Four Ways to Make the Most of Summer for a Successful Start to the School Year

Whether you’re just starting College in the Fall or have a year or two under your belt, I think we can all agree that summer is a time for some much needed , well deserved,  fun and relaxation! What’s especially great is when you   can come off of a fantastic summer and be ready to face the school year ( if not the early mornings that come with it) head on! The good news is there are four  easy steps you can take during the summer that will, in my opinion, help your September start strong. ( And they won’t even interfere that much with your beach time!)

1. Get Your House in Order-

Until I started College, I had no idea how much paperwork I had, that I needed but didn’t even think about.  While it can be easy to remember things like bedding if you’re a residential student or a parking pass if you’re a commuter, some of the more “administrative” details slipped my mind at first.

    Whether you’ll be living at school or at home, summer is a great time to make sure you have important paperwork such as immunization records, health insurance documentation, and any documentation related to your disability that you might want to share with your school in order ( or in my case have your parents tell you where to find it!) Your College should give you more information about any documentation/paperwork you might need but, this way you avoid scrambling to get everything in order come September!

2. Scope Out the Scene –

    If you are local, or can arrange another visit to your campus this summer, it might be helpful to do a “ test run” of your daily routine, ( go from your dorm, to classes, to the cafeteria  or explore the area around the school etc.). This way you can become more comfortable with your new surroundings and come up with a game plan for any obstacles along your route, if necessary.

    If a campus visit isn’t feasible this summer, no worries! Part of “ scoping things out” could be as easy, as connecting with fellow students through Facebook or email to get the inside scoop on what everyday life at your school is like. You can also look into different clubs or activities that the school offers so you can start to get ideas about how you want to be involved on campus come September.

3. Start Connecting with Resources

A  good support system is key to any student’s college success but, it’s especially helpful for students with disabilities. The good news is you can start putting one in place before you even set foot on campus. Check with your Disability Services Office to see if you can begin the process of registering for accommodations over the summer, or get information about how to start the process in September!

        Also, make sure to stay connected with people who have supported you in the past. They know you well and can give you great advice about how to move forward into the next stage. Make sure to touch base with doctor, especially, before you head to school. He or she can help you make sure you go into school on the healthiest possible note, and could also be an objective person to troubleshoot with about any concerns you may have.

4. Relax and Recharge

While it can be helpful to take care of all the things I mentioned above during the summer, it’s also important to spend plenty of time doing things that you enjoy, like traveling or hanging out poolside with family and friends. Happiness is a great confidence booster and that combined with a little preparation, is the perfect recipe for success in September!

Happy Independence Day: What’s Your “Road to Rio?”

 

 

Happy Fourth  of July  weekend everyone!  I hope you had a great holiday.  Yesterday,  I read a news article about Blake Leeper, a sprinter who is training to be the first American paralympian to compete in the Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Born without feet, ankles, and lower leg bones, Leeper has worn prosthetics since he was nine months old. He competed in last year’s Paralympics in London, winning a silver medal in the 400-meter race and a bronze medal in the 200-meter event. Now he has set his sights on competing at the Olympic level not just against others with physical disabilities but with the finest able-bodied athletes in the world. I thought his story was a fitting one for Independence Day, and also for all of us who will be heading not to the Olympics in a couple of years but to college in a few weeks. Here’s why:  

1.       College can be each of our “personal  Olympics.”The profile of Leeper explains that his initial interest in track and field was matched by uncertainty about which events to pursue and how training regimens worked.

College orientation can feel a bit the same way. As a new student, you know you’re in a place where you can pursue your dreams, but you might not know yet how the school “works” or how to make the most of it.  Blake’s example is a helpful one for these purposes.  Just as he has a few years to optimize his training for the Olympic games, you have four years to optimize your college experience and “ train” for whatever goals or career you want to pursue afterward. Blake took the initiative and contacted organizations that he knew could make his dreams of running come true. You can take charge and find the resources at your school, whether it’s the writing center or a favorite professor, that will help you make your dreams come true.

 

2.       We shouldn’t be afraid to set out on our own personal “Road to Rio.” Blake’s goal – to compete in the 2016 Olympics – is a daunting one, but it’s also a realistic one given his hard work and dedication. Whether you are just starting college or starting a new year or semester, don’t be afraid to set high goals for yourself. Everyone has dreams that may seem intimidating, like competing in the Olympic Games ,  but  when you always aim for the “ gold” you will propel yourself farther than you would with more modest aims.

