As the parent of a child with a disability you have championed and advocated for your child, in most cases, throughout their entire life. You have become educated and learned problem-solving skills to meet the needs of your child. The journey has been filled with accomplishments, setbacks, and hurdles.
College is the time when your adult child builds the skills needed for lifelong self-advocacy. It is important that your adult child start doing for themselves what you have been doing all along. In most cases, your child is not fully aware of all that has been done for him/her.
Make sure your child knows what you have learned about his/her disability. Share what you did in past situations to solve problems. Don't intervene in situations where self-advocacy is needed. If your child reaches a hurdle, coach them. If your child suffers a setback, encourage them. Over time your child will learn the skills they need to be their own best advocate.
Self-Advocacy is crucial for individuals with disabilities at the post-secondary level. The student with disabilities is responsible for seeking out any resources needed, starting with initiating services and later talking with instructors about accommodation.
Encourage your child to practice advocacy skills in high school so they learn problem solving strategies and communication skills. Look at how post-secondary institutions provide accommodations. For example, your high school student may get audio books as an accommodation. NIU converts text to electronic format so the student can use a screen reader or text-to-speech software. Help your student become familiar with typical accommodations used at post-secondary institutions.
If your child has an IEP, by the time he or she is 14 1/2, transitional goals must be established. A Transitional IEP or Secondary Transition Plan is usually two pages. Page one lists employment, education, training and independent living skills assessments. Transition goals are set for the next four to five years, beginning year one at the age of 14.5. Page two consists of Goals of Instruction, Related Services, Community Experiences, Development of Employment/Adult Living, Daily Living Skills and Linkages After Graduation.
If your child is college-bound, the Transitional IEP will include goals for proper documentation for a post-secondary institution. The Summary of Performance is not always considered proper documentation. For example, if the student has a learning disability, the plan will include under related services a new psycho-educational evaluation during the student's sophomore or junior year. It is the responsibility of the student/parent to get and pay for documentation.
An IEP can contain modifications to grading, examinations, or course requirements, so special education may not be exactly equal to the education of individuals not receiving special education.
In the post-secondary environment, documentation is required to receive accommodations based on functional limitations. The education of the student must be equal to his or her peers, so accommodations do not modify. For example, an individual with an IEP in high school may receive a multiple-choice exam with one or two of the distractors eliminated. At the post-secondary level the same exam is given to all the students in the class. The student with a disability may receive accommodations like extended time but the exam will not be modified.