Successfully Managing College & Your Disability 

Disabled students are facing more barriers than ever, according to Pew Research. The recent move to online learning is a particular difficulty for many disabled students. As a result of these difficulties, just 34% of disabled students graduate within eight years of starting their degree. But it is possible to manage college and your disability when you follow the below tips.

Find the right college

45% of students say cost is their top consideration when choosing a college. But when you’ve got a disability, it should be how disabled friendly it is. It’s also important to check that your college of choice recognizes your disability. This is because what qualifies as a disability in some colleges doesn’t necessarily qualify as a disability at another. Make sure you consider things such as accessibility and accommodation when choosing a college too.

Get financial help

The average cost of college is between $10,388 and $38,185. This is a lot of money for anyone, but it is often harder for disabled students to pay as they have higher living costs. As a disabled student you may be able to get financial help to cover the cost of college. Tuition assistance, medical tax deductions, and loan forgiveness are usually the best options. If your disability is a result of medical negligence, another option is to use any compensation you’ve claimed. For example, if you have a disability caused at birth, such as cerebral palsy, cerebral palsy lawyers will be able to help. They’ll assess the extent of your brain injury or malfunction and whether negligence was the cause. From there, they’ll look to get compensation for you which you can use to cover your college costs.

Make use of learning assistance resources

College students seem reluctant to use the learning assistance resources that colleges offer. Just 17% of college students with learning disabilities use them, compared to 94% of kids with a learning disability in high school. This may be because students don’t want to disclose their disability to their college. But, there’s a whole range of assistance colleges can offer students with learning disabilities, including interpreters, notetakers, braille transcriptions, recorded lectures, and adapted desks. So, to make your college life as easy as possible, be sure to declare your disability and request whatever help you need.

College life can be more difficult for students with disabilities. But when you follow this advice, it will be a whole lot easier.

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