<p>This book is a good starting point as it puts several hundred colleges in 3 categories, depending on the amount of support that can be provided. </p>
<p>I have listed schools that offer structured programs, the most comprehensive services available. </p>
<p>Adelphi University (NY)
American International University (MA)
American University (DC)
Augsburg College (MN)
Barry University (FL)
Beacon College (FL)
Brenau University (GA)
College Misericordia (PA)
College of Mount St. Joseph (OH)
Curry College (MA)
Davis and Elkins College (WV)
Dean College (MA)
Dowling College (NY)
Fairleigh Dickinson University (Florham and Metropolitan Campuses, NJ)
Finlandia University (MI)
Florida A&M University (FL)
Gannon University (PA)
Georgian Court College (NJ)
Hofstra University (NY)
Iona College (NY)
Landmark College (VT)
Long Island University-C.W. Post (NY)
Loras College (IA)
Louisiana College (LA)
Lynn University (FL)
Manhattanville College (NY)
Marist College (NY)
Marshall University (WV)
Marymount Manhattan College (NY)
Mercyhurst College (PA)
Missouri State University (MO)
Mitchell College (CT)
Mount Ida College (MA)
Muskingum College (OH)
National-Louis University (IL)
New Jersey City University (NJ)
Notre Dame College (OH)
Northeastern University (MA)
Reinhardt College (GA)
Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
St. Thomas Aquinas College (NY)
Schreiner College (TX)
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (IL)
University of Arizona (AZ)
University of Denver (CO)
University of Indianapolis (IN)
University of the Ozarks (AR)
Ursuline College (OH)
Vincennes University (IN)
Waldorf College (IA)
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WV)
Westminster College (MO)</p>
<p>I would doubt anyone would be separated. It mentions certified directors and/or staff with the director being involved in admissions decisions. He or she may be more flexible than the regular admissions staff in who they admit. The students take an active part in developing plans to meet their needs and often sign a contract, agreeing to actively participate in the program. They mention students who had structured programs in high school such as individualized or modified coursework, tutorial assistance, monitoring, note-taking assistance, and test accomodations, might benefit from these schools so I'm assuming these same types of services may be available.</p>
<p>I actually found the book very unhelpful. It just gives general admissions info, most of which is copied from other guides - - and very little about LD services beyond identifying which schools offer structured/comprehensive programs.</p>
<p>I agree NYC, it was pretty frustrating- some of the college guides basically consists of majors listed etc & not a lot of info about what programs consist of.</p>
<p>My Ds school for example, has many characteristics that would be helpful to students with LDs.
Small size, same prof in your major as advisor for 4 years, some classes have open book/take home exams, tutors and organizational/add coaches available ( no charge), ADHD support groups and staffed health clinic on campus. But we only found that out because we were intrigued enough by other things at the school to look deeper.</p>
<p>I wish someone would write a book on how to look at programs for someone that has learning differences and the difference between what schools are legally required to offer by Civil rights act 504 & what students may need to perform optimally.</p>
<p>My D's school, which is included in the guide, has wonderful services, but her college's LD programming/service listing in the guide is indistinguishable from that of any other school in the "services" group. (Schools in the "services" group are described as "generally complying with the federal mandate requiring reasonable accomodations.")</p>
<p>I found the guide sorely lacking in info such as distribution requirements, geneds and graduation requirements, which can be difficult to research, but which which is essential when selecting a school for a LD student. Also, by calling all LACs/unis which were appropriate for D, I discovered that at least a couple would evaluate a student upon admission (as opposed to after enrollment) to determine wheter s/he would qualify for waivers, course substitutions, etc. Again, essential for the LD student. </p>
<p>I will be returning my guide to B&N for a refund/credit.</p>
<p>When I first opened the book, I was disappointed. There are 356 schools listed and they all looked very similar. One quarter of each school's listing has admissions stats, but doesn't mention majors. They list tuition and room and board prices. The other 3/4 of the info is in regards to learning disabilities, but this is very general for the majority of schools. All of them list the number of students receiving services, which is interesting. </p>
<p>The most helpful part of this book is in the back on page 804-812. This is where they divide the schools into 3 categories. Only 53 schools have the type of higher services my daughter is currently receiving. The lowest category looks like they only provide what is required by law and those services are very basic. Then you have the in-between schools, which are quite numerous. No matter which schools we decide to look at, we've got to ask a lot of questions. There could be services available that aren't listed in this guide. This guide is good for those of you who are afraid to mention learning disabilities prior to being admitted. I feel it's a good place to start. Does anyone know of any other guides that may be helpful?</p>
<p>I was able to find a list which included many of the "comprehensive services" programs just by doing an on-line search - - fast, easy, and free.</p>
<p>I guess the book is a good starting place for some, but I had higher expectations. In some cases the guide doesn't even indicate the fee for the LD service program or even whtehter the IS a fee! Likewise, for too many of the schools profiled, there are far too many "NR" (not reported?) listings for basic info such as # of LD app, # of LD admissions, # of students receiving LD services. I can see where this might be the case for the third tier "services' school, but there are lots of "NR" listings for the "comprehensive "services" schools as well.</p>
<p>Even if most "comprehensive services programs charge fee, there is qute a range. I believe Fairleigh Dickinson's program is free (but maybe that's a mid-level program); at some schools, the fee is a low as a few hundred $$/semester and at others, it is as high as several thousand $$/semester!</p>
