Students with Disabilities Face Financial
Aid Barriers College and Graduate Students
Share Their Stories and Policy
Recommendations
September 15, 2003
By Rebecca Moore
for the Youth Advisory Committee of the National Council on Disability
Editors: Sarah Tom and Alexandria A. Fearn
Youth Advisory Committee Members:
Isaac Huff, Chair, Orange, NJ
Denna Lambert, Vice Chair, Little Rock, AR
Rebecca Hare, Secretary, Burlingame, CA
Alexandria A. Fearn, Oakland, CA
Renaldo Hemphill, Fayetteville, AR
Christina Mills, Oceanside, CA |
|
Rebecca C. Moore, Hyde Park, NY
Sara B. Riggio, Glen Ellyn, IL
Sarah Tom, Berkeley, CA
Betsy Valnes, Pierre, SD
Victor Pineda, Berkeley, CA |
E-mail: youth@ncd.gov
NCD
YAC web page
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Requirements and Provisions
within the Higher Education Act
College and Graduate Student Inquiry
Key Findings from Students' Responses
1. Impact of Disability Disclosure
2. Disability's Impact on Ability to Access Financial
Aid
3. Sources of Financial Aid Used
4. Students Pay for Disability-Related Accommodations,
Too
5. Lack of Coordination and Benefits Planning Complicates
Use of Multiple Sources of Aid
6. Disability and Decisions about Student Loans
7. Securing Support for Graduate Education
8. Knowledge of Their Rights as Clients and Students
9. Students Suggest Ways to Pay for School
10. Students Recommend Ways to Improve the School
Financial Aid and Rehabilitation Systems
Conclusions
Higher Education Act Policy Recommendations
Recommendations for Future Research
Summary
Appendices:
Executive Summary
Does disability limit college and graduate students'
ability to access financial aid?
Background: Access to higher
education is key to the independence of students with disabilities.
Prior to this student inquiry, students with disabilities had not
been asked what role their disability played in their ability to
pay for college and graduate school. Congress is currently evaluating
the 2004 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the law that
funds the largest percentage of financial aid for higher education.
For this reauthorization to accurately reflect the needs of students
with disabilities, it is imperative that these same students have
the opportunity to share their experiences with barriers in the
financial aid process.
The Higher Education Act also funds programs that
prepare students for higher education and improve college and graduate
school infrastructure and endowments. It includes several provisions
for the needs of students with disabilities, including a nondiscrimination
clause, funds for student support services, increased student financial
aid when disability-related expenses are significant, and discretion
for financial aid officers to adjust aid packages according to special
circumstances.
People with disabilities make up 19% of the nations
population (US Census Bureau) and, as a group, have the highest
unemployment rate of any minority group in the United States. It
is in the best interest of this country that the next generation
of young people with disabilities is competent and adequately prepared
to enter the workforce rather than depending on Social Security
and welfare benefits. As a baccalaureate degree has now become a
prerequisite for gainful employment, it is now more important than
ever that people with disabilities have access to higher education.
Objective: Our objective
was to catalog the successes and obstacles in financing higher education
based on narratives from students with disabilities and college
financial aid officers. We sought to understand whether the Higher
Education Act provides for the needs of students with disabilities.
Methods: Optional, guiding
questions were presented to students with disabilities and higher
education financial aid officers. Our committee of student volunteers
publicized our questions through contact with colleges, universities,
technical/vocational schools, independent living centers, vocational
rehabilitation agencies, consumer groups, professional organizations
and state governments nationwide. We received commentary between
April 17, 2003 and July 30, 2003 from students and professionals,
most of which was sent via e-mail.
Limitations: Our volunteers
had several months in which to gather student feedback and prepare
policy recommendations for Congress' consideration of the Higher
Education Act this autumn. There was not time to submit a formal
questionnaire to the Office of Management and Budget for approval.
Therefore, we were restricted to proposing optional, guiding questions
to suggest topics respondents might address in their narratives.
