Steps when visiting colleges

Every college and university has a Disabled Student Services Office. When visiting colleges, you must talk with admissions personnel or staff in this special office about your special needs and additional help you may require. Survivors with disabilities that affect mobility may need to pre-plan class schedule before registration to allow for crossing campus to get to classes on time.

Some colleges offer learning-disabled students special study majors designed around the student’s strengths, special help (e.g., untimed tests, tutoring, notetakers), lighter class load, or waivers from course requirements.

It is against the law to deny admission to students based on disabilities; of course, other admissions criteria generally must be met. Public universities and community colleges may waive some admissions criteria for disabled students on a case-by-case basis if the student can show they are capable of college-level work. For example, if a student’s poor hand/eye coordination is the reason for a low score on the SAT^® or ACT^® exam, but the student will have a classroom aide available at college to help with note-taking and test-taking, admission might be granted despite the low score on SAT^® or ACT^®. Standardized test requirements might also be set aside if high school grades or the student’s work portfolio look good.

Schools that normally require all freshmen to live on campus may waive this requirement for a student with special needs. If living at home is not an option, a group home or supervised apartment near campus might be the next best choice. Before your child leaves for college in another city, make sure you have secured safe and appropriate housing, found competent local professionals to provide ongoing care, and rehearsed daily life activities such as grocery shopping and visiting the laundromat. You should also work out a crisis plan with your child in the event that a problem arises, and he/she knows exactly who to call and where to go, especially in an emergency situation.

Paying for college

Paying for college is difficult for many families. For most students, with or without disabilities, the best place to start is at the financial aid office at colleges being considered. A discussion with the high school guidance counselor may also yield information about scholarships. Check with your own survivorship program for more information on scholarships for survivors.

Many scholarships are given based on the student’s unique endeavors or obstacles they have overcome. You may wish to share with the college of your choice the values and perspectives you gained from facing and overcoming cancer.

The following organizations provide information about ways to pay for college:

• Federal student aid programs provide various types of student loans Website: https://studentaid.gov

• FastWeb (www.fastweb.com) is an Internet site that matches individual students with eligibility requirements for more than 1.3 million scholarships. It also contains a college directory of more than 4,000 schools with information about admissions, financial aid, and other topics.

• The American Cancer Society can connect you with its state affiliates, some of which sponsor scholarships for survivors or you can check the website at www.cancer.org (search for college scholarships).