Schools

RFH-Sponsored Forum to Help Students with Disablilities 'Get College Right'

Noted expert Elizabeth C. Hamblet Returns to the high school.


Accommodations and services are provided in a very different manner in colleges than they are in high schools.

For most students, the changes may not be significant. For others, they can be overwhelming.

Some may find that the services and accommodations they were counting on are not readily available at the colleges they chose to attend.

The bottom line is this: When navigating a student with disabilities through the college experience, you always need to be 100 percent certain that you are working with current and correct information.

As she did for an appreciative audience two years ago at RFH, noted expert Elizabeth C. Hamblet will cut through the rumors and hype and deliver the facts at Getting College Right: Preparing Students with Disabilities for the College World.

The event will be held in the RFH Lower Library on Oct. 24, 2013 at 7 p.m.

The RFH Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Friends of Different Learners committee has teamed with the RFH Special Services department to provide the presentation for students, parents, teachers and advisors.

Attendees will leave knowing which factors help students with disabilities to succeed in college, what accommodations are commonly available, and what paperwork students need to provide to administrators in order to request accommodations.

A recognized author, speaker, and consultant, Hamblet has worked on both sides of the college transition process — first as a high school special education teacher and case manager, and then as college learning disabilities specialist.

Her experience has shown that students with learning disabilities and ADD can thrive in educational environments that not only accommodate their differences but also support their strengths.

Reliable information is the key to a successful search and an optimal college experience.

Hamblet will provide definitive answers to these questions and more:

• Can students with disabilities transfer their IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) to college?

• Are colleges required to accept a certain quota of students with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements?

• Will my student, who has been diagnosed with ADD and other disabilities, be eligible for services and accommodations at the college of her choice?

• My student was told not to discuss his disability in his college essay. Is this solid advice?

Since 2008, Hamblet has been making presentations at high schools to help dispel the myths and examine the facts on what colleges provide — and what they don’t — for students with disabilities.

At Columbia University in New York City, she works with students to help them develop solid learning strategies, time management, and other skills.

Hamblet is also a contributing writer for the journal Disability Compliance for Higher Education and the author of 7 Steps for Success: High School to College Transition Strategies for Students with Disabilities.

The event is free to all, in and out of district. Please go to www.RFHFODLCollege.eventbrite.com to register.




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