This may have reduced the response rate from people whose disabilities
make reading and writing difficult. In addition, our questions were
primarily distributed on the Internet, which led to the vast majority
of responses being received by e-mail, not by postal mail. We assume
that individuals without computer access did not receive our questions.
Results: We received written
narratives from 53 students, seven parents or siblings (responding
on behalf of students), four college disability staff, four staff
from nonprofit organizations, one transition planner, and two respondents
whose role is unknown. We did not receive responses from college
financial aid officers.
Conclusions drawn from students' responses:
Students with disabilities offer unique insight about
how the federal financial aid system can be improved to help them
afford higher education. They describe key barriers that policy
makers must address.
College and graduate students with
disabilities use many sources of financial aid that often have conflicting
eligibility requirements. The variation in these requirements
and their interpretation creates barriers that limit students access
to services, making it more difficult for them to achieve their
educational and vocational goals. For example, receiving funds from
vocational rehabilitation agencies or the social security administration
may negatively affect students' ability to secure financial aid
from their schools or to participate in work-study and internships.
Despite conflicting regulations and the availability of multiple
programs and services, there is little benefits planning or communication
between students' rehabilitation counselors and their college disability
services staff. Many students find it difficult to learn about their
right to financial assistance and to navigate the interactions between
their sources of support. Despite confusion over differing interpretations
of their benefits and rights to assistance, most student respondents
recommend participation in state vocational rehabilitation programs.
The disclosure of disability and
related expenses does not lead to increased financial aid from colleges
and universities. Students personally pay for disability-related
accommodations and medical needs when they are not funded by educational,
medical or social agencies. No students responding to our inquiry
indicated awareness of their right to receive increased student
financial aid because of their out-of-pocket, disability-related
expenses.
Disability may prevent students
from accessing financial aid for college and graduate school,
because of reduced course loads, extended number of semesters before
the completion of a degree, difficulty with test taking and scholarship
essay writing, an inability to participate in college work-study
programs due to the nature of a disability, and discrimination against
graduate school assistants with disabilities.
Students with disabilities report
that they are concerned about taking out student loans, primarily
because of concerns about their future employment and the fact that
it is often impossible to temporarily defer student loan repayments
because of disability.
Students with disabilities often
feel unwelcome on college campuses because of financial aid officers'
responses to their need for financial assistance. In addition,
many feel that vocational rehabilitation counselors discourage them
from pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree, and emphasize
vocational training instead. Students then are left to worry about
how to fund their postsecondary education on their own.
Policy Recommendations: The
role of the Youth Advisory Committee is to advise the National Council
on Disability. We hope NCD will endorse the following recommendations
prepared by the YAC:
- We recommend that the federal government update
the Higher Education Act to make federal educational financial
aid more accessible to postsecondary students with disabilities.
- We recommend funding new transition planning programs.
- We recommend that college and university campuses
and resources be made more accessible to persons with disabilities
through special consideration for grant applicants who focus on
disability accessibility.
- We recommend coordinating the regulations affecting
students receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid,
Medicare, state vocational rehabilitation services, and federal
student aid, so that their rules and regulations do not prevent
students from making decisions that support independence. The
interpretation of rules is particularly important when students
require assistance from multiple programs, and find that receiving
assistance from one agency may mean not being allowed to work
on goals set with a second agency. Students must be able to participate
in internship and work-study programs, and to save for education,
career or disability-related needs, without limiting their eligibility
for the financial and vocational programs that help them achieve
their goals.
- We recommend that future studies examine the relationships
between the sources of financial, medical, educational and rehabilitation
support received by college and graduate students with disabilities,
to identify the barriers that prevent these programs from achieving
their objectives.
- We recommend that future studies emphasize gathering
data directly from students with disabilities, including adolescents,
young adults, and adult students returning to college and graduate
school. It is important for students to speak for themselves,
not to depend entirely on gathering data from their parents.
For more comprehensive policy recommendations please
see the body of this report.
Recommendations for Future Research:
Our findings suggest that students with disabilities
face substantial difficulties and pressures when funding their higher
education. The qualitative data presented in this report illustrates
the wealth of information available from students with disabilities
and the importance of conducting more formal investigations in this
area.