 Set your standards high and success will follow. Blake had to compete, and do well, in many lesser races before he could consider the Olympics, but he didn’t lose sight of his ultimate goal. Smaller successes, like navigating your first midterm exam, pave the way for big ones, like a great overall GPA. More than anything, Blake’s story shows that with a mix of passion, dedication, and support, we all can pursue our dreams, and have some great experiences along the way!

Self-Advocacy Survival Guide

 

The summer before college entails a long to-do list: from buying sheets  and  scoping out the campus  to picking class schedules. At times, especially after about 15 trips to Bed, Bath, & Beyond, it can seem as though that to-do list is never-ending. But, there is one thing (actually, one skill) that college students with disabilities can’t leave home without: their ability to advocate for themselves.  

Self advocacy is important for every college student. We all have to learn how to tell a roommate to turn his music down because we need to sleep or to ask the professor for an extension on a paper when we are sick. But for students with disabilities, self advocacy can make all the difference in terms of how new relationships are formed, how comfortable the student is in his or her own skin , and how successful the students is in obtaining the resources that he or she needs . In short, it can make or break the college experience.

Self advocacy, or speaking up for what you want and need in terms of your disability, can be uncomfortable at first.  If your experience in high school is at all similar to mine, you are accustomed to your parents and teachers taking the lead in meeting your disability-associated educational needs.  Your input may be solicited, but the process is driven by the adults and schools in your life.

College, or any post-high school endeavor, means a new version of the “3 Rs’” – rights, responsibilities, and rules – for young people with disabilities. (Check out   http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/530901.pdf regarding  reasonable accommodations in the college setting.)

To obtain some expert advice on successful self-advocacy strategies, I spoke with Gavin Steiger, the Director of Disability Services at University of Houston- Clear Lake. Mr. Steiger was kind enough to offer some great insights about how to advocate for yourself effectively.  Here are some tips from our conversation:

·         Start Early: As Mr. Steiger points out, it is important to get comfortable advocating for yourself as soon as possible which ideally should well before you start college. The more initiative you can take in high school, in terms of participating in IEP meetings or speaking up for yourself with classmates, the more comfortable you will be speaking about your disability in college.

·         First, Know Yourself:  In college, the choice to disclose or not disclose your disability is completely up to you. You decide whether to have the conversation, who to have it with, and how much to share. Should  you decide to have the conversation, though, how you describe your disability and the accommodation  or help that you may need could go a long way toward making the conversation easier for the other person.. and for you. 

 

One great piece of advice from Mr. Steiger is this: the more knowledgeable you are about your disability  and how it affects you in terms of required assistance, the more comfortable you will become with addressing the subject.

 

 

The conversation will differ depending on the context and who you are talking  with (roommate, professor, dining staff, etc). But as Mr. Steiger points out, the more comfortable you are with yourself and your disability, the easier it will be to have  an open conversation about the accommodations you need. This may help the other person to better understand where your coming from and respond effectively.

 

·         When in Doubt . . . Talk it Out

But what happens when you muster the confidence to request a reasonable accommodation and a professor or other college staff member is unwilling to provide what you need? Mr. Steiger advises that a little explanation usually goes a long way.

In most cases, he notes, if you are able to have a conversation with the person in a clear, assertive but respectful and positive fashion ( i.e. how what you are asking for will enable and empower your success),  people will  be willing to be a partner in your success by accommodating you.

If not, however, Mr. Steiger emphasizes that you should feel good about reaching out to the Disability Services Office at your school for help. These offices are there to assist you in making sure you get what you need to succeed. Often, all that is needed is for a professional to reframe the conversation and the context so that it becomes clear what accommodation is need.

In the event that neither of these strategies is successful, you have the right to ask the Office to take further action, and you even have the option of legal action as a last resort. When it comes to self advocacy, though, remember:

 

Self Advocacy= Empowerment= Success

Please share your stories, comments, or questions about what it’s like to self- advocate! 

Most importantly, thanks so much to Gavin Steiger for his excellent advice and valuable perspective!

What College is All About: Finding and Pursuing Your Passions

 

When I started college, I was focused primarily on my academic goals and social plans (the friends I would make, the city I would explore, etc.)

