracks.

If your child has accommodations and would do better in small environment where professors reach out to students receiving accommodations and will keep on top of them to complete their work, then you probably should focus on smaller environments. Also, TAs generally teach undergrads at large research universities. TAs are teaching to get free grad school with a small stipend; they aren't hired because of their teaching ability (and at some schools and some majors there can be a language barrier, too).

I know someone who recently had a bad experience at Renssalaer with accommodations. Also note that Troy doesn't have much to do outside of the college and RPI is very frat-heavy. I know others who have had difficulty with all their needs being met at UMD.

Schools that aren't on your list who do great jobs with students needing disability services include Montgomery College (2-year only) and Goucher College. Both schools have professors that make sure students get their work done, and work with students and their families to make sure every accommodation that needs to be made gets made.

[Anonymous]

This is a fascinating thread to me, as parent of a 10th grader with an IEP for language and executive function issues.

Re 8:43, I'm just really not sure that I think a professor SHOULD be on top of students to complete work. That feels beyond the scope of the accommodations / ADA and ultimately not helpful to students.

Happy to be convinced otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18:40 nails it. DO NOT go to GMU. They will try to charge you an additional $4,700 per term for their program - which was worthless. If you don't sign up for the program, they don't have time for your child.

UVA is very professional, easy to deal with and very good.

UVA's reputation is the opposite. Can you expand about your experiences?

For example, the only way to get a foreign language waiver is to flunk a foreign language class and then the Dean has to approve it. There does not seem to be a formal waiver policy for students with language based disabilities.

Why choose a school with a foreign language requirement?

Because kids with disabilities should have the same access to educational opportunities as non-disabled kids?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, Siena School, a school for kids with language learning difficulties, has sent a number of kids to AU. I'm pretty sure they don't steer kids to schools that are bad at accommodating.

[Anonymous]

DC got accommodations in college. Extra time and typed exams were the main ones she took. It was a SLAC like Williams/Amherst although a tier or two below. DC definitely had to self advocate and remind professors of accommodations. The disability office provided the paperwork but didn't, to my knowledge, do much hand holding. No being excused from the language requirement so that was a struggle but eventually got done (interestingly thanks to a UVA program, so UVA isn't all bad!). We never interacted with the college on this, DC did it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Note that the UC prof said that s/he cannot take care of paying attention to an individual student's needs him/herself. This is a really big deal. If your child is not very self-motivated, it is incredibly easy to fall through the cracks.

If your child has accommodations and would do better in small environment where professors reach out to students receiving accommodations and will keep on top of them to complete their work, then you probably should focus on smaller environments. Also, TAs generally teach undergrads at large research universities. TAs are teaching to get free grad school with a small stipend; they aren't hired because of their teaching ability (and at some schools and some majors there can be a language barrier, too).

I know someone who recently had a bad experience at Renssalaer with accommodations. Also note that Troy doesn't have much to do outside of the college and RPI is very frat-heavy. I know others who have had difficulty with all their needs being met at UMD.

Schools that aren't on your list who do great jobs with students needing disability services include Montgomery College (2-year only) and Goucher College. Both schools have professors that make sure students get their work done, and work with students and their families to make sure every accommodation that needs to be made gets made.

Montgomery and Goucher are not good fits academically. DC is interested in math and physics and is currently taking a post BC Calc math class. He was the RPI medalist for his school so it comes with a scholarship. How long ago what the RPI experience and how well do you know the student? DC is an introvert so unlikely to care about anything off campus.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for such a long thoughtful response. Op, here. How do electronic textbooks get handled? One of the harder things in HS has been for DC to get his audio/electronic textbooks in a timely manner and they know the textbooks from the previous February. THe technology is there to do it, it just takes time. WHen student do not know their classes/professors until much closer to the start of class how do they get their electronic/audio versions of the textbooks early enough to be able to use them?