The Youth Advisory Committee counsels NCD to encourage
increased research of disability and higher education. We suggest
that NCD recommend that future research:
- Obtain information directly from college and graduate
students with disabilities, preferably in a longitudinal study
with a nationally representative population.
- Identify the best way to obtain data about individual
students' (or families') disability-related expenses so that they
may be factors in determining the Cost of Attendance, Expected
Family Contribution, and Pell Grant amount.
- Describe those persons with disabilities who are
not participating in higher education and identify the reasons
for the interruption or cessation of their education.
- Comprehensively describe the financial concerns
of students with disabilities, including the total cost of their
education, student loan burdens, their ability to save for college,
and the pattern of interaction between vocational rehabilitation
(VR) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) support and postsecondary
financial aid.
- Measure relationships between postsecondary financial
aid and employment outcomes. Do people with disabilities take
jobs they are not satisfied with because they need to pay off
loans or because a counselor required them to choose a specific
path of study and career? Are some people with disabilities completely
forced out of college and into entry-level jobs because they cannot
afford college?
- Evaluate the degree to which knowledge, funding
and/or regulations prevent higher education financial aid administrators
from providing students with disabilities with the guidance and
financial support necessary for success.
- Describe differing regulations and quantify levels
of service and funding at state vocational rehabilitation agencies
and at postsecondary campus disability services offices nationwide.
- Develop and test transition planning curricula
for high school and college programs based on the findings from
the studies above (findings that specify the college, rehabilitation,
and workplace systems students must be prepared for).
- Compare the educational loan burdens of students
with and without disabilities.
- Describe the variation in loan deferment or default
options from state to state (i.e. must permanent medical disability
be declared instead of a temporary loan deferment?).
- Evaluate the adequacy of the workplace accommodations
that universities provide to their work-study students or graduate
assistants.
- Examine the accessibility of differing college
majors and graduate school programs to students with disabilities,
particularly programs preparing K-12 educators.
- Examine college, university and graduate school
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and identify the accommodations
and supports provided.
Introduction
Background: Does disability
limit students' ability to pay for college and graduate school?
What role do college financial aid programs and other financial
benefits play in students' transition to independence and adulthood?
These questions are significant because higher education is key
to the independence of students with disabilities. Prior to this
student inquiry undertaken by the Youth Advisory Committee of the
National Council on Disability (NCD), students with disabilities
were not asked whether disability played a role in their ability
to pay for college.
Congress is currently evaluating the 2004 reauthorization
of the Higher Education Act, the law that funds the largest percentage
of financial aid for higher education. For this reauthorization
to accurately reflect the needs of students with disabilities, it
is imperative that students with disabilities have the opportunity
to share their experiences with barriers in the financial aid process.
The Higher Education Act of 1965 provides funding
and direction for many programs that prepare students for postsecondary
education and support them during college and graduate school. Some
of these programs are:
College education programs for future K-12
teachers
Professional development and support for teachers
University infrastructure and library improvements
Federal student loans
Pell Grants
Campus Work-Study Programs
Academic Achievement Incentive Scholarships
Early outreach and student service programs designed to increase
the representation and success of disadvantaged students in higher
education
Student support services
Educational Opportunity Centers
Graduate Schools
Colleges and universities that historically serve minority populations
Research to improve the instruction of college students with
disabilities
Learning Anytime, Anywhere Partnerships (Distance Learning)
What are the Higher Education
Act's requirements and provisions for serving students with disabilities?
It is helpful to begin by exploring what students
with disabilities should expect to occur under The Higher Education
Act. This context will help you evaluate students' responses to
the Youth Advisory Committee's inquiry. According to The Higher
Education Act college and graduate students with disabilities should
expect:
Nondiscrimination: The Higher
Education Act assigns the term "disability" the same meaning given
this term under section 3(2) of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (see Higher Education Act Section 103). Section 111
states: Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the rights
or responsibilities of any individual under the Americans With Disabilities
Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or any other law.
