Competitive Disability Friendly Colleges

College Search & Selection
1

I’m a senior in high school who is in a wheelchair and has a severe chronic illness. I’ve looked through the existing posts on here regarding disability friendly colleges, but I already have a list of schools I’m applying to, so I was hoping to get some more specific information about those schools. I’ve also already looked at these schools’ disability services websites, so I’m aware of the information I can get from those.

What I’m really hoping for is to hear the experiences other people have had with the disability services at these schools, so it would be really great if anyone would be willing to share their experiences either with disability services and/or wheelchair accessibility at the following schools.

-University of Washington
-Northwestern
-NYU
-Brown
-USC (Southern California, not South Carolina)
-Stanford
-Harvard
-University of Maryland - College Park
-Boston University
-Sarah Lawrence
-Cal Poly SLO

2

You should consider the weather. It is difficult to get around campus in a wheelchair in the snow. USC and Stanford make a lot of sense. I know a young man using a wheelchair who did well at USC. I think of the Cal Poly campus as pretty hilly (not sure if that is a challenge), but no snow. How about the Claremont consortium schools?

3

Williams College is almost fully accessible by wheelchair and they offer housing accommodation. Princeton recently opened an accessibility center and they’ve made great strides in becoming disability friendly.
I wish you the best of luck!

4

BU used to be terrific, disability-services-wise. I attended their PT school while Rick Hoyt of Team Hoyt marathon fame was an undergrad, and I worked for a number of other students with various disabilities through the disabilities office, doing academic-assistant stuff, as well as through the state-funded PCA system. I’m not sure what it’s like today, though. I think Northeastern may have pulled ahead in terms of proactive disability services; and NU also has a more compact and inherently-accessible campus than BU’s. Harvard… ehhh… I’m not sure. They love their occasional disability feature story (i.e. Brooke Ellison), but when it comes to sustained supportiveness… I’m skeptical.

Have you looked at Rice? It attracts a lot of students who need ongoing medical attention, because of the proximity of the huge and top-notch Houston Medical Center. The weather is vastly more disability-friendly (except for those for whom heat in between air-conditioned buildings is a deal-killer) than Boston/NY/Providence/Chicago, and the physical accessibility of the campus is terrific - mostly-level, ramps and automatic doors everywhere, etc. They seem to attract more students in the chronic-illness-with-disability-as-a-consequence category than in the stable-permanent-disability-but-not-ill category. Which is to say, there’s not a ton of disability community on campus, but they do serve individuals with medical and access needs well on an individual basis.

Stanford is a huge campus where even the bipeds need bicycles to get around, so powered mobility would be a must; but if that’s part of the plan anyway it could be a great choice if you can get in (which is not a slam-dunk for anybody but recruited athletes). Stanford Medical Center is, tbh, not my favorite place in terms of culture and disability-positive attitudes, but it’s certainly top-tier medically.

As suggested above, the Claremont Colleges are quite good vis-a-vis physical access and support. However, they’re not super-close to the best medical care the LA area has to offer. The smaller nearby hospitals are decidedly “meh.”

For schools that are making some meaningful strides in terms of disability inclusion at the med school level (not to say you’re interested in med school, but to me it’s a litmus test of a commitment to inclusion) look at Pitt and UMichican. https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/med-u/a-seat-at-table-why-u-ms-medical-school-wants-more-students-disabilities

What are you hoping to major in? Is it something that will require a lot of accommodations on an academic-engagement level, or is your need for support more just around daily-living and medical-care stuff?

5

Thanks to everyone for your insightful replies!

To give a little more insight into my needs in response to the end of @aquapt 's post, the biggest priorities for me are the wheelchair accessibility of the campus, air conditioning as an option in dorms, and just some then I just have a few accommodations for academics and day-to-day living. My main symptoms are extreme and near-constant lightheadedness (thus the wheelchair), “brain fog” (combination of ADD + what you’re brain feels like when you have the flu), and fatigue. Because of this the main things would be things like extra time on tests, OCCASIONALLY extensions on assignments, and rarely, absences due to symptoms. I would also definitely like to be in a place where I at least have access to good medical care. I’m not someone who is in the hospital frequently, but obviously want to make sure I have a good doctor for prescriptions, basic care, and would want good specialty and emergency care if something went seriously wrong.

I’m also planning on majoring in film, and while I plan to focus on film studies and not production, I would like to take production classes. I’m aware these environments may be less accessible, but I can get out of my wheelchair and walk some, which has worked for me in band as a percussionist in a similarly inaccessible environment. For this the main thing I would need is just faculty who is willing to work with me and won’t be annoyed at accommodations and/or unwilling to give them.

