College Experience Programs & Supports for Students with Disabilities

Walking Through the Process...

Step 1- Options for Post Secondary Learning

Continuing education after high school and transition services may be a desire for individuals for a variety of reasons, including socialization, independent living, and to engage in learning to earn a degree, certificate, or simply for enjoyment.  

Accessing college learning can support the individual in earning the degree necessary to achieve their vocational dreams, provide a semi-structured independent living experience before fully transitioning to community living, and offer high interest socialization opportunities with similar aged peers.  While this guide has been entirely focused on funding, services, and supports specific to Illinois, accessing a college option outside of Illinois can be considered since available college supports aren’t limited by state boundaries.  

Below is an overview of different college-level supports and experiences available for prospective students.  Like any college process, prospective individuals will need to complete an application to the program and/or college and will be compared against the college’s identified academic requirements criteria for acceptance.  More on this in Step 3.  

College Level Supports

College level supports are provided to students who are seeking assistance in their classes, typically for those seeking to earn credits towards a degree or certificate.  Supports are coordinated through a disability services office on campus when a student shares their disability with the office, such as a medical diagnosis or IEP/504 plan, and advocates for the supports most helpful to their needs.  

Disability resources offices/disability support services/the DSS office can only provide reasonable accommodations, not modifications, and these supports may include testing accommodations like alternate setting, extended time, scribes, as well as note takers or lecture outlines, and alternate text formats.  Since these academic accommodations supports are only available to those students who inform and qualify through the college’s disability services office and are determined on an individual basis, an individual will need to be proactive in notifying the college as accommodations cannot be provided retroactively.  Therefore, students have a choice whether to share their disability with college staff (to disclose) or not.  Modifications are academic adjustments and are not offered for students as they must meet course requirements if they are pursuing a traditional college degree.  For example, shorter page count for essay papers, alternative test questions or response choices, and different rubrics or grading guidelines.  

College level supports exist for students with an identified disability who take the steps to seek available supports through the disability office.   Whether a student self-identifies as having a disability and wants to share their disability documentation with student disability services college staff is a personal choice.  Research about students with disabilities attending post secondary education and student success can be found HERE (see document page 45: 2. Post Secondary Education or report page 15).

Accommodations provided at the college level are initiated by the student and often require continuous advocacy throughout each semester.   In high school for example, IEP accommodations are the responsibility of the whole team, primarily the case manager/special education teacher, general education teacher, and then student.  In college, accessing accommodations is the sole responsibility of the student.  For example, the individual would need to inform a professor of their need for alternate setting for testing prior to the test date to ensure testing materials are in the appropriate location on the testing date, and again for all future tests in that course.

Some colleges may offer free tutoring services for students.  Usually limited to so many free hours per week, month, or semester, a student can access tutoring services as needed.  This accommodation also requires coordination by the student as they would need to notify the tutoring service of their need, allow the service time to find a tutor, and then coordinate schedules to provide the tutoring.  

A college, such as Pathways at Aurora University, may also offer supports to students with a specific disability, such as autism spectrum.  Like traditional college level educational services, these supports are offered to students seeking a degree.   

There are college-level supports offered for students attending any college.  For students who attend college and choose not to disclose their documented disability with the college or who may want more assistance while taking college classes, there are programs available to support students that aren’t directly associated with universities.  Options for College Success, for example, offers a variety of support, including academic, independent living, and employment and some services are offered virtually, so students can access this support while they attend nearly any college.  

College Dorm-Living Supports

Dorm supports are offered to college students who need assistance meeting their independent living needs while attending college.  Housing accommodations may include 1st floor units, in unit offerings such as kitchenette or laundry, and accessible rooms for those with physical disabilities.  These offerings may be in a separate building or part of a traditional dorm, such as the Beckwith Dorm at the University of Illinois.  

College dorm supports may also include non-structural support, such as assistance with basic independent living tasks.  Mansfield Hall, which has a location in Madison, WI, is not a college, but offers dorm-like housing support to students who attend one of the colleges in town.  Support with residence life includes laundry assistance and cooking classes, academic and executive functioning support, and social emotional support.   

College Experience Programs

College experience programs offer college-like opportunities for individuals who are not seeking a degree through traditional academic programs, but want to access college offerings.  

College experience programs offer students access to classes for exposure, without the academic pressure to earn a passing grade, campus amenities, such as the café, gym, and library, and socialization with peers of similar age through structured and college community clubs, activities, and intramurals.  Since students in college experience programs are not taking classes to earn a degree, the academic demand and semester load is far less than that of a traditional student.   Students may take exclusively specialized classes in campus buildings, may attend a credited classes in a pass/fail or audit capacity, for exposure, or may take a mix of the two.  