Access to student support services:
The section authorizing grants for student support services
states that persons with disabilities should be a substantial part
of the population receiving assistance (See Section 402D).
Increased Pell Grants when disability-related
expenses are disclosed: The Higher Education Act stipulates
that the amount of a student's Pell Grant should be increased if
they have dependent care expenses or disability expenses. The formula
for increasing the amount of the grant is found in Section 401,
part 3a.
Increased Cost of Attendance when
disability-related expenses are disclosed: Calculating the
Cost of Attendance is the first step in determining the amount of
a student's financial aid package. The Higher Education Act includes
disability-related expenses as one component of this sum of a student's
expenses. It describes this component of the Cost of Attendance
as follows: for a student with a disability, an allowance (as determined
by the institution) for those expenses related to the students
disability, including special services, personal assistance, transportation,
equipment, and supplies that are reasonably incurred and are not
provided for by other assisting agencies (See Sections 471-472).
Despite these two references to including disability-related
expenses in calculating Pell Grants and the Cost of Attendance,
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) does not provide
an option for students to disclose disability expenses. Our student
committee is also unaware of any colleges that ask students for
this information.
Discretion permitted to financial
aid officers: The Higher Education Act follows its instructions
for calculating the cost of attendance by clearly permitting financial
aid officers to act to meet student's needs. It states: "Nothing
in this part shall be interpreted as limiting the authority of the
financial aid administrator, on the basis of adequate documentation,
to make adjustments on a case by case basis, to the cost of attendance
or the value of the data items required to calculate the expected
student or parent contribution (or both) to allow for treatment
of an individual eligible applicant with special circumstances....
Special expenses may include tuition expenses at an elementary or
secondary school, medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance,
unusually high child care costs, recent unemployment of a family
member, the number of parents enrolled at least half-time in a degree,
certificate or other program leading to a recognized educational
credential at an institution...or other changes in a family's income,
a family's assets, or a student's status" (Section 479A).
Funding for improved higher education
for students with disabilities: The Higher Education act
funds Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with Disabilities
Receive a Quality Higher Education. These provide 3-year grants
for institutions to develop demonstration projects and professional
development about teaching college students with disabilities (See
section 761).
Students with Disabilities
Speak:
College and Graduate Student Inquiry
Objective: Our primary objective
was to learn about the successes and obstacles reported by college
and graduate students paying for their higher education by collecting
and analyzing their narratives. Our secondary objective was to learn
about the disability-related knowledge of college financial aid
officers, their familiarity with the Higher Education Act, and their
assessment of what they are empowered to do to assist students with
disabilities.
Methodology:
Optional, guiding questions were presented to students with disabilities
and university financial aid officers. Eight questions were prepared
for students; 14 were presented for financial aid officers. Our
committee of student volunteers publicized our questions for students
between May and August 2003 by e-mail and postal mail to colleges,
universities, technical/vocational schools, independent living centers,
vocational rehabilitation agencies, consumer groups, and state governments
nationwide. We publicized our questions for financial aid officers
in July 2003 by e-mailing their professional organizations and e-mailing
and telephoning a small sample of individual financial aid officers
at schools.
Limitations: Our volunteers
had several months in which to gather student feedback and prepare
policy recommendations for Congress' consideration of the Higher
Education Act this autumn. There was not time to submit a formal
questionnaire to the Office of Management and Budget for approval.
Therefore, we were restricted to proposing optional, guiding questions
to suggest topics respondents might address in their narratives.
This prevented us from preparing a questionnaire that would have
been more accessible to persons who find reading and writing difficult.
The emphasis on qualitative data severely restricted our ability
to measure demographic variables, such as whether a respondent attends
a public or private university, the size of the school, and the
person's age. We also were limited by lack of funds, lack of staff
time, and the volunteer status of our committee. The most significant
impact of our limited resources was our inability to obtain feedback
from college and graduate school financial aid officers. A second
related limitation was that we heard almost solely from respondents
using e-mail, so we conclude that we did not reach many people with
disabilities who lack Internet access.