Regarding Rice, unfortunately I lived in Texas for six years, and as a result, ruled out anywhere south of D.C. that’s not Southern California, which is also how I ended up with so many schools in snowy locations on my list. My family is definitely considering the power wheelchair option both for the potential issues of a) large campuses b) hills and c) snows in the locations I’m looking at. I have heard that some schools clear their campuses’ sidewalks when it snows, but if anyone has heard of any that are particularly bad or good about this, that would definitely be helpful information.

Regarding Williams and the Claremont schools, I didn’t love either one environment-wise and I decided that I wanted schools bigger than most small liberal arts schools, but I really appreciate your suggestions!

Thanks for all the specific information regarding schools. It’s good to hear that about BU and USC, and it was really helpful to hear your thoughts about Stanford’s med center and Harvard, @aquapt . I had actually only started looking at Harvard after seeing one positive article about them and some positive info about them on another thread on here, but I had also been somewhat skeptical of how constantly supportive they were, as you said.

6

If you’re interested in top-tier Boston-area colleges for film, definitely take a close look at Tufts. http://as.tufts.edu/fms/ I’m not personally familiar with their disability services, but I would be pretty optimistic. They have at least one long-time w/c user on the faculty, fwiw. (Also Emerson if a more specialized school would work for you… but I have zero opinion/insight re: the latter, disability-wise)

And do think about Northeastern. https://camd.northeastern.edu/mscr/ Unlike the other Boston-area schools, they have a fairly extensive underground tunnel system which could be a big help in the winter, in additional to on-campus housing that’s very convenient to the classroom buildings. Their disability services have a great reputation - I would expect them to be very forthcoming in terms of accommodations. There’s also an accessible Orange Line station right on campus, so getting around the city as much as you wanted to would be very straightforward. (The Green Line that runs through BU is not nearly as accessible; and getting into the city from Tufts is a bit more of a project, though still doable.)

I don’t know much about NYU as a campus, access-wise, but I can say that as cities and public transit systems go, I would 100x rather be a wheelchair user in Boston than NYC.

There are also the public flagships that attract sufficient “critical mass” to have a real disability community, wheelchair sports teams, and so on. UIUC is probably the most prominent of these and might be worth checking out. https://media.illinois.edu/degrees/media-and-cinema-studies-bs/undergraduate-programs

And UMinn Twin Cities, while the whole Minnesota idea might seem counter-intuitive, is another in the underground-tunnel genre and has all the medical resources of a major city, so maybe worth a look. https://cla.umn.edu/cscl/undergraduate/majors-minors/studies-cinema-media-culture

Pitt, previously noted for being on the leading edge of disability inclusion in their med school, could be a great low-match/safety (just based on the competitiveness of your list… and it has rolling admissions, so you could get an acceptance nailed down early) - if you have Stanford-level stats then you’d surely qualify for the Honors College at Pitt (1450+ SAT) which has its own housing. Great urban campus and access to medical services.

7

I do not think you can count on the sidewalks and crossings you need to be cleared of snow to be clear when you need them to be. Even with a power wheel chair, a snowy climate will add a lot of challenges. For example, I lived in MN and have a degree from the U there, and can tell you — the tunnels won’t take you everywhere, and the path clearing may not be what you need it to be on a timely basis. No college in a snowy climate is going to be great at that— 8 am class when it snowed the night before, and it could be tough. And a grind to deal with it all winter long.

Honestly, I’m wondering a little about your ability to keep academic pace at a tippy top college with the symptoms you’ve described, even with accommodations. But if you have the HS stats to apply and be admitted, then maybe that concern is misplaced.

8

Well, the academic pace question is a legitimate one, but another way to frame the question would be to ask whether, at any given school, if you ended up having to lighten your course load because of your health and take longer to graduate, would you be able to make that work financially? If the answer is yes, then you’re not flying without a net in terms of having ups and downs in your functional capacity. If the school is a financial stretch and you know you can’t afford more than 8 semesters, then your back is a bit more to the wall as far as having to “keep pace” no matter what.

