<p>What top university is most friendly to students with learning disabilities?</p>
<p>Do a cc search for opranoodlemantra, a UC Berkeley student with LD's that affected her high school performance. She's getting a lot of support at Berkeley.</p>
<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I'm new and my daughter has AD/HD. While her grades were not strong during her first 2 years of HS she is now in a very small private school getting nearly 1-1 attention. My dh and I -- both Cal alums -- didn't think she had a chance at our alma mater. Would one of you kindly direct me to more discussions about this?</p>
<p>One of opranoodlemantra's posts in this thread is specifically about her entrance to Berkeley despite a less-than-stellar HS career, LD, etc. Apparently the LD office at Berkeley gets involved when it's mentioned on an application. You could even PM (private message) her if you needed more info (to do that, click on her name next to her post and click on "Send a private message").</p>
<p>I believe that both Cal and USC have special admissions programs for LD students who self-identify in the admissions process. Also, both accomodate the needs of LD students once they get there through the regualr admissions process. With Cal, I don't see anything on their admissions site that talks about the LD admissions situation, but that might just mean that I'm a computer doofus. It might make sense to just telephone either Admissions (Good luck getting past the secretary who answers the phone, though!) or the learning center that actually provides the accomodations at UCB and ask. With respect to USC, you might want to ask tsdad, who is extremely knowledgable. And if opramantranoodle and tsdad or phone calls give you more info, please post! Your questions are relevant to many of the participants on this board!</p>
<p>Also, if you're interested in California beyond Cal, check out Occidental. Also very hospitable to bright LD students.</p>
<p>I found that smaller colleges are very helpful. I'm at a small engineering school and they have been amazing at working with me so I can do well. Here there is not an office I deal with if I need help, or something isnt working, its a person. One person who knows my name, my issues, and who I am. I have found it helpful when I need back up for things (like taking a break during a 6 hour exam) or some small change in my accomidations. This is my 2 cents, use as you like.</p>
<p>Aww i'm so happy I have been helpful! If anyone has questions about cal's DSP program (disabled students program) or the admissions process just go to this website-
<a href="http://dsp.berkeley.edu/sbin/dspACCESS.php?_page=dspStaff%5B/url%5D">http://dsp.berkeley.edu/sbin/dspACCESS.php?_page=dspStaff</a></p>
<p>then look up the type of disability you are interested in and email the person who is in charge of that disability. You can also call their office, I am sure the phone number is on that website somewhere. I hear people call and ask admission questions all the time when i am waiting around in the lobby so they will be more than happy to answer your questions.<br>
Other then cal i would look at oregon state, Reed, and yale. Yeah, if anyone has any questions just email me, i am always willing to procrastinate!</p>
<p>We have been pleased with USC's response to our Qs about how they accommodate their students. We have spoken with both the engineering school & the Disabilities Office, and both have indicated a willingness to work with the student, family & relevant teachers (of course recommending that the student & teacher work things out 1st as best they can). Below is info about the disabilities office. I also spoke with the disabilities offices at AzSU, UAz & SantaClaraU. They all had varying degrees of responsiveness, but I never met any of them in person as we did with USoCal.</p>
<p>I'm not aware of any separate admissions process for kids with LD who self-identify at USC (my S doesn't have any LD in any case). I'm sure the disabilities office can clarify this issue at all campuses.</p>
<p>Do any of you folks know of anything which pertains to being L.D. and in Graduate School or Seminary? </p>
<p>I have dyscalculia as well as like another LD which is called "Not Otherwise Specified". I had to get new LD testing a while back and I am basically like almost Asperger's along with still having my old friend, the dyscalculia. </p>
<p>I was wondering if it is thought of as odd to still be LD in Graduate School or Seminary. Would that make your Professors not desire to work with you, you know, with having to have extra time for exams and the like? </p>
<p>Well, if anyone knows of anything pertaining to this, it would be cool. </p>
<p>I have transferred way too many times! I went to Community College years ago part time. Then years later, I went to the University of Memphis and they are crummy even though I had good marks. Now, I go to University where I do the online degree option and it is kinda sucky. I was told to just take open book tests and not worry about proctors because they did not know what to make of my LD. I was told to do this for this current semester and I do not like it. I am worried that I am getting behind. And, what is funny is that I take two extra Lit courses at BYU online and they were all cool with allowing me to have extra time for tests with a proctor over at the local Community College. </p>
