College for Differently-Abled Students

York University  in Toronto, Canada, offers a special program for students with psychiatric disabilities and/or mental illnesses. Special advising services, support groups, academic accommodations and support services, assistance with admissions and orientation, mentoring, crisis assistance, and limited course loads. Special help with obtaining financial assistance when on a limited course load is also available. Referrals to a wide variety of external support services, as well as assistance with faculty contacts, are a large part of the program. York University offers undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs in over 100 academic areas and enrolls 40,000 full and part time students at three locations. Special programs in bilingual education, sustainable community development, management, Canadian Jewry, and distance learning are part of what makes York distinct. For more information, visit http://www.yorku.ca.

Many students with disabilities of any kind choose to attend colleges or universities with no special programs. However, most colleges have an Office of Disability Services that will provide assistance of specific kinds. Common services are extended time or special services for exams, priority housing for those with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses, referrals to community services, counseling, support groups, scheduling assistance, sign language interpreters, testing services, and study skills assistance. As you search for a college, ask admissions officers about disability services available at the school. Read websites carefully. If the school has a student organization for people with disabilities, contact the members. Otherwise, ask the admissions office if you can be put in touch with a current student or recent graduate who has a disability. Ask the students about their experiences using disability services.

It is important not to limit your college choices based on your disability. While you will need to make sure that you are able to fulfill your basic needs (i.e. a student who uses a wheelchair will need to ensure that the campus has wheelchair-accessible dorms and classrooms), beyond that be a little bit flexible. If you attend a school that does not meet your needs, you always have the opportunity to transfer. Often, the grades that you earn at your prior school will not even be recorded on your transcript after you transfer.

For more information, check school's websites or get a copy of a guidebook on colleges for students with disabilities (look at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/sim...

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