How To Use This Guide
 

This guide can be used in many different ways. It was primarily written for students who are interested in attending post-secondary institutions. But parents, teachers, and counselors can also benefit from various sections of the guide. Post-secondary personnel can utilize information in the Guide to help secondary personnel better prepare students for the transition to post-secondary education, develop networks with other campuses serving students with disabilities, and better work with students who have disabilities who are already on campus.

Note: The information available in this guide is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. For specific questions about the law or circumstances at your institution, please consult its attorney directly.
 

Documentation
Section 1 tells students what kind of documentation will be needed to access services in a post-secondary environment. It stresses that documentation (evaluation) reports should be current, relevant, and contain specific information so that the student can obtain necessary academic accommodations.
 

Laws
Section 2 is a summary of the laws protecting students with disabilities. This summary compares IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (K-12), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act (post-secondary). Students need to understand their legal rights and responsibilities. Parents, teachers, and counselors may also find this summary helpful.
 

Transition
Section 3 is an important section for students interested in post-secondary education. This section contains information on the differences between high school and college. Students may be given copies of these pages either in a class or as part of a transition planning session with the student and parents. Students may also need exposure to the differences that exist in vocational-technical post-secondary training, community colleges, and four year institutions. This section contains a summary chart of these major differences. The section also contains information about disability support services on post-secondary campuses. Students need to understand that these offices strive to help students be independent and take control of their own lives. It should be noted that the offices and personnel who provide these services/accommodations have different names on different campuses. In this guide, the title "Disability Support Services office" is used, but many different names are used (Access Office, Special Needs Office, etc.) In Section 8, College Profiles, the names used by individual campuses will be given on most profiles.
 

Preparation
Section 4 is most useful for students and parents. It contains information and forms related to decision making, choosing a college, self-advocacy skills necessary for success in a post-secondary institution, and sample letters to send to schools for information regarding their disability services. This section also contains a checklist for parents and a checklist for students to prepare for post-secondary education. Preparation must begin EARLY! The section also contains forms specific to various disabilities and campus accommodations. These forms can be mailed to the institution or students may complete them over the phone. Finally, this section contains the form "Get Ready for Your First Meeting With Disability Support Services." This form should be completed by students and special education teachers. The student should keep the form in their college portfolio.
 

Financial Aid
Section 5 contains websites which connect to current information on financial aid.
 

Resources
Section 6 is full of resources for use by students, parents, teachers, counselors, and post-secondary personnel serving students with disabilities.
 

Appendixes
Section 7 contains the appendixes for the guide. Information on the Missouri Association on Higher Education and Disability is provided, as well as the survey form used to create the college profiles. This section also contains a form for colleges to fill out if the information on their profile needs updating. Finally, this section contains a form requesting feedback from consumers. We are continually looking for ways to improve this resource.
 

College Profiles
Section 8 College profile information is obtained from surveys sent to Missouri institutions of higher education. The profiles give information about accessibility and services provided for students with disabilities. A contact person and the name of the office serving students with disabilities can also be found on the profiles.
 

Students should use the college profiles to help determine the institution that might best meet their needs. Students are encouraged to visit the school, speak with the contact person and verify that the services needed are available at that particular campus.

Note: The profiles are self-reports and Missouri AHEAD does not endorse any particular campus or service. Students must make their own decisions based on campus visits and conversations with service providers.