<p>So, anyways, I am thinking of transferring again to a small Private University in my home state called Lee University. They read better than the silly University I go to now. I am trying to be polite and not name the University I go to now, but it is a Private University in Alabama which offeres Theology at the undergraduate level- and Universities which offer that are not really easy to find. Lee University reads better to me, because their online degree option is really well organised and they also are in that US News magazine.</p>
<p>Has anyone else had to transfer a bit until they found a University which really worked well with their LD?</p>
<p>Tomboy, do you think your school would be receptive to a girl with mild Asperger's? My DD visited the college over the summer and loved it--it would be her dream school.</p>
<p>I have a very interesting story involving USC’s placement examinations for entering students that doesn't put USC in a very good light. Let's just say having at that time an "ed.gov" e-mail address (though I never said specifically where I worked in the agency), having sent polite, but firm, e-mails to their General Counsel, and having the SF office of the Office for Civil Rights on alert for an emergency complaint worked wonders. I hope though that they changed their policy of not giving academic adjustments for placement exams taken off-campus. They indicated that they would.</p>
<p>Having gone through all of that, my son chose not to register with the disability office and never requested any academic adjustments. He’s a senior now and it worked out fine.</p>
<p>tsdad -- That is very disappointing to hear about USC. No wonder your son decided not to register with the diability office; very happy to hear that he's made it through to senior year with things going well for him. But I wonder what happens to USC students who need accomodations, given the policy on placement exams.</p>
<p>I had never heard of the possibility of filing an emergency complaint with the federal Office of Civil Rights around LD accomodation. Is this like going for an injuction when irreparable harm is imminent? Under what circumstances can a complaint be filed, and what qualifies a specific situation as an emergency? Is there something on the Office for Civil Rights website that outlines complaint procedures and the kinds of violation about which complaints are entertained? Is the statute in question the Americans with Disabilities Act? Sorry for all the questions, but I think it would be very helpful to understand when this sort of complaint is possible.</p>
<p>Thank you so much.</p>
<p>The issue really wasn't with the disability office, it was with the testing office. They had some stupid, and illegal rule, that they would not give accomodations for off-campus placement testing for incoming freshman. The disability office had no control over that hence the the e-mails to those in authority.</p>
<p>The OCR complaint would have been under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It would not have been under the ADA since USC is not a public instituion and OCR only has ADA jurisdicition for Title II colleges and universities, which are public instutions. 504 covers both. If you want to file against a private university under the ADA you will have to file with the Justice Department. They have jurisdiction. But do not ever file with DOJ. They will take a year to review your complaint and then decide not to take it. If you file with OCR you will always get an investigation once jurisdiction has been established.</p>
<p>Tsdad -- Thanks so much for sharing this info. It's fascinating. I'm wondering if 504 might also apply in testing situations with exams that are required for admission to public and private universities, and hence to the ETS and the administrators of the ACT. It just seems that especially if a public university, which is bound both by the ADA and 504, requires a test administered by these private groups, that the testing organizations (ETS, ACT) would have to provide the same accomodation as the universities in question. Or am I missing something here? Even if 504 can't be applied to the ETS itself, how can a university, which is required either under ADA or 504 or both to accomodate, require an LD or physically challenged student to sit for a test administered by a private organization that refuses to accomodate the student, and still be in compliance?</p>
<p>The answer to your question is "yes-sort of." OCR has been all over the place on whether they have jurisdiction over ETS. The basis for jurisdiction under Section 504 is Federal financial assistance. Does ETS receive money from the the Department of Education? OCR does not have jurisdiction over ETS under Title II since they are not a governmental/public entity. BTW, OCR/ED has the same problem with deciding whether it has jurisdicition over the NCAA. The US Department of Health and Human Services has in the past funded a program at the NCAA but has been reluctant to investigate them.</p>