Responses
Received: We received 67 responses by e-mail, two by facsimile,
one through a forum post, and one by postal mail. Most respondents
(53) were students or recent graduates with disabilities, though
we also heard from family members, transition planners, and staff
at nonprofit organizations. We did not receive responses from college
and university financial aid officers. This is one of the limitations
restricting the breadth of data reported.
Forty of 59 responses received from students or their
parents identified the disabilities they experienced. Nine of these
respondents reported that they had multiple disabilities. The most
common disabilities reported were blindness or visual impairment,
chronic illness, traumatic brain injury, deafness, cerebral palsy,
or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
It is notable that we did not hear from many students
with learning disabilities or developmental disabilities, or from
individuals who wish to be in college but are unable to gain acceptance
or to pay for school. There may be significant portions of the disability
community whose viewpoints on higher education are not known simply
because they rarely have access to it.
Key Findings from Students'
Responses
Finding 1: Disability disclosure does not lead to increased
financial aid from colleges and universities, despite provisions
in the Higher Education Act for increased financial aid officer
discretion, Cost of Attendance, and Pell Grants in the case of significant
disability-related expenses.
Twenty-five students (or their parents) responded
to our question about whether they disclosed their disability to
their financial aid office, and if so, whether this had an impact
on their financial aid package. Only three of the respondents indicated
that they did not disclose their disability to financial aid staff.
One of these students explained that she kept her diagnosis confidential
because of the fear that misconceptions about her disability, bi-polar
disorder, could make life difficult for her on campus.
The 22 students who reported their disability to financial
aid staff primarily reported that this had no obvious impact on
their financial aid and/or that it led to upsetting conversations
with financial aid officers. Nineteen respondents in this group
felt that disclosing their disability did not affect their financial
aid. Many of them expressed frustration that they asked for help
and described disability-related barriers and expenses, but got
no response.
Most students who felt that disability disclosure
negatively affected their financial aid described receiving decreased
aid after reporting their disability and vocational rehabilitation
(VR) assistance to their school. For example: "Yes, my financial
aid package was affected. VR assistance was considered to be a "scholarship"
rather than necessary aid for additional costs such as technical
assistance." Other students who reported disability-related needs
to their financial aid offices found that this negatively affected
their aid. One student wrote: "My financial aid services decreased
when I disclosed my disability. I had to take time off for a fracture
and when I informed the financial aid office about my attendance
status they stopped my financial aid."
Three students reported that while the aid from their
school was not affected by disclosing their disability, an unexpected
side-effect of this disclosure was that their school required them
to apply for funds from their state vocational rehabilitation program
before the university financial aid officers would prepare a financial
aid package. Delays in vocational rehabilitation paperwork were
then of significant concern. Six students had negative feelings
about their college's response to the disclosure of their disability,
even though providing that information did not appear to decrease
their financial aid. The college's responses made them feel very
unwelcome. Some of their statements are included in the case studies
in the table below.
Only one student felt that disclosing her disability
might have benefited her, because she qualified for disability-related
scholarships at her school.
The Response to the Disclosure of Disability
Often Makes Students Feel Unwelcome:
"Last week I did speak with the financial aid office
and Penn State's policy is they don't care about any disabilities,
no special circumstances. Even though (my son) is living on his
own, we as his parents can pay the bill." ~ Parent of college
student with traumatic brain injury
"Because my disability is "invisible", I often have
difficulty convincing student aid officers of my increased need.