Experience programs may also offer on-campus housing, such as PACE at National Lewis University in Lincoln Park (Chicago), where students live in apartments on campus while attending the college experience program.   Other college experience programs may only offer programs to commuter students, or those who live off campus, such as the COACH program at College of DuPage. 

Some colleges offer Comprehensive Transition Programs, or CTP,  a college experience program for individuals with intellectual disabilities.  CTP programs must offer coursework to advance student independent living, employment, and academic skills and offer opportunities for coursework and activities with nondisabled peers.  Not all college experience programs are comprehensive transition programs, however many college experience program offerings may overlap with CTP criteria.  Think College shares more information about CTP options HERE.      

A list of college experience and CTP programs in Illinois can be found HERE and across the United States can be found HERE. 

Think College offers a helpful guide for interested individuals and families as they research college programs, as well as an in-depth FAQ.  

With a strong focus on offering opportunities to socialize with college students without disabilities, college experience programs may have age limits and may encourage prospective students to complete transition services available through their local high school before applying.  

College Campus Learning

While not specifically designed for individuals with disabilities, adult education, enrichment, and professional training-type courses may be available at local community colleges and open for public admission. 

Without typical grading rigor, courses such as these may allow the individual to engage in classes and learning in preferred areas of interest, allow them to be on a college campus, and provide opportunities for social interaction with a wide variety of community members.  

Colleges that offer such classes may also allow students to take the same course more than one time to allow for additional exposure to learning and social opportunities. 

Step 2- Educational Differences

College level and college experience learning will differ greatly from high school learning.   Since an individual comes with a unique set of skills, interests, abilities, and motivation, below are considerations when considering college classes or experiences and may or may not apply to all.   

To prepare for the changes, the individual and those supporting them in continuing their education or educational experience, should be aware of the educational differences.  A key overarching difference between school-based learning and college learning is the leader of the learning, meaning ’who’ is responsible to ensure learning is most accessible.  In theory, the IEP is developed to reduce barriers and support an individual with a disability to access as much learning as possible.  By contrast, learning at the college level is owned by the individual, with their actions and internal motivation taking the lead by identifying barriers and advocating to reduce them to be successful.  

With the level of increased academic or independent expectation, it is important to take into consideration the emotional impact accessing college may have on an individual.  While motivating for some, it may be draining on others.  Since college offerings are continuously available, apart from possible college experience program age limits, slow and steady enrollment of one class per semester may allow for more success.   Starting slow may look like taking a few college campus learning classes that are Pass/Fail and increasing to credited classes, as the individual becomes more comfortable on campus and with less direct support than they were used to in a school setting.  

In addition, if a student withdraws from a program or class, stops attending, or fails a class, there may be no chance for reimbursement of payment.  Therefore, pursuing college level learning or experience programming is a financial commitment without a guarantee. 

College level differences:

• Only accommodations to support achieving learning outcomes.  All students are expected to complete and pass the same assignments, projects, and tests, meaning there are no modifications.    
• Predetermined qualifications to pass.  Whether a training program or credited college course, there are likely non-negotiable qualifications that the student must meet to pass a course or proficiency lab as certificates and degrees ensure safety and consistency across fields. 
• Higher level reading text.  Textbooks for college courses tend to be written at a higher grade level, requiring students to navigate both advanced vocabulary and concepts and comprehend the text independently.
• Preparing for learning before class.  While high school lessons typically introduce concepts and then assign homework after to practice and reinforce, college classes assign work before lectures and class so time with the professor can be used to deepen learning.  
• Due dates are indicated on day 1 of class.  With typical college courses a syllabus is distributed on the first day of class that outlines all due dates and expectations.  Backward planning to ensure adequate time to complete and submit the work falls on the student.  
• Less scores calculated into overall grade.  While high school courses may take into consideration many scores when calculating a semester grade, from homework, to participation, attendance, quizzes, projects, and tests, college may have only a handful of scores, thus making each one that much more important to the overall class grade. 
• Online learning component.  Even for classes that meet in person, college classes may have an online component where students are expected to navigate and check in frequently to access and submit work, receive reminders, respond to posts, see grades, and take quizzes/tests.   
• Communication is reactive.  Since learning is lead by the student, college staff would not typically reach out to a student before an assignment, project, or paper is due or after a challenging class lesson to see how they are doing.  Students would be expected to proactively reach out to professors if they need additional review or had an issue regarding an assignment or due date. Communication from a college professor or assistant/staff member may come at the end of the class when the final grade is being submitted, or reactive in nature. 
• Support is best accessed proactively.  Colleges may offer a certain number of free tutoring hours each week, month, or semester and it is the responsibility of the student to recognize a need for assistance and to schedule it and attend, as well as come prepared with specific questions.  The student must also consider how to make the most of those offerings.  For example, to receive quality feedback from a writing lab, if a paper is due for class on Thursday, the student should anticipate having it written by Monday to allow time to meet with writing lab staff, time for writing lab staff to review and provide feedback, and then additional time to make edits before the assignment deadline.  
• Only campus-wide or public transportation.  Depending on the size of the college there may be intercampus transportation or public transportation routes that run through campus, otherwise transportation is the responsibility of the student.  Scheduling and paying for transportation is the responsibility of the student. 