Snow-wise… it’s a consideration for sure. I personally know dozens of wheelchair users with a variety of health conditions, who have lived and worked and attended and/or taught at colleges in the Boston area over the years. They make it work, in part because of the robust disability community, unparalleled medical care, and public transit accessibility in Boston, and also the top-tier LTSS benefits in the state of MA. Do they get sick of getting snowed in, fighting for better snow removal, and so on? Definitely. But then again, when things really get intractable blizzard-wise, things tend to shut down anyway. (After all, faculty don’t live on campus, and if they can’t get to class, then class isn’t happening.) But yes, the winters get long and inconvenient and tiresome, and it’s something to think about. For whatever reason, though, the universities that have become real hubs of the disability community in higher ed, apart from UC Berkeley (which is really not living up to its legacy as the Birthplace of the Disability Rights Movement anymore), have been cold-weather schools - UW-Madison and UIUC in particular. There’s something to be said for having peer support and funding for programs that go beyond individual accommodations. http://disability.illinois.edu/ But that aspect is far more important to some people than others, so YMMV.

If you don’t like the South, that eliminates a lot of alternatives, leaving California and the Pacific Northwest. UDub could definitely be a contender - looks to have a pretty good Cinema and Media Studies program, too.

9

Again, thanks so much for the advice. I’ve been trying to figure out the snow situation and it’s good to hear information about how you can handle it and the ways that it can’t really be handled. I don’t know either of your situations, but one of the options I have seen is the “wheelblade” add-ons for a manual chair. Do either of you have experience with those?

And the info about Northeastern, UIUC, and Pitt will definitely make me look at them. Regarding the academic courseload, my most recent courseloads have each been around 4 and 5 courses, with 1 AP, 2 college level, and 2 regular this past semester; 1 AP, 2 honors, and 1 college level this summer; and 3 AP plus 2 college level this coming year. My main concerns with workload are, first of all, quarter systems like Northwestern and Stanford, as I know those can be more intense, and second, ensuring that if something does go wrong, that I can get the help that I need. I’ve maintained this courseload for the most part, but I’ve obviously done a thousand times better with it when I have understanding teachers and administrators who are helpful if I have one small flare and need an extension (only happened twice this last semester, and just a day long extension), or if a larger emergency causes serious issues with getting work done. The larger emergency has happened once throughout all of high school (freshman year), and so I’m not anticipating one, but obviously want to ensure that whatever school I’m at is prepared for that if it happens. I’ve also definitely looked at schools like Northwestern and NYU because of their AP policies, which would mean I could do a much lighter courseload if for one quarter/semester if needed, and never have to do an extra quarter or semester.

Money with a reduced courseload is definitely an issue, and was another one of the reasons I looked at Harvard. I read that their financial aid extends into additional terms if you need them for medical reasons. I’m planning to reach out to schools for more specific information in the next couple of weeks on what they say they’ll provide accommodations-wise (although I know this can differ from what they will actually provide), and the financial aid question is definitely one I will ask. However, do either of you know how common or uncommon this policy is? I know Harvard has a LOT of money, so I’m assuming it’s uncommon.

Finally, regarding reaching out to disability services in advance of application and acceptance, how much information would you expect a school to give? I had reached out to USC with one quick question early in June, and they basically refused to answer my questions over email until I was accepted next April. They said if I met with them in person they would answer, which isn’t an option currently because I don’t live in California, or that they would talk to me over the phone, but I’ve certainly had issues with a lack of paper trail in high school when one accommodation was promised in person but not given and denied in an email. Is this a fairly standard practice, or should I be concerned?

10

You are getting great comments regarding disability services. I know almost nothing on this question, so can’t comment.

I do just want to ask, are any of the schools on your list matches or safeties? Almost every one of them is hyper-competitive or at least extremely competitive. UMD might be likely given your stats and perhaps in-state status. Sarah Lawrence is an excellent school and not so extremely competitive, so maybe that’s a safety/match. But every applicant would ideally have a school or schools that they’d be happy to attend, are affordable, and are accessible in terms of admissions. Do you have schools that meet these criteria?

Here are a couple of schools that came to mind, again can’t speak to disability services, but seem like academic fits. Note that at Colorado College, students take one class at a time, which is different, and perhaps appealing, perhaps not. It is also very competitive. Chapman is outstanding in your area of interest. Small campus and primo weather. I don’t know much more about it though.

https://www.coloradocollege.edu/academics/dept/filmandnewmedia/

https://www.chapman.edu/dodge/index.aspx

Good luck! (And I’ll add I’m impressed with your diligent research, which I just commented to another student, is a great indicator of future success in college.)

11

I would really really consider a school that is near your home so that you can get support when needed as well as being able to use your usual doctors.

Also make sure your budget can afford these schools…run the Net Price Calculator to check.