The only aid I have received has been in the form of increased
unsubsidized Stafford Loans to the $10,000 annual limit." ~ College
student
"Although my family has applied for aid, I have
not been given any aid whatsoever. I felt like they did not consider
the numerous out-of-pocket expenses my family has incurred over
the years because of my disability (speech therapy, psychologist,
etc.)" ~ College student
"Quite a few of the schools I approached as a potential
college freshman told me that there were no special circumstances
considered in determining financial aid. They got disconcerted
and very formal when disability was mentioned. The colleges seemed
to have accepted me for admission because of my unusual disability-related
leadership experiences, but were absolutely unwilling to adjust
my financial aid package to assist me. One Ivy League women's
college even said I was too disabled for them, because I couldn't
do work-study while taking classes." ~ College student with chronic
illness
"I always wanted to be a teacher. I have Cerebral
Palsy and use a wheelchair. (I was told in my third year of college
that) 'Disabled persons do not meet the image this college requires
of its Education graduates.' ... No disabled Education students
were graduated that year. I transferred to Rhode Island College
and had to repeat a lot of material because they went at it a
different way. (I switched to computer science), went through
my graduation ceremony, and then was told I had one incomplete
to finish. When I tried to do so, the professor claimed because
he lost the paperwork he was giving me an 'F." I already had a
job, so let it go." ~ Graduate who is unemployed
"Many of the LD (Learning Disabled) students I have
met end up being asked to lower their expectations and go to a
2 year college or technical school instead of a four year university.
This is so sad because these students are gifted and learning
disabled. ... The person with hidden disabilities often suffers
in silence and never gets the assistance they need to succeed
and they fall through the cracks and end up on the welfare rolls
or become inmates and still supported by the state. The money
spent early on in intervention has a big payoff. Neglect leads
to many social ills and added costs significantly higher than
what it would cost to provide appropriate accommodations and support
in the formative years." ~ Transition planning professional
Finding 2: Disability may prevent some
students from accessing financial aid for college and graduate school.
Students wrote to us about a number of concerns that
can affect their ability to qualify for college and graduate school
financial aid. They included difficulty with the tests and essays
required for meeting scholarship criteria, limited ability to attend
school full-time because of the impact of disability, and difficulty
working at a job in order to pay for school. We have separated our
response counts for this section according to the specific concerns
that writers identified.
Exam and essay barriers:
One parent described the challenges her high school daughter faced
in applying for college admission and scholarships because of her
learning disabilities. Despite getting high grades in her courses,
she was unable to get high enough SAT scores to meet the National
Collegiate Athletic Association's standards. She also struggled
with the essays required for most scholarship applications. Some
college athletic departments shied away from her after learning
of her disability, despite her good grades and strong athletic skills.
Studying takes extra time for many
students with disabilities: Although we did not specifically
inquire about this challenge, two students and one college staff
member discussed it in their responses. This is significant because
spending extra time on studying may mean taking a reduced course
load and needing extra semesters to finish school, and may make
it very difficult for students to work while they are taking classes.
Please see the case studies on the right.
Can students make satisfactory academic
progress in order to qualify for aid? Many universities have
minimum progress requirements, which require a minimum number of
units or courses to be taken per year. The penalty for not taking
the minimum number of units is typically academic probation. As
many students with disabilities are unable to take a full course
load, these students are placed on academic probation simply due
to disability and may also have financial aid eligibility problems
because they do not have fulltime status.
Only seven students answered our question about whether
they can meet their schools requirements for academic progress.
Six two graduate students, two college graduates, one college
student, and an adult with a graduate degree reported that they
could meet their school's requirements. . The seventh respondent
to this question reported that she would not be able to meet the
requirements at most colleges, but that her distance learning school
had very flexible criteria that permitted her to take a low course
load and take semesters off when needed.
Requiring Extra Time to Complete Studies
"With my disabilities (dyslexia) ... it usually
takes me twice as long to complete an assignment and tests, which
is a significant amount of time. This time is just the time spent
executing the assignments and does not account for the time spent
going to school early or staying after for help in a particular
subject that I have had a difficult time understanding." ~ College
freshman with dyslexia
"As someone who is hearing impaired I require more
time to complete my work than the average student. For example:
Teachers refuse to use closed captions on movies, therefore, I
must make the extra time to go to the library and watch the movie
on my own with the captions. Or, if I can find it, rent it from
the local video store because the video does not have closed captions
installed. ... Other reasons why it takes more time for me to
complete work is having to meet with people. Sometimes I do not
understand what the lecture was about and must meet the teacher,
I must meet with the note takers and proofreaders. (My writing
is bad, due to the inability to hear proper English.) All of this
extra time takes away my chance to have a job and to provide for
myself financially." ~ College student
A college support services staff person writes:
"Here at UNM we consider 9 hours "full time" for a student with
a documented disability as opposed to the standard 12 credits/hours.
