The term “special needs” is vague.  Educators often use it to include any student with a physical, emotional, or mental disability which requires additional resources to overcome.  Unfortunately, no two students have the same “special needs.”  A few colleges specialize in helping students with particular disorders (notably Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADD/ADHD), and a few even maintain dormitories for students recovering from addiction.  However, most simply have one “Disability Services” office which handles all “disabled” students.

The quality of those offices, and the services they provide, vary greatly.  Start by purchasing the K & W Guide to Colleges For Students With Learning Differences (Princeton Review), published annually, which includes detailed information on the services provided by hundreds of colleges nationwide.  Colleges offering structured programs or coordinated services merit special attention.

The next steps are harder, but I can help you with them:

1. Assemble documentation that a college will accept as evidence of a disability. Most colleges will require more than the IEP or 504 plan your student used to obtain assistance in high school.
2. Use that documentation to obtain accommodations on standardized tests (typically extra time).
3. Ask your student’s high school guidance or college counselor to write a letter to college admissions departments explaining how your student has struggled with his or her disability; the letter should highlight successes and explain poor grades or discipline issues. Teacher recommendations are particularly useful here.  Although a transcript marred by absences from school (e.g., wilderness camps or hospitalization) will always present a problem, a reasonable explanation can really help your student’s case.
4. Plan ahead — for any course where your student received a final grade of “D” or “F”, your student should take a makeup course in the same subject online from a reputable university (e.g., Brigham Young University); high schools may substitute the grade earned online for the bad grade, or average the two grades.
5. Draw up a list of prospective colleges, and visit them.

The key to college selection is finding an environment where your student can find success.  Because your student will face more challenges than some, that inquiry has to be thorough and rigorous.  The goal is to determine whether there is a good match between your student’s strengths and weaknesses and the ability and resources of the college to meet your student’s needs.

The fact that your student has special needs does not necessarily rule out large, mainstream colleges.  Different students have different needs. Although many will benefit from a small, nurturing atmosphere, a student who is less social or even anxious around others may be uncomfortable with a small college where no student goes unnoticed.  Further, a large school in an urban area may be more likely to offer specialized services, such as on-site psychiatric care (including medications), than a college in a small farm town.  There are many variables specific to your student which need to be taken into account.

A key element in determining the suitability of a college will be the quality and extent of its disability services.  I spend months on the road each year visiting colleges and disability coordinators, and can help you decide which colleges will best serve your student’s needs.

Indeed, the best way to evaluate a college is for you and your student to stroll onto campus and visit with the disability coordinator and counselors. There is no substitute for you and your student sitting across the table from the people who will be your student’s “lifeline” for the next four years.  (Of course, I can give you a list of topics to cover.)

Do not approach the process with preconceived notions of what you will find. You may well be pleasantly surprised.

I am available to help you and your student.