<p>On occasions OCR/ED will go after the high school where the test is held because they have clear jurisdiction over them and recipients of Federal financial assistance cannot cooperate with those who discriminate. Basically though, DOJ has taken responsibility for ETS under Title III of the ADA, which deals with public accomodations. In fact they have sued ETS.</p>
<p>Frankly it's very complicated and very political. In Democratic administrations we generally see an expansion of civil rights activities as opposed to Republican administrations with some exceptions. Under this current administration there has been a substantial number of complaints on behalf on white students. Frankly, I believe, but can't prove, that OCR was taking complaints on behalf of whites that if the race were reversed and the facts remained the same they would not take. </p>
<p>Reason 725 why I retired.</p>
<p>Tsdad -- Very depressing to read about what's going on at the OCR vis a vis race. Sad that people who are interested in fighting the good fight are thwarted to the point of reaching reason 725! And the irony of offices for civil rights discriminating based on race is hard to stomach...</p>
<p>In terms of LD accomodation and who has jurisdiction, it sounds as if ETS and ACT could fall through the jurisdictional cracks and make whatever darned (?Can I say the alternate word on here?) decision they like in terms of granting or denying accomodation without legal ramifications in the form of intervention by the DOJ of OCR, as long as they don't do something real obvious like providing a testing room that isn't wheel chair accessible or not letting a blind kid take the test in Braille. Do you know if they have, in fact, ever been sued by OCR or DOJ over denying an application for more garden variety LD accomodation with additional time, keyboards, etc.?</p>
<p>I am also concerned that universities that are clearly obligated to accomodate LD can make an end run around those obligations by requiring students to take tests administered by a private organization with a less clear obligation. It seems like a perfectly legal way to keep LD kids out of schools requiring SAT/ACT. (Without appropriate accomodations, their scores will suffer and they will appear not to qualify for schools for which they do, in fact, qualify if accomodated.)</p>
<p>Has anyone at the DOJ (for public universities) or OCR/ED (for private universities) ever addressed this sort of thing? Has the government ever sued on behalf of a student or students whose LD accomodation was denied by the ETS or ACT?</p>
<p>
[quote]
DOJ (for public universities) or OCR/ED (for private universities)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's the other way around.</p>
<p>If the room was inacessible the complaint should be brought against the place where the exam is scheduled, which is usually a school, not ETS. It wouldn't be ETS' fault. And if discrimination was found about all that could be requested is a reimbursement for the cost of the exam. The government couldn't make ETS give the exam again.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am also concerned that universities that are clearly obligated to accomodate LD can make an end run around those obligations by requiring students to take tests administered by a private organization with a less clear obligation. It seems like a perfectly legal way to keep LD kids out of schools requiring SAT/ACT. (Without appropriate accomodations, their scores will suffer and they will appear not to qualify for schools for which they do, in fact, qualify if accomodated.)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes indeed this is a problem. OCR could go after a particular college for this, but realistically it's not an option. I did do an investigation of an elite law school because the complainant alleged that the people who administer the LSAT wouldn't give him an accomodation. It turns out that the University put the LSAT score aside and even considering other criteria the person wasn't qualified.</p>
<p>And pretty much reasons 1-500 for leaving were that I was eligible for retirement and UW-Madison came calling. Couldn't resist that.</p>
<p>ETS has a procedure where students CAN apply for accommodations and make appeals if they are not satisfied with the accommodations they receive. It's in their website. ACT also has a procedure (said to be more likely to be granted) for getting testing accommodations as well. Their respective websites have the info & most HS counselors can provide info about this as well.
We never sought any accommodations for USC placement testing, so I don't have any knowledge about this.</p>
<p>Himom:</p>
<p>Glad to see you're back.</p>
<p>One of the problems that we saw with the ETS appeals process was that they took so long to make decision that the date of the test had already passed by the time the decision was issued.</p>