Also google wheel chair accessible colleges and visit if possible.
https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/for-parents/higher-education

You can also see if the colleges show accessibility maps, e.g.
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Facilities_Management/docs/DS-570R12_Front_18x28.pdf

I woudl try visiting a local college to get an idea of the types of things to look for…can you access the dorm? Cafeteria? Library? Gym? health center? Classes? Labs?
Look for stories on the itnernet of other people in a similar situation…maybe there is an accessible dorm room, but does it have enough room for any equipment you have?

12

@TTG , thanks for the reply! I’ve actually been wondering about if any of the schools on my list worked as safeties. My stats are a little weird just because of extenuating circumstances with my disability, but I have a 1530 on the SAT (780 CRW, 750 math, and I’m taking it again), 740 on Math I SAT Subject Test (also taking US History, Physics, and Math II), 3.96 GPA (unweighted). In my courseload I’ve had: 6 college level classes, 6 AP classes, 4 honors level classes, and 8 on-level classes. (Not sure if it matters, but with the on-level classes, 3 were high school level classes taken in 7th and 8th grade, 3 were band, where there’s no honors but I was in the highest level possible, 1 was a prereq for an AP class, and 1 was a course where I was blocked by my school from receiving honors level credit because there was a required project that involved extensive walking, which I obviously couldn’t do. I’m not sure if any of these things can be explained to colleges). Extracurriculars were impacted significantly by my disability, but I did 2.5 years in band at the highest level possible before having to quit for health and credit reasons (was on a reduced schedule 9th and 10th grade and had to begin working towards fulfilling those credits). I’m also waiting to find out about National Merit recognition and National Hispanic Recognition in the fall, as well as my class rank.

In my college search, Northwestern, Harvard, NYU, Brown, USC, and Stanford are the ones I have really liked, so most of the other ones were added on for possible safeties or cheaper tuition. UW is my instate school, so that’s mostly for the tuition. Cal Poly SLO is one I honestly know nothing about, but a lot of people in my school apply and the majority get in, so I added it for that reason. However, I’ve been unclear on how easy or hard it is to get into. Sarah Lawrence I chose because it seemed like great academics with a higher acceptance rate, and I’d heard their film program was good. UMD was chosen as a competitive state school with lower out-of-state tuition than a lot of good state schools, and as I’m in Washington, I wasn’t sure if a quest for geographical diversity and (I’m assuming) a lower number of Washington state applicants would help me in admissions. BU is another one I don’t know much about, but seemed like a less competitive school in a city I like, but it’s again been one were even with research I’ve had trouble gauging just how much of a safety it is. So, if you have any insight on how “safe” these schools would be based on my stats that would be really helpful. I’ll also definitely look into Colorado College and Chapman!

@bopper , thank you too for the info! I hadn’t seen the page from the Reeve Foundation so I’ll definitely look into those. Unfortunately staying near home isn’t a perfect option, because medical care for my chronic illness isn’t great here (not necessarily better elsewhere, but staying nearby isn’t a must) and we really only have 1 doctor who has been good. It’s also a really hilly area where it gets hot but almost no buildings have air conditioning, so right now I’m kind of stuck as a homebody because I can’t get around the city or stay in most buildings for long, thus the desire to go elsewhere.

I’ve also found some of the accessibility maps, which are amazingly helpful (Brown’s detailed one was the reason I started looking there, Georgetown’s was the reason I STOPPED looking there), but I’ve also noticed some schools don’t have them, or that the information provided by each school varies a lot. I had taken lack of info as a red flag, but do you have any opinion on whether or not this is an overreaction? I’m visiting a local college later this summer, and I’ve been trying to find anecdotes from students on the Internet, but if you have any suggestions on good places to find those that would be great. Thanks again for your suggestions!

13

Since you might be having a lot of medical visits during college, you will want to evaluate your health insurance coverage away from home as well. That is important for all students, but maybe more so for you.

14

Also I would say keep in mind that while in HS, you (and every other student) have had support from their family. Food appears. Someone keeps track of your medications and doctors appointments. They support you if you aren’t feeling well. They remind you about homework. They ask for accommodations, which are more flexible. When you go to college, you are on your own. So sometimes you think you can handle everything…but right now you are not handling everything.

Also, even if you have wonderful stats (like you do), there is still a low probablity of getting into those schools. Apply to some, of course, but have more matches and safeties. (we say that for all the kids).