Your son can see if there is one specific book that all the professors use for a class by contacting that department. He can explain he needs the book months in advance to get it converted to audio. If they can't promise they will use a specific book, try to get some idea of what books are in use and sign up for a class with a book where the publisher says they have an e-format. Professors don't usually switch books if they can help it, since it means redoing tons of work.

I know in our department we have switched to e-text books for most undergrad classes. The one I teach out of is a pdf. I think you'll find that most undergrad textbook publishers make e-books now, because they are so popular with the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you for such a long thoughtful response. Op, here. How do electronic textbooks get handled? One of the harder things in HS has been for DC to get his audio/electronic textbooks in a timely manner and they know the textbooks from the previous February. THe technology is there to do it, it just takes time. WHen student do not know their classes/professors until much closer to the start of class how do they get their electronic/audio versions of the textbooks early enough to be able to use them?

Your son can see if there is one specific book that all the professors use for a class by contacting that department. He can explain he needs the book months in advance to get it converted to audio. If they can't promise they will use a specific book, try to get some idea of what books are in use and sign up for a class with a book where the publisher says they have an e-format. Professors don't usually switch books if they can help it, since it means redoing tons of work.

I know in our department we have switched to e-text books for most undergrad classes. The one I teach out of is a pdf. I think you'll find that most undergrad textbook publishers make e-books now, because they are so popular with the students.

PDFs and even handouts in Word work as his text to speech software works for that. That is helpful to know that he may only have a few textbooks to figure out. Worse comes to worse he can scan them in page by page.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Note that the UC prof said that s/he cannot take care of paying attention to an individual student's needs him/herself. This is a really big deal. If your child is not very self-motivated, it is incredibly easy to fall through the cracks.

If your child has accommodations and would do better in small environment where professors reach out to students receiving accommodations and will keep on top of them to complete their work, then you probably should focus on smaller environments. Also, TAs generally teach undergrads at large research universities. TAs are teaching to get free grad school with a small stipend; they aren't hired because of their teaching ability (and at some schools and some majors there can be a language barrier, too).

I know someone who recently had a bad experience at Renssalaer with accommodations. Also note that Troy doesn't have much to do outside of the college and RPI is very frat-heavy. I know others who have had difficulty with all their needs being met at UMD.

Schools that aren't on your list who do great jobs with students needing disability services include Montgomery College (2-year only) and Goucher College. Both schools have professors that make sure students get their work done, and work with students and their families to make sure every accommodation that needs to be made gets made.

I agree completely that a student who isn't able to advocate for himself would have a tough time at the schools OP listed and would have a tough time at at UC. However, it seems like OPs son is a pretty motivated student, judging from the list of schools she's got. I also have plenty of students who are great in the math and sciences but struggle to write a short essay, so you don't have to be great at everything to go to one of those schools. You do have to have a certain level of maturity though: no one is going to make you go to class or make you do your homework.

TAs are variable in quality. Some are amazing and will be like a peer mentor, others are struggling to communicate, and some just don't care. Not all schools use TAs for undergrad courses though.

This is a fascinating thread to me, as parent of a 10th grader with an IEP for language and executive function issues.

Re 8:43, I'm just really not sure that I think a professor SHOULD be on top of students to complete work. That feels beyond the scope of the accommodations / ADA and ultimately not helpful to students.

Happy to be convinced otherwise.

I know there are schools that are more hands-on about getting students to get their work done. A close relative went to Curry College in MA. They have a special program for students with ADHD where they are followed more closely by counselors. I think a college degree is a minimum now for many fields and some schools are going to cater to students who wouldn't make it at a normal program. You can't expect this from a top tier school though. They get to pick and choose the most motivated students. I am completely happy to help you access any accommodations or to help you during office hours, but you have to seek my help.

I will say that sometimes I email students who seem to be lagging in homework, but otherwise come to class. We use clickers (this is a common thing in big classes now) to ask in class questions and then I can see who's in attendance. I also know that some TAs will work extensively with students trying to help them through our course. I don't think we are coddling the students, they still have to do the work, but sometimes it helps to know that someone is pay attention to you. It's really hard to provide a good experience for students with such big classes. It's something that higher education is struggling a lot with.

