Transitioning from High School to College

Help for Students with Dyslexia
 

Are you a High School student with dyslexia thinking about going to college?  Are you a parent of a dyslexic child looking for information on what to do to help transition to college?  Are you on an IEP/504 plan in High School and wondering how to make the transition to college?  Are you overwhelmed at what steps to take to take to before/after you apply for college?  If you answered Yes to any of these questions…you are in the right place!

 

STEP 1: PLAN PLAN PLAN

For students with learning disabilities (LD) making a successful transition to college is a multi-year process and a team effort that requires input from the student, parents, school personnel, and other professionals.  Getting to a 4-year college requires a 4-year pre-plan. The best way to get the college acceptance letter is to have a strong transition plan in place and…

  • Make smart course selections in high school
  • Rely on your support team (parents, teachers, friends, counselors)
  • Develop independence as you keep up the academic performance, self-advocate, use accommodations and learn successful student strategies.
  • Leave nothing to luck!

In high school,  a student should be identifying their learning strengths and weaknesses as well as learning the strategies they need to work independently. Beyond academics, all students should be able to manage to get up on time, do laundry, make and keep appointments, and handle other basic adult responsibilities.

Steps to take BEFORE College Acceptance

 

Steps to take AFTER College Acceptance

Step 2:  Know the Laws
Terminology…because of the  language used in the civil rights law that protects students in higher education, you will probably use the term “learning disability”.  Dyslexia is the most common of the learning disabilities (LD).   Generally speaking, every College or University has its own individual requirements for documentation of a learning disability, though most use some variation of the guidelines from

 the The U.S. Department of Education explains your rights HERE

 

 

 

 

Additional Resources:

504 Details:  The HEATH Resource Center, managed by The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.  https://www.heath.gwu.edu/transitioning-high-school-college-spotlight-section-504

 
College for Students with LD and/or AD/HD
IDA Fact Sheet
 

 

 

 

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