Really take into account weather…Professors care if you are there and do the work, not that your wheelchair was stuck in the snow or the accessibility van was late.

15

How cautious to be about venturing away from home is a very individual thing. When a condition is chronic, sometimes you end up feeling like you just have to take the leap sooner or later. (Especially if you are underwhelmed with your medical care at home in the first place.) I think the thing to consider is that ideally, it would be nice not to be pushing both envelopes - both life-adjustment and financial - at once. It seems to me it would be easier to roll with the punches in terms of adjusting to college and getting established in a new place, if you at least knew you weren’t “up against it” financially in terms of light-loading if you needed to and so on. It seems like you’re already weighing all of those factors.

And yes, health coverage… if you’re on a parent’s insurance then you need to look at how that applies; if you’re independently eligible for medi/medi then some states are better than others in that regard.

I do think it’s true that if you have a setback at a quarter-system school, it’s harder to catch up. Semesters are a little more forgiving of ups and downs. Cal Poly SLO is on quarters - it’s supposed to switch at some point but I’m not sure when - it will be the last holdout among the CSU’s - several are switching this year.

TBH, if I were you and looking at schools in the CSU system, I would look closely at SLO vs. SDSU. SDSU is a semester school with an actual city (San Luis Obispo is a lovely town but certainly doesn’t have the resources of San Diego), a great Honors College http://honors.sdsu.edu/ , and a film major with both production-focused and Critical Studies focused tracks. https://ttf.sdsu.edu/index.php/degree_programs/tfm/tfm-emphasis-in-critical-studies I feel like SDSU might be a better experience access-wise (plus, major medical centers in San Diego), but I’m speaking without direct experience so I could be wrong. Admissions-wise it’s all numbers-based in the CSU system, and OOS students are a little disadvantaged (AP’s count for rigor but OOS honors classes don’t, or something like that), but with a 1530 SAT and an almost-4.0 unweighted GPA I wouldn’t be too worried.

An option that would give you a lot of financial breathing room would be U of Utah https://www.film.utah.edu/programs/ba-in-film-media-arts It’s already a great financial value through the WUE program + automatic merit $ for high-stats, and you can actually establish residency after the first year and bring it even lower to in-state rates. (Very few states permit this.) Great Honors College. Not as diverse as most of the schools you’re considering, but it could be a good financial safety. (Again, I have no direct experience of its accessibility… and I don’t really know what public transit is like in SLC, wheelchair-access-wise or even in general. And I don’t know much about how it compares to other major cities in terms of medical care either… but if Seattle isn’t good for your dx, I’m not sure I’d hold my breath for SLC to be better. But still, could be worth at least a few minutes of research.)

Northeastern and Pitt both give some good merit to high-stats applicants. NMF/NHRP will especially boost your merit aid at Northeastern (and USC). Chapman gives good merit too I believe. But yeah… I don’t really know anything about extending aid (need-based or merit-based) for medical reasons. I hadn’t heard about Harvard’s policy on that. And I am foggy here as to whether merit aid or need-based aid is the priority in your situation, as it tends to be an either-or proposition at most schools. Maybe you’re in the gray area where it could go either way… in which case it will be important to weigh which would be more advantageous for you, especially in the hypothetical more-time-to-graduate situation. (i.e. if you attended somewhere on merit and used up your merit semesters, could you then get need-based aid?)

And, it can be really tricky to “chance” aspiring film students and determine what counts as a safety. The competitiveness of that major often differs from the campus in general, if it’s a school that admits by major. It helps that you’re not gunning for a production track, though.

Another Boston-adjacent option would be the two excellent schools in Worcester, Clark U and College of the Holy Cross. (#3 in the triumvirate is WPI which isn’t a fit but is also part of the cross-registration cluster). Both could probably be considered safeties that would offer merit aid. (Clark maybe/probably gives more merit aid, but Holy Cross is better on the need-based side, as it’s a full-need-met school and even a no-loan school for low-income students.)
https://www.holycross.edu/academics/programs/film-studies
https://www.clarku.edu/programs/major-or-minor-screen-studies
UMass Medical Center is in Worcester, plus Boston is just a 45 minute commuter-rail trip away.
(However, I know literally nothing about disability access/accommodations at these schools.)

Your stats are great, plus URM bump and probably great essays based on your writing/insight here - I think you’ll have a lot of choices; you just have a complex constellation of factors to consider!

