<p>Hi parents,
I'm a senior in high school who is fairly severely disabled-- I'm in a wheelchair, receive in-home nursing services a few times a week, and need assistance with things like cleaning or preparing meals. In addition, sitting up fatigues me a lot, so I need to rest for much of the day.</p>
<p>I am lucky enough to live right near UNC, so that's where I've been assuming I'll go (if I get in!) I will need significant help, so if I go to school nearby my parents can pick up the slack. However, I'm sort of wanting to be more independent and go away for school. Do you all know of any schools that are known for being especially good for students with physical disabilities? Berkley has a program that looks amazing, but the financial situation in California is so tenuous that it makes me nervous to go there.</p>
<p>I've been taking only five out of eight classes, which may concern the admissions committees, but my grades are excellent and I will graduate on time. My SAT score is 2340.</p>
<p>You’re obviously very bright. What you should give yourself as an “assignment” in the next few months (if you haven’t already) is to study up on how the disablities laws differ between college and high school. Colleges have obligations, but they aren’t as broad as in HS. Know your legal rights, then read some school websites to see if they are doing the absolute minimum that the law allows, or if they go beyond.</p>
<p>One thing that I have been told many times is that schools will not provide “personal aids.” There may be some schools with undergrad or grad programs where students are seeking experience with folks with physical disabilities, so you might be able to find plenty of responsible volunteers.</p>
<p>I think you will feel that living on any college campus is a big step towards independence, even if your parents are nearby. Lots of kids from our area go to Stanford, and they usually say that they value being close enough to see their families whenever they want, but living in the dorm is very different than living at home.<br>
Does UNC have the resources that you need?</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about which schools would be good. I just wanted to offer encouragement - with your excellent grades and SAT, and graduating on time, despite your challenges, you should do pretty well in admissions, including possibly getting some hefty merit scholarships. Of course, there may be schools that will illegally reject you based on your disability, but you’re probably used to that. </p>
<p>My son has a much less severe physical disability and may not be able to drive (and is far away), so he needs to find friends who can drive him around. When I was in college, I had a good friend who was severely physically disabled. She had lots of help from friends - lots of friends. (I never had anywhere near as many friends as she did, nor does my son.) In your case, your excellent academic abilities should help you draw people who can use your tutoring help!</p>
<p>I understand and support your desire for independence. Almost all teens want that. But if your main reason for wanting to go away is the independence, I don’t think that’s wise. There are many threads discussing distance from home. What I see is that you can be far away in the same town quite easily. If you could live in the dorms at UNC, your parents could come visit you as needed, and you would also be becoming more independent of them just by not living with them, by asking a friend to do a favor, etc. You could become more independent more naturally, rather than just having their support ripped away from you.</p>
<p>I just saw a video tour online of new dorms at University of Maryland College Park, and some of those dorm rooms were designed to be HC accessible with attached HCA bath and roll in showers. Lots of good medical care in that area as well.</p>
<p>The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has long been a pioneer in offering educational opportunities for disabled students and has many programs and facilities for students with disabilities.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for the advice!! I think, as much as I don’t want to admit it, it’s probably best for me to go to UNC and take advantage of the extra support my family can provide. It’s frustrating, because I’m longing to get out of Chapel Hill-- I’d prefer to not be running into my parents when I go to the main street here! UNC is a really amazing school, though, so I should count my blessings.</p>
<p>Applemath, UIUC looks fabulous! I have two small private schools nearby that I was planning to apply to as back-ups, but I’m not enthralled with them, so I think I am going to give UCIC a solid try too!</p>
<p>Best of luck to you, partyhat! You might also want to look at Pitt - I served on a local scholarship committee a few years ago that interviewed a young man who was quite physically disabled, similar to what you have described - he had done his homework and was very comfortable that Pitt had what he would need to succeed as independently as possible. They also have a reputation of good scholarships for OOS students.</p>
<p>As an able-bodied person with a couple of friends who are mobility impaired (one of whom helped to write the ADA!), I have come to realize how often I overlook physical barriers such as narrow door openings, small bathrooms, sinks that a chair cannot roll under, etc. If a school has an office on disabilities, I would check with them and see if you can talk to a student with a similar level of disability, preferably in an academic area that interests you. I would imagine at many schools, some buildings are more accessible than others. Also, another mobility impaired person may be able to advise you on the level of competency at the local wheelchair repair and van lift repair places. </p>
<p>I don’t know if Berkeley’s Center for Independent Living has knowledge/connections with other communities. I see on the WID (World Institute on Disability) web site that they offer internship and scholarship opportunities. They may also be able to offer advice. </p>
<p>ALSO, UNC has non-restrictive, non-binding EA. I always recommend doing that when possible. It makes Christmas and spring much more pleasant if you get into a good school early.</p>
<p>There was a book and movie about the “Brooke Ellison Story” about a young woman who was injured in an accident and ended up in a wheelchair. She went to Harvard and graduated, through heroic and, I personally feel, misguided efforts on the part of her family. You can google it. Harvard gave her a suite that also housed her mom. Yes, her mom went to college with her! (Harvard renovated the suite so doors were wide enough and provided a van…)</p>
<p>That seemed to be the model that impressed most people, but all I could think of was, couldn’t the college provide enough assistance so the young woman could go to school without her mother?!</p>
<p>Anyway, sorry, that was a bit of a side note and hopefully a now dated situation.</p>
<p>I have a kid with health issues that do not affect mobility, but some of the issues with independence may be similar. She thought about going far away but ended up an hour away from home and still near her doctors. I think this has actually helped her (and me) achieve more independence in a more natural, organic way.</p>
<p>I also think it helps to compartmentalize. This takes skill on the part of the parents and the young person with the disability or condition. What I mean by that is that you can achieve maximum independence in all other areas while still having some dependence in the medical area, for instance. In fact, that continued dependence or , put more positively, that continued support, actually may enable more independence in those other areas, than if you moved far away- if that makes sense.</p>
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