Answers to Your Questions on Applying to college with a Learning Disability : NY Times Nov 10 2011

As reported by The New York Times
By MARYBETH KRAVETS

Part 4: Answers to Your Questions on Applying with a Learning Disability

Marybeth Kravets is fielding questions this week on The Choice about applying to college with a learning disability, the subject of my column published last weekend in The Times’s Education Life supplement.

Ms. Kravets, the former president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, is the co-author of “The K & W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities Or Attention Deficit Disorder.” She is also chief education officer of the Chicago Scholars Foundation.

In this fourth round, Ms. Kravets addresses the question of physical disabilities that impact learning capacity. This series will conclude Friday.

Readers can still submit questions for Ms. Kravets by using the comment box on the original post, or by starting a new stream on the thread below. (Selected questions may have been edited.) − Jacques Steinberg

Q. My son has a physical disability that presents many of the same issues as a learning disability. (It is very similar to POTS [postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome] described in Jane Brody’s article a few weeks ago.) Between his illness and the medication to treat it, he has a limited number of hours a week when he can work at full efficiency, and his mental clarity is sometimes diminished. There is so much written now about schools sensitive to learning disabilities. Where can I find out about schools that understand that physical debilities like chronic pain also affect learning, and support their students accordingly?
— Mamadoc

A. The offices of disability services are there for students like your son once admitted to college. Your son would be accommodated under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The disability you describe would be identified as “another health related disability,” and would need to be documented by a certified professional. Once this documentation is submitted to the office of disability services, a 504 plan would be developed. I encourage you to talk to the disability staff on the college campuses you are considering to determine if your son’s particular needs can be met.

If appropriate, students can take a reduced course load, request additional time to complete assignments, get extra breaks during exams and use assistive technology. Typically colleges will not modify the curriculum or alter graduation requirements, so you’ll need to ask good questions before having him enroll. Perhaps as a starting point you might want to explore the School for New Learning at DePaul University in Chicago, Ill. Through this program, students can take courses in the classroom or online, take time off when the symptoms of their illnesses become too severe to continue with the course, and finish coursework later with no penalty or tuition loss. Good luck.

Q. My son, a senior at a California public high school, is applying to colleges. He has attention deficit disorder and dyslexia, and he has had an individualized education program since second grade. High school academics have been a struggle for him because of his organizational and planning difficulties. I’m considering the option of an A.D.D. coach who is external to the college. In your experience, do you see this kind of support as helpful to students with organizational challenges? How would you recommend a student or parent investigate a university’s willingness to work with an A.D.D. coach who is external to the school?
— Julie

A. Although the cost of an A.D.D. coach could be high, if the family can afford it, this type of support can be a lifesaver for some students.

I do not think that hiring an external coach would be an issue for any college unless, of course, the coach were doing the student’s work. Students who do not have A.D.D. hire outside tutors, which is no different than having an A.D.D. coach. The contract is between the student and the coach. Some coaches check in with the student on a daily basis and oversee issues relating to organizational skills, time management, hygiene or stress; in other cases, they simply provide mentoring and friendship.

The Achieve Program at Southern Illinois University offers A.D.D. coaching as part of its auxiliary program for students with A.D.D. or learning disabilities. The cost for that coaching is incorporated into the fee for the program. The ultimate goal, though, for all students, is to gain independence and not need the support of a coach.

Guidance OfficeLearning Disabilities Q. & A.

Marybeth Kravets, an educational consultant and past president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, is answering questions this week on applying to college with a learning disability. She is the co-author of “The K & W Guide to Colleges for Students With Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.”

New York Times article:
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/marybeth-4/