As parents, you have helped your student get to this educational milestone enrollment
in college. This is a great accomplishment! The Office of Student Accessibility Services
recognizes the supportive role families play for students. We strive to help students
ease the difficulty of making the transition to adulthood and independence by providing
opportunities for students to develop skills necessary for disability-related issues
after graduation. It is now your student’s responsibility to develop the self-knowledge
and self-advocacy skills that are essential to the success of any individual with
a disability.
Throughout your student’s high school years, you may have worked closely with a team
of administrators, counselors, and teachers to ensure that your student received appropriate
accommodations. In college, the team model changes significantly. The responsibility
of handling this process becomes the student’s. We know that the change in this role
may be overwhelming, but remember that college is the launching pad for your student’s
career and adult life. Being able to communicate disability-related needs is an important
life skill called self-advocacy. Our office supports self-advocacy skill development
through ongoing training with students on interpersonal communication, conflict resolution,
and identification of support resources.
Your student will decide whether or not to pursue disability accommodations. Students
must self-identify with the Office of Student Accessibility Services to initiate and
participate in the process of applying for accommodations. Your role is to encourage
your student to apply for the necessary accommodations and then step back and let
your student take on the responsibility.
Before your student begins classes at Southeastern, there are several important things
you can discuss with your student to prepare for the process of requesting accommodations.
You can help your student by:
Reviewing the Student Accessibility Services website together for information about
processes and procedures,
Orienting your student to Accommodate, our online portal students use to manage their
accommodations.
Going over the student’s IEP, 504 Plan, medical record, or psychological evaluation
to make sure that your student knows what the diagnosis says and can explain what
accommodations have been helpful, and
Having your student sign waivers with the professionals who have performed testing
in order to expedite the process for pursuing follow-up information if necessary.
Please remember that your student may be in the last environment where the disability
laws and accommodations are well-understood by most people he or she will encounter.
After college, your student will have to articulate the nature of his or her disability
and request accommodations. Now is the time for your student to take on this responsibility
and learn to self-advocate effectively.
We hope that gaining familiarity with the services and procedures at Southeastern
will reduce anxiety, help students in their decision to pursue accommodations, and
assist them in gathering the necessary materials to complete the process with ease.