I will share one more story which might comfort/amuse you:
When I was doing my PhD (also at a UC), I was registered at the disability services center. I had an initial meeting with a counselor there. She very kindly offered to help me make a calendar every quarter to plan out my projects and papers. I thought this was very sweet, but also kind of funny. Here I am at the highest level in my field and they are willing to help me make a calendar for writing my dissertation. =) Also, I wouldn't consider her offer coddling at all. I would say she was trying to offer to teach me an important skill, and her intuition was really good! Having a calendar starting in high school and adhering to it was the coping mechanism that got me through undergrad. My best friend got me hooked a few years back on the "Day Designer" which has little spaces for a top three and is broken down by hours, in case anyone is looking for an excellent planner.

[Anonymous]

Op here. DC advocates for himself and has done so all throughout HS (this is something we worked on from 2nd grade- it was gradual and he is now in full control). He doesn't need the organizational help, just the reading/scribing type of help. He does need some extra time as the technology can be cumbersome but he keeps up with his homework et al on his own. I am doing some background info gathering for him in places like DCUM that he does not frequent but may provide more unique data points. All communications with universities and colleges has been through him, although like anything he writes he has someone look it over before it goes out (as a result, he will be utilizing the writing center at which ever school he attends).

Leaning towards Williams, because of the math institute and higher chance of a single dorm room. He has the grades and ECs but like any school like it- some if it is a crap shoot. RPI looks really good on paper as a fit, but no warm fuzzies the two times he visited and they have a new person in the disabilities office. He liked Cornell, but again a crap shoot.

[Anonymous]

If he's interested in math and willing to come out west, I would recommend looking at Cal Poly SLO and Pomona. Both have a feel similar to Williams and excellent teaching faculty. I know some of the math department profs in both places and they are wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he's interested in math and willing to come out west, I would recommend looking at Cal Poly SLO and Pomona. Both have a feel similar to Williams and excellent teaching faculty. I know some of the math department profs in both places and they are wonderful.

I have suggested them, but it is too far for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Note that the UC prof said that s/he cannot take care of paying attention to an individual student's needs him/herself. This is a really big deal. If your child is not very self-motivated, it is incredibly easy to fall through the cracks.

If your child has accommodations and would do better in small environment where professors reach out to students receiving accommodations and will keep on top of them to complete their work, then you probably should focus on smaller environments. Also, TAs generally teach undergrads at large research universities. TAs are teaching to get free grad school with a small stipend; they aren't hired because of their teaching ability (and at some schools and some majors there can be a language barrier, too).

I know someone who recently had a bad experience at Renssalaer with accommodations. Also note that Troy doesn't have much to do outside of the college and RPI is very frat-heavy. I know others who have had difficulty with all their needs being met at UMD.

Schools that aren't on your list who do great jobs with students needing disability services include Montgomery College (2-year only) and Goucher College. Both schools have professors that make sure students get their work done, and work with students and their families to make sure every accommodation that needs to be made gets made.

Montgomery and Goucher are not good fits academically. DC is interested in math and physics and is currently taking a post BC Calc math class. He was the RPI medalist for his school so it comes with a scholarship. How long ago what the RPI experience and how well do you know the student? DC is an introvert so unlikely to care about anything off campus.

