PACER Center
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Champions for Children with Disabilities
This Checklist from the U.S. Department of Education was developed to help students and parents get ready for college. It includes:
- "to do" lists for all ages (elementary school to adult students)
- basic information about federal student aid and money for college
- tips for filling out financial aid forms
- and more...
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Postsecondary Education
Completion of a postsecondary degree has been linked to higher employment rates and higher income in the general population. At the same time, individuals with disabilities are less than half as likely to obtain a postsecondary degree, and thus are less likely to be employed or to have a similar income, as are individuals without disabilities.
Going to college today can mean attending a 4-year college or university, a 2-year community college, or a technical institute or trade school. It can mean working toward a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree (A.A.), or a certificate showing you've mastered the skills needed for a technical career. It can mean studying full-time or part-time, or living at school or commuting from home. It can even mean going to a community college to learn a new skill after you've gotten a degree and worked for a while.
Earning and learning go hand-in-hand. The more years of schooling you complete, the higher your income is likely to be -- and the less likely you are to be unemployed. A graphic image developed by Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY dramatically illustrates the relationship between years of education, employment rates, and income.
Post-Secondary Education Links:
PACER Resources
- Preparation is key to gaining accommodations on ACT college entrance test
- ADA, Section 504 & Postsecondary Education
- College or Training Programs: How to Decide
- Help Your Young Adult Learn About Accessing Accommodations After High School
- Mapping Your Dreams - Education
- Off to College: Tips for Parents of Students with Visual Impairments
- Off to College: Tips for Students with Visual Impairments
- Parenting Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities: Becoming the Mentor, Advocate, and Guide Your Young Adult Needs, a Parent Brief developed by PACER Center in partnership with the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
- Post-Secondary Education Fact Sheet
- "Postsecondary Education: Preparation is a Necessary Ingredient for Success," a 2004 article from the PACESETTER newsletter
Minnesota Specific Resources
- A directory of disability service offices at colleges and universities in Minnesota and neighboring states from the Edina Public Schools web site
- Minnesota Career Fields and Pathways, a 2-page handout in PDF format outlining 2-year and 4-year career paths that can be pursued through the MNSCU system
- Minnesota Transfer-- this site helps students plan for taking classes that can be transferred for credit at other Minnesota colleges and universities
- Minnesota Higher Education Services Office
- Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, including a free guide to all Minnesota Colleges and Universities
- Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Individuals with Disabilities Reference Guide, this Reference Guide was prepared by the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General and by the Division of Academic and Student Affairs of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Office.
- Minnesota State College and University Programs by Career Fields, Clusters
and Pathways showing related classes available at each MNSCU college - Pathways to Success: Helping Your Minnesota Teen with College and Career Decisions
- University of MN Disabled Student Cultural Center
Preparing for College
-
A Guide for Students who are Deaf-Blind Considering College, a recently updated resource from the Helen Keller National Center
- College Navigator is a free consumer information tool designed to help students, parents, and others get information on nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States.
- Colleges, Career Colleges,Tech Colleges and Schools by State, a website of the American Educational Guidance Center
- College and College Prep Resources for Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD from the LDOnline.
- College Planning Resources for Students with Disabilities from the Virginia Department of Education
- Education/Training Connections a resource page from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities web site
- Going to College an online resource from Virginia Commonwealth University for teens with disabilities to learn about college life and what to do to prepare for it. It’s also a resource for parents to help their son or daughter learn about college and prepare for success.
- Higher Learning = Higher Earning; What You Need to Know about College and Careers, a guide for middle and high school students from the American Youth Policy Forum
- Knowing Your Options: What to do and Where to Go, an information module from the HEATH Resource Center
- Letter to Parents from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights
- "Mapping Your Future," a neutral, non-proprietary, and non-commercial Web site sponsored by student loan guaranty agencies – many of which are nonprofit or state agencies – from around the country. While not focused on disability issues, it provides resources on career selection, college planning, and money management tools helpful for all students and families.
- The National Collegiate Athletic Association provides answers to frequently asked questions from student athletes with education-impacting disabilities.
- Non-Degree Postsecondary Options For Individuals with Disabilities, an article from the HEATH Resource Center
- Opportunities in Career and Technical Education at the Postsecondary Level, information from the Heath Resource Center
- Parents and Families’ Frequently Asked Questions Podcast -
PACER has collaborated with Think College to create a podcast designed to answer questions families may have about postsecondary education opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities. Think College is an initiative of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Postsecondary experiences can improve employment outcomes as adults. This podcast answers some basic questions families may have as they begin this process. - Pathways to College Network web site has a "College Planning Resources Directory" as well as an online library with resources on topics such as college access programs, preparing for college, paying for college, and resources for underserved and special populations including students with disabilities.