This would be wonderful if the major financial aid institutions
would do the same."
We asked students if taking a reduced
course load because of their disability could mean running out of
Pell Grant eligibility before they finish school, because of taking
additional semesters to complete their degree. Eight students
responded. Two were unsure what would happen if they needed extra
time to complete school; one expected to need many additional semesters
of part-time study; one could not drop below 12 credits per semester
or he would lose his scholarship; and one was in graduate school
and ineligible for Pell Grants. Two said they would run out of eligibility
if they needed additional semesters to study. The final student
advised others that VR funds should kick in when they are no longer
eligible for Pell Grants.
Are students able to attend school
half- or full-time in order to qualify for financial aid?
Seventeen students responded to this question. Thirteen of them
reported that they attended school full-time. Of those, three also
mentioned that they also worked at a job during the school semester;
five stated that they could not handle working during the semester;
one found logistical challenges to working during the term; and
three mentioned only that they attended class full-time (no indication
about working).
Four students reported difficulty keeping up with
the typical college academic pace. Two of them reported that they
could attend school at a ½ to Ύ time level, and that they must do
so to maintain their financial aid. One wrote: "Physically, I know
that my body won't let me keep up a faster pace and I feel frustrated
that college will take me forever to finish." The third student
in this group had to carefully schedule light course loads and avoid
taking more than one major reading/composition class per semester.
The fourth student in this group reports that she is typically unable
to attend more than 1-2 classes per term, and must take many terms
off due to illness.
Several students reported taking time off from school
because of chronic illness, fractured limbs, or needing time to
heal from brain injuries.
Is it difficult for students to attend school
at least half time?
"In the majority of the time since I graduated
from high school (1995) I have not been able to attend school
half-time or full-time. I usually end up taking 1-2 courses per
semester, then have big flare-ups in my chronic illness and take
a number of semesters off, and then return to take a few more
classes. There was one term when I was able to take 3 classes
on campus, but that was highly unusual, and I did absolutely nothing
other than study and sleep all term. I couldn't exercise, take
care of errands, groceries, cooking, or other tasks, because it
took all I had to sit up and be that active." ~ Student with chronic
illness
"I am physically and mentally able to attend
school more than half the time, although I do have problems attending
classes sometimes due to disability and medicine related fatigue.
As per academic performance, I have maintained a GPA that is above
3.3, but currently I have incompletes in 7 courses, preventing
me from getting the credits I need to become a junior, as well
as putting me in danger of losing my scholarship." ~ Student who
has bi-polar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder
Are students physically able to
take advantage of college work-study when it is offered in their
financial aid package? Eighteen students responded to this
question. Eight were able to work on- or off-campus during the school
term. Three felt that they were able to do so, but either were not
offered this opportunity in their financial aid package or were
not permitted to use it because of vocational rehabilitation regulations.
Seven students were unable to access the funds allocated
in the work-study portion of their financial aid package because
their disability prevented from having a job while they were in
school. Of these seven, two students were unable to handle working
during the semester, but chose to work during summer breaks. One
worked during the semester, but chose to do so at jobs that she
found more accessible and career-related than on-campus employment.
An additional student writes that he attempted work-study "for awhile
then it became too stressful to attend school and work. Make sure
it doesn't count against social security in the future." Finally,
two respondents were not able to handle working at a job at all
because of extremely low stamina, and one found it impossible to
find an employer who would accommodate her needs as a person with
carpel tunnel syndrome.
Finding 3: Students use many sources
of financial aid, some of which prevent them from accessing the
services they desire.
Forty-one students (or their parents) described the
sources of aid used to fund their higher education. Several staff
from college disability service offices also described the sources
of aid their students use. Almost all student respondents reported
using multiple sources of aid. The most common form of aid received
was funding from state vocational rehabilitation agencies, followed
by Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI), scholarships or Pell Grants, and student loans.
What barriers and frustrations did students report?