8:43 again here. I went to Goucher and majored in math and now have a great 6-figure job in a math field. My math courses were very rigorous. I spent a lot of time with friends at JHU and physics grad students at UMD who told me that the math work I was doing at Goucher was harder than their undergrad math. I have a parent who majored in math at RPI ages ago, but this parent never took the time to compare work. I have classmates at Goucher who went to grad school for math, went to the NSA, and went into teaching. One of Goucher's math professors majored in math while at Goucher. Goucher also has a very good, but small, physics department. Both departments encourage independent studies with professors to give students a broader range of course options (and more in-depth study in topics of student interest) than the course catalog provides. Goucher also requires students to write in all subjects and can be graded just as much on writing ability as math or physics ability. The fact that I learned to write about math in ways that made math accessible to people without technical backgrounds has helped me tremendously during my career. Most math (and science) folks have difficulty writing; Goucher graduates do not. If your son also decides he is interested in engineering, Goucher offers 3+2 engineering options with Hopkins in Baltimore and Columbia in NYC. If your son wants to go to graduate school in math or physics after college, then your son will have to have relationships with professors in order to get letters of recommendation. At Goucher, it is very easy to get these letters because the faculty know the students well and advocate on behalf of their students.

As for the student's RPI experience to which I referred, it was fairly recent (in the last 5 years) and it wasn't a great fit. The isolation of the campus didn't help in this student's case, and the cold winters were also difficult. This student graduated from a community college and is now enrolled at a different university to finish a degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
MY NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION for students would be to go to the professor's office hours at the beginning of term. Introduce yourself and explain anything I might need to know. I don't actually need to know what disability you have, and we're not supposed to ask. However, if you want to teach me a bit about it, I would be happy to learn. Do not send your mother. Do not send the disability services staff. Something like, "Hello, Professor ____. My name is Bob. I know you already got a note from the disability services center, but I wanted to introduce myself. Because of my disability I will be using a computer to take notes in your class. I also will be taking my tests using a scribe. (Most professors would say, "It's nice to meet you Bob. That won't be a problem.") Then you can say, "Thanks professor, I'm really looking forward to learning about ____. See you in class on Wednesday!"

I really appreciate your post, and I hope you'll reconsider the bolded. Know that your students have various disabilities. Some are perfectly able to advocate for themselves. Others with social communication disorders, severe anxiety, or executive functioning deficits might still need support in advocating for themselves as they start college. Not everyone is the same, so keep an open mind when a parent or disability services staff approaches you instead of the student, as there's usually a good reason for it. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
MY NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION for students would be to go to the professor's office hours at the beginning of term. Introduce yourself and explain anything I might need to know. I don't actually need to know what disability you have, and we're not supposed to ask. However, if you want to teach me a bit about it, I would be happy to learn. Do not send your mother. Do not send the disability services staff. Something like, "Hello, Professor ____. My name is Bob. I know you already got a note from the disability services center, but I wanted to introduce myself. Because of my disability I will be using a computer to take notes in your class. I also will be taking my tests using a scribe. (Most professors would say, "It's nice to meet you Bob. That won't be a problem.") Then you can say, "Thanks professor, I'm really looking forward to learning about ____. See you in class on Wednesday!"

I really appreciate your post, and I hope you'll reconsider the bolded. Know that your students have various disabilities. Some are perfectly able to advocate for themselves. Others with social communication disorders, severe anxiety, or executive functioning deficits might still need support in advocating for themselves as they start college. Not everyone is the same, so keep an open mind when a parent or disability services staff approaches you instead of the student, as there's usually a good reason for it. Thank you.

This is a good point. If the student had disabilities so severe that the parents were still involved or that the disability services center had to come to my office I would certainly be okay with that.

I said what I said because the disability services center has a thing where you type in your professors and we get a form letter from the counselor. The letter is okay, but it's better to go actually go speak to the prof.

About parents: I am explicitly not allowed to speak to any parent about student specifics. It doesn't matter that you pay tuition. I have received some truly heartbreaking emails from parents worried about their child's mental health. However, I cannot tell that parent anything. It should go without saying that if I feel the student is in danger, I contact campus services.

Also, let's say you call me up and say you're Johnny's mom and you want to know how he did on his test. How do I know you're actually his mom? Unless he is there and says, "It's okay for you to talk to this woman about me." I have no way of verifying anything.

I understand that it sounds pretty scary that suddenly, kids are expected to be adults just because they're at a public university. I'm really not saying all this to be mean. I just hope people reading this learn a bit about how it works and can try to prepare for it.