BestColleges.com Expands Student Resources for Disability Awareness Month

Guides offer expert and student interviews for disabled students and their families

October 3, 2017 (Seattle, WA) - BestColleges.com, a leading provider of independent college rankings and higher education resources, announced today the release of an expanded collection of resources for disabled students wishing to pursue a college education.

In 2016, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that of nearly 2.5 million undergraduate students in the United States, more than 12% have some kind of disability. For disabled students and their families planning for college, it's important to understand the range of accessibility, accommodation, and assistive technology offered on campus and online schools.

The disability collection by BestColleges.com contains information for students to navigate and succeed in a higher education environment. Additionally, the expanded guides include interviews with disability professionals and disabled college students who offer their insight on the challenges and questions students may face in a college setting. Each guide covers a specific disability including learning, physical, psychiatric, visual impairments, and deaf and hard of hearing.

“Inclusion rights for students with disabilities has long been a hot topic of discussion in the higher education environment. Fortunately, today a large majority of colleges provide on-campus resources and accommodations for students with special needs. As a result, there are now more academic opportunities for disabled students than ever before,” said Stephanie Snider, General Manager at BestColleges.com. “Yet often these resources are not fully utilized by students and their families. Our disability guides aim to provide these students with resources that empower them to pursue an education despite the physical, logistical, and cognitive challenges that can accompany a disability.”

Highlights from all six resource guides:

Overview of College Resources for Students with Disabilities

The first guide in BestColleges.com's student disability collection presents an overview of the resources that disabled students and their families can expect and should look for when planning for college. In the overview, BestColleges interviews Director of Student Disability Services at Miami University, Andy Zeisler, where he shares his experience working with disabled college students and offers his own advice for prospective students wishing to attend a higher education institute.

College Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students afflicted with a learning disability represent the majority of disabled college undergraduates, yet only 17% of these students take advantage of learning assistive resources at their college or university. This guide aims to help students with learning disabilities transition to college by outlining some of the challenges they may face and providing resource and accommodation options.

College Guide for Students with Physical Disabilities

Thanks to legislative efforts over the last 50 years, higher education institutions have considerably expanded their campus resources for those with special needs. In fact, 88% of two-year and four-year title IV degree granting postsecondary institutions reported enrolling students with disabilities. Still, finding a suitable postsecondary institution can be difficult for students with physical disabilities. This guide provides a comprehensive outline of college resources and accommodations that will help physically impaired individuals understand their personal needs, manage expectations, take advantage of on-campus resources, and ultimately transition to college smoothly.

College Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Approximately 20,000 deaf and hard of hearing students attend post-secondary educational institutions each year. The BestColleges.com college guide for deaf and hard of hearing students outlines practical ways these students can take advantage of on-campus resources and accommodations as well as navigate classes and coursework to best succeed in their academic endeavours.

College Guide for Students with Psychiatric Disabilities

Psychiatric disabilities and mental illnesses are one of the most prevalent health conditions affecting young American students in society today. An estimated 30% of college students said they struggled with coursework due to a mental illness, while one in four said they experienced suicidal thoughts. To help address the issues and resources surrounding psychiatric disability in students, BestColleges.com has included an interview with licensed psychologist Dr. Crystal Lee of LA Concierge Psychologist. Additionally, this guide aims to highlight the resources available for students who experience psychiatric disability and mental illness while attending college.

College Guide for Students with Visual Impairments

This guide details how college instructors can ease the struggles of classroom learning for students with visual impairments and where these students can find resources to overcome educational and logistic challenges at college. Included in the guide is a student interview with Robert Sabwami of Wright State University where he discusses and offers advice based on his experiences and perspective as a visually impaired student attending college.

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