16

Looks like you’ve worked hard and done extremely well. Yes, you’d be a good bet for UMD and Sarah Lawrence. BU has gotten much more competitive in recent years, but you’re obviously a great candidate. Same with CPSLO. Run the NPC for all your schools. BU has a reputation for not giving much financial aid, and I know from first-hand experience that that is the case at NYU, although obviously you should check the NPC so you can check for you own personal info.

You’d be very well-qualified for all these schools. It’s just they can’t accept all the well-qualified students who apply. I like to cite a visit we did to a tip-top LAC. They said 70% of applicants were well qualified and would succeed academically and otherwise at the school. At the time, it accepted 14%. So 4 in 5 applicants the school thought well qualified could not be accepted. It’s a supply/demand thing that makes admissions so challenging at the most popular few score of schools.

And note the comment above that admission rates can be very different if an applicant has to apply directly to a specific program, like film.

Yeah, definitely check out those two. Colorado College may or may not work out for you with its one class at a time schedule. Chapman, especially, could be a good possibility. I know a student who chose Chapman specifically for some sort of film studies. I haven’t been there but talked to them and their dad a lot about it. Sounds like a great, well-connected program close to where a lot of films get done, in a nice little downtown area, with great weather. I’m not sure at all about how will it does working with students with disabilities. Good luck!

17

Also look in http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/ for info about film schools.

18

In this era, good disability services are available any and everywhere. For example, my neighbor gets around her university despite near zip prior experience with snow. Large schools use regular buses to transport students around school. Students with physical disabilities happily thrive at the University of Southern Maine and Iowa.

First, choose the school that calls to you and then explore the disability services of each. There may be housing that is accessible to students with heath or physical disabilities. Register with disability services when accepted to ask about accommodations. If the student will need an interpreter, for example, time is very helpful to identify appropriately skilled interpreters. Seems go me that a student with a disability can expect to find accommodations and services that meet functional limitations of the disability.

Legally, schools can not deny admission or refuse accommodations. The entire university is used to evaluate ability to pay for accommodations. Students with disabilities can expect quality services. Students who want airconditioning for hay fever and other allergies are toast with documentation.

19

I would venture that “this era” is getting worse rather than better, as colleges look for places to trim their budgets and legislators work to weaken disability protections. Disability services are available any and everywhere, in theory, but how that plays out in the real lives of students with disabilities can vary widely. It is technically true that legally, schools cannot refuse accommodations… but you want to spend your college years getting an education and having a life, not getting lawyers to overcome foot-dragging and obstructionism. Anyone who thinks this doesn’t happen in higher education does not have much exposure to the real-world experiences of PWD. Schools with a strong track record for willing and proactive disability accommodations are in the minority; and doing the behind-the-scenes research to identify and seek out those schools is well worth the effort.

20

It is always important to explode concerns disability services. My experience suggests that disability service providers are committed to providing accommodations to students with disabilities. Public schools do not provide FAPE, for example, although I heard that and more over the yeats. The disability services person at X university guaranteed all sorts of things. That did not obligate me. While I was on!y 99.9% sure that those promises were not made, if the student was guaranteed al! those things, s/he should promptly enroll at X.

Demand by parents are not necessarily reasonable. For example, one mother with child sobbing in the background demanded I call a department chair and take responsibility for the student 's performance in a recorded final. The girl had not been told she was allowed to alter the volume despite being told to ask any questions… Finally, mother screamed that the recording was made by an Asian, probably Chinese. I am not Asian. The call was politely ended by me after again refusing to take responsibility for the girl’s performance in the final.

Students with disabilities have a right to appropriate accommodations. However, they have no more right to success than is merited by other students. After years working in disability services and talking with many, many parents and lawyers, I remain convinced that disability service providers are dedicated to providing services and fight budget cuts, more often by attempts to.alter accounting methods.

Truly, I think students have a right to excellent services without need of an attorney If an accommodation is not providing access then it should be changed. If a student is failing a class despite reasonable accommodations, s/he should look into the learning center, find a tutor, attend review sessions, visit counseling services for help with time management, stress reduction, attention and concentration and whatever else is available to students.

Students with disabilities may believe they are entitled to assistance such as question modification, retakes, modification of trading standards, and many other things. Had an advocate saying his client needed all sorts of things to succeed and asked how I slept at night when I declined request. I replied very well thank you. So many parents told me their child wouldn’t have made it through college without me.NO!! The students graduated in their own efforts and use of appropriate accommodations.

I regret that students with disabilities may feel they must retain legal counsel. College is already so very expensive. Wonder if lots of legal challenges stem from a misunderstanding of the role of disability services in higher education.