The above considerations should not be interpreted as deterrents to pursuing college level courses, but rather an honest look at the differences in learning expectations as compared to high school.   

Also, since the individual is usually 18 years old or older, college staff may not be able to communicate with anyone other than the individual due to FERPA.   Therefore, as much as loved ones may want to be involved and supportive, the main communicator of their success in a class would be the individual themselves.  

While college experience programs will have a different set of expectations than credited college classes, there are skills and abilities programs may look for to ensure the student would be successful.   

Some eligibility criteria may include: 

• Being able to navigate campus independently, specifically finding buildings and rooms where learning or activities are held 
• Independence in the classroom, including attending to instruction and non-disruptive behaviors
• Independently manage time to attend classes, activities, and other events on time
• Independence in self-care tasks, especially those with on-campus living options

For individuals who accessed 1:1 level support in high school, it may not be possible for anyone other than the individual to attend class on campus, especially in credited classes, hence the need to fade reliance of that support before embarking on college.  For individuals who may want to access this support, it would be a support paid for by the individual and would need to be approved by the college or university and attending professors.  

As referenced in the Start Here guide at the start of this benefit resource, college supports and experiences are based on eligibility, therefore an individual is not guaranteed access.   Also, these supports and programs may have additional associated fees of hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Step 3- Visit & Apply

Visiting the campus of interest helps put ideas and hopes into context.  

Whether setting up an individual tour of the program or campus, attending a special college visitation day, or walking through during a quieter day or time of year, physically being on campus can help the individual and their loved ones develop a better sense of the student experience not otherwise shared in a brochure or website.  

In person campus visits can reveal:

• Actual physical distance between buildings and accessibility features
• Nearby amenities, including grocery stores, restaurants, and transportation
• General safety, from locked building doors to busy highways, lit walkways, curb cuts, emergency phone service pillars, and police/security presence
• Fliers promoting upcoming campus and local events

If the campus visit affirms interest in the college or college experience program, then the individual would move forward with completing an application.

College applications are typically completed and submitted online, and students will need to know their testing scores, the ACT or SAT for example.    Applicants are notified in waves, usually based on their date of submission, via acceptance emails and letters.   College experience programs may have a separate or additional application besides the college’s application.   The college experience application process may also include requests for additional letters of recommendation, proof of skills and abilities, and even an interview, all of which help program committees make an informed decision.  

Since college-level offerings fall under being ‘Eligible’ and not ‘Entitled,’ the college and experience program staff have the right to accept and deny anyone they feel would not be successful in their education program.  

Individuals should check college and college experience program websites for application due dates to ensure consideration for their preferred start date. 

Step 4- Accept & Enroll

Upon being accepted into the college or experience program, there will likely be traditional welcome activities which would allow the individual to slowly acclimate to the new environment.  

Standard college level supports, such as accommodations, would come at no additional fee.  However, college dorm-living and college experience programs will likely have a separate fee and potentially additional recurring costs.  Scholarships may be able to pay for some of these fees.  

As for tuition, individuals who are DRS clients may be eligible to receive tuition reimbursement.  Students would need to meet certain criteria, including taking classes towards an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree, maintaining good academic standing, and repayment for failing a class.  More information about this funding opportunity can be found HERE.   

After confirming acceptance with a college, the individual would need to decide whether to share their disability with the college, in order to receive accommodations and other supports.  This is a choice of the student, and the school will not be informed of the student’s disability unless they choose to disclose and to inform the college themselves.  While a student can disclose their disability with the college, this does not automatically trigger accommodations in every course.  The student would need to request accommodations and continuously advocate for these supports.  Therefore, a student can choose to disclose or not disclose and choose to access accommodations and support or not at any time.  

Students enrolling in a college course should heed the advice of their counselors regarding any required remedial coursework and credited class sequence.   Students accepted into college experience programs may have a set schedule or an opportunity to enroll in a class or two of their choosing.  Consult with the college experience program staff about building a schedule.  

After course enrollment, individuals can access college staff to assist with meeting future needs while enrolled in the college or program.