- Postsecondary education for students with intellectual disabilities
The HEATH Resource Center at George Washington University has a new 36-page publication that answers many commonly asked questions about college experiences for students with intellectual disabilities. - Preparing for College: An Online Tutorial, from the DO-IT Program at the University of Washington
- Social Security Work Incentives and Postsecondary Students with Disabilities
- U.S. Department of Education web site with information on preparing for and funding education beyond high school. It has information geared to students from elementary school to high school as well as their parents to help families make prepare for and make informed decisions regarding academic preparation, choosing a school and applying for financial aid.
- Student Self-Assessment (Section of an excellent on-line guide to preparing for post-secondary education developed by the WNY Collegiate Consortium of Disability Advocates)
- Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities, a booklet from the U. S. Dept. of Education
- Pre-College Programs for Students with Disabilities, a resource paper from the HEATH Resource Center
- ThinkCollege.net
Youth with intellectual disabilities have not had many chances to go to college. This website provides information and links to those interested in finding out more about the possibilities - Think College! College Options for People with Intellectual Disabilities an initiative of the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a leader in the area of postsecondary education for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. The web site has sections for students, families, and professionals as well as a searchable database of college options where you can see what is going on in your area.
- Tips for Parents to Help Students with Intellectual Disabilities Think About College
- Transition Coalition
The Transition Coalition provides online information on topics focusing on the transition from school to adult life including a database containing descriptions of over 100 community-based transition programs for students ages 18-21 from across the United States and down-loadable publications for families and professionals.
Financial Aid
- College Affordability and Transparency Center, this new US Department of Education Web site helps students and their families determine which colleges have the highest and lowest tuition, how much career and vocational education programs cost, and how fast college costs going up.
- College Funding for Students with Disabilities, fact sheet from the University of Washington's DO-IT program
- Disability.gov provides a list of resources with information on federal, state and local scholarships and loans for students with disabilities.
- Fastweb, an online database of college scholarship information
- Federal Financial Aid and College: An Overview for Students with disabilities, a fact sheet from HEATH Resource Center
- Financing Your Education: Options for Students Who Are Deaf of Hard of Hearing, Northeast Technical Assistance center (NETAC)
- Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid
- Funding Your Education, section of Minnesota's Disability 101: web site providing information to Minnesota youth with disabilities and their families looking at a variety of ways to pay for postsecondary education.
- INCIGHT Resources for Financial Aid
- The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI) has a web page listing financial resources specifically for students with disabilities.
- "Opportunities; Preparing for Higher Education Guide and Workbook," an annual guide from the Education Credit Management Corporation.
Also available in Spanish. - Proyecto Visión provides information on scholarships that are specifically aimed at Latinos and students with disabilities on its bilingual web site
- Scholarship.com
- Scholarships for students with disabilities compiled by Michigan State University
- Scholarships for Students with Disabilities from Disaboom.com
- Show Me the Money! Options for Paying for College, an online learning module developed by the HEATH Resource Center to help youth with disabilities and their families learn about financial aid options for paying for college.
- Student Aid.gov a U.S. Department of Education web site that can provide students with an early estimate of their eligibility for federal student financial assistance and reduce the amount of time it will take to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the qualifying form for all federal student financial aid.
Civil Rights and Academic Accomodations
- ADA, Section 504 & Postsecondary Education
- Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
- Auxiliary Aids and Services for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities
- Making Accommodations: The Legal World of Students with Disabilities, ACADEME
- Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
- U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (complaints about access and accommodations are handled by the OCR)
- The Why, When, What, and How of Disclosure in an Academic Setting, After High School, an article from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy web site.
Best Practices: Making the Most of the College Experience
- Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), a national membership organization for individuals involved in the development of policy and in the provision of quality services to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in higher education. Resources on the AHEAD web site include Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for parents, disability documentation, other best practices, and the rights of postsecondary students with disabilities. Also includes information on state affiliate organizations.
- College and College Prep Resources for Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD from the LDOnline.
- HEATH Resource Center, a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities
- Internship resources for postsecondary students with disabilities from the INCIGHT web site
- National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
- PEPNet Resource Center, a federally funded consortium of four regional centers providing information on postsecondary issues of interest to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. One page handouts and other resources on postsecondary accommodations and issues for students who are deaf and hard of hearing are available on the web site of the Northeast Technical Assistance Center affiliated with PEPNet
- ThinkCollege.net
- Virginia's College Guide for Students With Disabilities
-
We Connect Now is a Web site intended to help college students with disabilities to succeed in higher education and employment by providing relevant information resources and student stories.
Postsecondary Education Policy Issues for Students with Disabilities
- Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
- HEATH Resource Center, a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities
- The Higher Education Opportunity Act
- National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
- National Council on Disability
- Pathways to College Network
- Postsecondary Education Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require