What I didn’t anticipate, but what actually were my favorite and most-formative aspects of college, were the experiences that helped me discover and pursue new passions. One of those experiences was my work as a Resident Assistant, which helped me discover that I wanted to pursue a career working with college students.

A good friend just sent me an article that tells the story of two students with disabilities who are pursuing their passions at UC San Diego, one through his participation in the Semester at Sea Program, among other things, and another who is pursuing her dreams of a career in medicine.

The article is a great reminder that drive and dreams trump disabilities. It also is a testament to the support these students received from their university.

While the stories of these two students, Jacob Robinson and Alesha Thomas, are inspiring, there is a larger point to be taken from the article: Every student, whether with disabilities or without, should use his or her college years not just to meet the requirements to graduate or to enjoy being part of the campus community, but also to explore different paths to identify and then pursue what they are most passionate about. It requires courage and effort, but those investments will be returned many times over in terms of a fulfilling career and life. A closely related point is that in selecting a college, it’s important to look beyond majors and campus size and distance from home and consider how well-suited the school is to facilitating that sort of exploration. 

In the spirit of inspiring exploration.. here's a picture of a ship used in the Summer at Sea program from;

http://www.semesteratsea.org/our-ship/

 

 

What do you think? What passion did you pursue, or are you pursuing, or do you plan to pursue, in college? Share your stories, and tell what resources would best help you in your pursuit, in the comments section below.

Preparing Students with Disabilities for College and the Workforce: Join the Online Dialogue

Last month the US Department of Education (DOE) and other federal agencies hosted the first “national online dialogue” on how to better prepare students with disabilities for college and the workforce. The DOE’s blog post about the dialogue, and its role in meeting the President’s goal of having the federal government hire an additional 100,000 workers with disabilities by 2015, can be found here.

Although the dialogue itself ran from May 13 to May 27, comments still can be posted on the blog site. Also, if you visit the DOE’s blog, take a minute to click on the “Join the online dialogue” link, which will take you to ePolicyWorks (http://www.epolicyworks.org/), a resource of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy that you might find valuable.

Ideas to emerge from the dialogue include:  

·         Expand the number of community college offerings for students with disabilities to give them a cost-effective, local option for education in case finances and the nature of their disability preclude them from attending and living at a four-year college.

·         Include health care issues on the student’s IEP to help the student formulate a plan for how to manage these issues as an adult.

·         Improve communication between local and state agencies involved in helping students with disabilities make a successful transition to college or the workforce after high school.

My two cents after thinking about this issue of transition, and my own experiences after high school: High school students with disabilities would benefit from a mentoring program in which they’re connected with current college students, or recent college graduates, with disabilities, who could provide advice and support on making a successful transition.

What do you think is critical to making a successful transition into college? We’re going to be addressing this issue in an entry that will be posted later this month, so please send me your comments and feedback in the next few days.

 

 

Welcome to College-Able!

Hello, and welcome to College-Able, a blog by, for, and about college students with disabilities!

My hope is that this blog will be a forum in which students -- as well as parents, faculty, and administrators -- will come together to discuss ways to enhance the college experience for people with disabilities. The blog will address topics pertinent to all students – from how to choose the college that’s right for you to living with a roommate for the first time and making the best of cafeteria food – but will do so with an emphasis on considerations specific to the student with mobility limitations, learning-related diagnoses, or other challenges.

In addition to addressing these topics, the blog will be a place where students with disabilities can find resources, support, and a community where they can discuss issues. Together, we can work through the dilemmas, make the most of the opportunities, and celebrate the accomplishments that all are part of college life.

A little bit about me… I’m a 23-year-old graduate student with cerebral palsy. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in political science a little over a year ago, and am now working toward a master’s degree in higher education administration. I spent three of my four undergraduate years working as a Resident Assistant, and that mostly wonderful, sometimes challenging and always rewarding experience focused me on the higher education career I’m now pursuing. I hope to one day work with college students with disabilities. Until then, this blog will be my platform for sharing college experiences, thoughts about college life, and perspectives from other people in the field of higher education.

Most importantly, I’d love to hear about your ideas and experiences, along with any blog topics you would like to see covered here! Upcoming posts will examine topics including how to choose the best college for you and making the most of the summer before your first year, but please provide more ideas for the pipeline. All feedback is welcome. Thanks for visiting and check back soon for updates!