Tips for Going Back to School as a Student with a Disability

There are a few reasons why a student with a disability might find going back to school challenging. According to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, students might not know what services or resources their school offers. Since many courses, programs or campuses may not have been originally designed with accessibility in mind, the level of accessibility can vary between schools. Many schools are also not generally required to provide accommodation for disabilities until they are disclosed by the student, so efforts may not be made to increase accessibility or prove accommodation until they are requested.

Beginning or transferring may also be difficult if the school does not have similar systems in place to accommodate students.

As you may have experienced, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitles all children with disabilities to free appropriate public education to meet their unique needs. This means your disability may have previously been supported with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan, however, colleges aren’t required to provide this same level of assistance. Instead, you’d be responsible for setting up the support systems that you need.

One way to see what resources the school you’re considering offers is to check out their Disability Support Office (DSO) information, usually hosted on the college’s website. AccessibleCollege.com recommends looking at the office’s mission statement, as this can give you insight into their approach work with students. The DSO site should also talk about the accommodation request process, what documentation you’ll need to submit and any other relevant information.

Many colleges are used to abiding by disability requirements laid out by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which outlines regulations for dorms, accessible routes or assembly area requirements for the campus, among other things. For an additional resource, you may also want research the school on websites such as the University Disability Database compiled by Johns Hopkins University, which includes criteria for accessibility in both virtual and in-person environments, grievance policies and accommodation request information.

The Institute for Educational Leadership’s most recent Higher Ed Inclusion Guide believes that inclusion for all students is a campus-wide responsibility, and involves the recruiting of students, staff and real efforts to raise diversity awareness throughout the student body.

When researching different schools, keep an eye out for the school’s philosophy on disability, including how they talk about their inclusivity efforts and if they’re proactive about putting them into place.

It can be helpful to develop an “inclusion checklist”, or list of checkpoints that you review each school against. Here is a brief checklist of some of the things you should keep in mind when looking into different schools’ inclusion efforts:

Help you reach your education goals, we are dedicated to providing appropriate reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with documented disabilities, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and all applicable federal, state or local laws.

Our Office of Student Disability Services can provide additional information about DeVry’s Nondiscrimination policy and assist you with accommodation requests during your admissions process or after enrollment. To learn more, email [email protected].