Diversity/disability at W&M

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
1

We are looking for colleges for my sophomore son, and he wants a liberal arts education but plans to study computer science.

But being on the autism spectrum but high-functioning (high GPA and test scores), I was wondering if anyone has knowledge about both diversity and disability services at W&M. He isn’t “up” on things like current music, doesn’t play sports, and has only one close friend, but at his current HS he has many acquaintances that he chats with. He has accommodations some of which he would want to continue in college.

Any thoughts or experience with diversity and disability services on campus from a current or former student or parent? I would hope that if W&M is somewhat relaxed in terms of student body, he would be better off there than a more uptight environment.

2

@rhandco, you’ve probably already seen the detailed disability services section of W&M’s website, but in case you haven’t: http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentaccessibilityservices/index.php

Included is a compelling Student Stories page, on which 2 dozen students with disabilities share their experiences at W&M. http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentaccessibilityservices/studentstories/index.php You or your son might want to look at Taylor, Lucas, and Danielle specifically, who identify themselves as being on the spectrum.

Your son has a few years to go before college. The website suggests that the student needs to advocate for him/herself for accommodations, so ideally he’s already doing this or is practicing how to do it. It’s a wonderful school - good luck.

3

Thank you, that’s great!!!

4

Just noticed that there’s a Neurodiversity Initiative and a Neurodiversity Student Group on campus: http://www.wm.edu/sites/neurodiversity/index.php

5

Honestly I think your son would fit right in. The school overall has a friendly and down-to-earth atmosphere where students embrace eachother’s differences. It’s not one that overly emphasizes sports and I think is one that loves its quirky or nerdy personalities. I hosted a student overnight who was similar to what you described. He ended up enrolling and so far he said he has been doing well and enjoying his time here. If I may make a suggestion, I have found that smaller dorms with large open spaces are often conducive to forming a tight-knit community, even for the introvert who may be hesitant to put himself out there.

In addition, I have had friends that have had disabilities that in the past that on tests have been granted extra time or permission to take tests in a separate room depending on the condition. Most of the professors I have had have made it a point to mention accommodations are available during the first week of classes and specifically have included a clause about it in their syllabus. The accommodations depends on the type of disability of course, for things like physical disabilities, there are also dorm accommodations to place the student near a ground floor with a ramp.

The woman who runs the student accessibility services, Lesley Henderson is a wonderful lady. I had the delight of meeting her over the summer because I was shadowing some people in student affairs positions. I am sure they would be more than ready to help figure out how those accommodations may carry over to college. Best of luck!