<p>Where is all this great online information? I need some good web sites. At our high school, I'd guess as many as 5% of students receive services and of those, 4% pusue higher education. If this is representative of the population nationally, I can't believe there aren't more informational resources available.</p>
<p>What are you parents doing? Looking up nearby schools on the web to see what they offer?</p>
<p>We are looking up the websites of each school that looks academically appropriate, which for my son means very strong students and more flexible curriculum (i.e., more like Brown or Wesleyan and less like great books a la St. Johns or Western canon a la Chicago or Columbia). We'll follow that up with specific calls to the Disabilities Services office to get a sense of staffing levels, etc.. We'll follow TranisitionSuccess's advice and meet with relevant folks whenever we make a college visit. I don't know if we will visit all schools prior to applying so some visits could be only after acceptance.</p>
<p>Plus, we will ask people. On the initial list you posted, the University of Arizona has a reputation for being accommodating. So does the University of Vermont. Clark in Worcester, MA also has a good reputation -- it was the first school in the country to have a special office for Disability Services. This can change year to year. I spoke to the mother of a boy with very high IQ who is ADD and has some other issues. She met with the newly hired head of Disability Services in the spring before he accepted at a midwestern Engineering School. As she's been trying to finalize various things, she wasn't getting return calls. She finally was told that the newly hired head had quit and a new, part-time person was going to be the acting head, but had no direct experience with helping bright kids with LDs succeed at college. So, whether that school remains a good choice depends on why the person quite and how they replace her. </p>
<p>We'd also love to know what other folks are doing.</p>
<p>My oldest attended college from a quite different background than my daughter who will be attending college next year ( she is taking a year off)
When oldest took SATs with extended time, it was noted on her report- and even though she attended a private prep school and so didn't have specific accommodations, it was not a problem to get accommodations for SAT.</p>
<p>Not so with her sister. Lots of documentation needed & difficult to get accommodations at her public high school. Also not noted on score report, although frankly I don't think it made that much of a difference. What did make a difference was that she had to take the new SAT, which with the additional section made it a very long test even without extended time.</p>
<p>I have found this website to have helpful information through their school years. LD</a> OnLine
Loren Popes college guides, while not specifically for kids with disabilties, do emphasize schools with support. Colleges</a> That Change Lives
I would also suggest that even if your child does not have physical disabilties, that one way to research the philosophy of the school is to see if they take students with physical limitations into account when adding new buildings/designing campus. Schools that really try, rather than do the minimum required, seem to be easier to work with, or at least get information from.</p>
<p>There are a few that offer limited services. Apparently most decided they don't need these students. Not every school needs to cater to every student. I'm o.k. with that.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Colleges That Change Lives schools have fairly rigorous admissions standards. I checked them out last year when my son, a regular student, was looking at colleges. My d is a B- student, which isn't that unusual for students with learning disabilities</p>
<p>It's not just about "catering" to students, I think that many unis have instituted "comprehensive service" LD programs b/c the programs can generate a not insignif income. At one of the programs (in FL, I believe), the LD program was $8K/semester on top of tuition/room/board and other required expenses. And while a student might receive finaid to offset the cose of tuition/room/board, I don't believe there is finaid for the LD programs.</p>
<p>As for the B-, I wouldn't be discouraged. You'd be surprised how many top schools admit B students. My own D was admitted to a top LAC w/ not much more than a B- average (her schools gives number grades and D's gpa was about 82, roughly B/B-, with only 2 AP courses; her school didn't weight gpa or rank), though she did have strong SAT scores. The CTCL schools certainly admit B- students, even if not in the number they used to and even if B- grades puts a student win the bottom 1/3 or bottom 1/5 of the candidate pool. </p>
<p>OTOH, as I have said to D - - getting in is easy; the goal is to get out (graduate). The CTCL schools and many other great schools (schools w/o gen eds and distrib reqs) do not offer the comprehensive LD programing that you feel your D needs. If that kind of structured programming is necessary for your D to be successful in college, the CTCL schools probably aren't a good fit, regardless of admissions criteria.</p>
<p>FoolishPleasure, would you mind sharing D's SAT scores, ECs and/or LAC name? I have been worried that my kid, w/ a slight LD and B- average, would not be able to get into any kind of top LAC. What sort of score is needed to overcome the GPA?</p>
<p>D's her scores were CR590, M680, W660. Also, D is black and applied ED, since are from NYC, where strong candidates are a dime a dozen.</p>
<p>D presents very well, so we focused on schools with evaluative interviews, and D was well-received at all but one or two of the schools on her initial list. A couple of schools made it clear that, if she applied ED, she would likely be admitted (this is after they had her grades/scores). Only one school on her list was not a USN&WR top tier school, the others were all w/i the top 30.</p>
<p>foolishpleasure, your d had very good scores. My d has only taken the PSAT and her scores were much lower. I like the point about interviews, as my d is very verbal and makes a great first impression. This has added to her problems in school, though. She's able to convince teachers she understands what's going on or is on task for big projects.</p>