Disability Accommodations Questions

<p>My D has been accepted at Swarthmore and several other top colleges. She is waiting until after accepted student visits to confirm her top choice and send in her deposit.</p>

<p>One thing that she and I both have questions about is that she was diagnosed with a learning disability a few years ago. First actually observed in some testing in 2nd grade, but not fully diagnosed until testing in 9th grade. She had been a good student before that, but took off like a rocket once she got appropriate accommodations for her disability.</p>

<p>Her accommodations include extra time on tests in math or sciences that are math-intensive, either extra "white space" between problems on test or at least extra scratch paper during the test, and using a laptop for note taking (which wasn't really an accommodation at her high school, as they all had school-issued laptops and were expected to use them in that way). She is a very strong math & science student with her accommodations, and is thinking about majoring in something in that area.</p>

<p>My questions aren't about how to request the accommodations (found that website). But more about the culture around this at Swarthmore. Does anyone have any personal experience with this (student or parent)? Were needed (and previously used) accommodations granted without a huge hassle? When you/your student needed to use the accommodations (say, in a physics class), were the professors accepting and professional about handing it? She knows she needs to talk to her profs at the beginning of the quarter, and has been handling her own conversations with high school teachers for the past two years, so she will make sure that is taken care of right at the beginning of each quarter.</p>

<p>My kid is brilliant, and loves ideas and intellectual activities with all of her heart. She works very hard, and can advocate for herself on this as long as she has the support of the disabilities office behind her (appropriate documentation in hand from them for a professor/TA). But I still have some concerns, and would like to hear from others about their experience with this if possible.</p>

<p>Heliophysics I will pm you.</p>

<p>I have a learning disability and physical disability. I get extended time on all exams and special lighting in my dorm room. There is a standardized process where you get letters to give to every professor that explain the accommodations. It’s little if any hassle and no professor has ever been resistant. Over 100 students at Swarthmore request accommodations every semester.</p>

<p>@dadx3. Not sure she can get you PM or respond as she only has 4 posts. </p>

<p>Heliophysics, I can’t imagine that there would be any kind of problem at a school like Swarthmore. As HopeBrinn13 has said, your daughter won’t be alone and she sounds like the absolutely perfect Swat student passionate about learning.</p>

<p>OP if you can not get my PM post again here and I will post a more anonymous version of my S1’s story (all good).</p>

<p>Thanks, I don’t have enough posts to reply, but dadx3 & hopebrinn13 have definitely set my mind at ease.</p>

<p>And I forgot to say that I can get PMs, just can’t reply to them.</p>