One of the most common frustrations expressed was
discovering that their college refuses to consider special circumstances
when creating aid packages, including ignoring disability-related
expenses.
Students also found negotiating the paperwork for
vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies challenging, particularly
when receiving VR funding impacted their school financial aid package.
Families reported discovering that their child's college would not
prepare a financial aid offer for them until they applied for VR
funds. If VR was slow to respond or did not offer much, the family
could be faced with paying most or the student's entire bill for
tuition, fees, books, and room and board. In contrast, in another
case a student had to apply for financial aid from their school
first, wait for the denial, and then provide that denial to VR in
order to receive their tuition support.
Sometimes VR and SSI regulations also posed unwanted
barriers for students. One student wished to participate in campus
work-study but was prevented from doing so by her VR agency, and
this meant that she had to take out unwanted student loans. Another
student faced a funding challenge when her VR agency falsely claimed
it could not help her unless she used up all of her funds and was
at the point of taking out loans.
Several students mentioned a desire to try working
part-time, but feared losing their eligibility for SSI and Medicaid.
One student with paralysis specifically advised, "Don't do work
study, they used it against my trial work period for social security."
Others mentioned that their financial aid packages had been reduced
by the amount of the work-study package offered, which they had
declined because their disability prevented them from participating.
This removal of aid from the package offered by their college led
to an increased student loan burden.
Students also expressed concern about lack of access
to medical insurance; limited benefits provided by student health
insurance plans; and fear of losing Medicaid when moving to attend
school or get a job.
Several students described taking time off from school,
attending low-cost in-state schools part-time and taking other unwanted
steps to minimize their educational costs. One such student writes:
"Prior to receiving DOR (Department of Rehabilitation) benefits
I was forced to take a year off because I could not afford to pay
for school on my own. (This was after fracturing my leg and being
denied additional funds)."
How do funding sources interact? Do their interactions
create barriers?
"I am the parent of a 14-year-old. Until a recent
injury to my back I worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
with people of all abilities. At the same time, my marriage ended,
so I applied for SSI for my daughter (who has a disability). Imagine
my shock to learn that EE savings bonds my elderly parents were
accruing for college counted as "income." The small college savings
plan we had also worked against her (as an SSI applicant). Trying
to plan for my "honors student" child, disabled or not, is what
I, as a parent, would expect to do. I am extremely aware that
she will always need an assistant and class accommodations. Expenses
will not be cheap.... This is a contradiction of society's message
of employment for all, as well as colleges expecting help from
families regarding financial aid." ~ Mother with a disability,
whose daughter is also disabled
"There is no way for me to save for a rainy day
unless I break SSI rules and save money in my parents' account...to
pay for my medications and tuition." ~ Student with a chronic
illness
"BVR didn't want me working (no work-study) to
make up any difference between my scholarships and my expenses,
so, like it or not, I ended up taking out loans." ~ Student
"I have found that (Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation) is more equipped to deal with vocational training
schools than academic institutions, but my counselor is willing
to figure out how things should work for my situation." ~ Student
"Voc Rehab paid the balance of what the grants
didn't pay." ~ Student
What successes did students report?
Students experiences varied significantly from school
to school and state to state. There were eleven students who reported
that vocational rehabilitation agencies paid for most or all of
their costs when attending community college, university, and/or
graduate school (three of them were blind; one had cerebral palsy;
one had muscular dystrophy; one had osteogenesis imperfecta; and
five did not specify their disability). In addition, one student
who'd lost limbs in an accident reported that a VR agency paid for
half of his school and living costs during the final two years of
his doctoral program, and a technical college student was able to
pay for his living expenses and tools because of funds provided
by VR and SSI. Another student expressed confidence that if others
ran out of grant sources, as he had, that state-funded VR would
pick up the remainder of their college costs. These students were
very satisfied with their VR experiences and reported gratitude
for the support they had received.
Several students stated that they had received scholarships
related to their disability, academic performance, leadership, or
job experiences. In contrast, other respondents found few scholarships
related to their disability, particularly if they did not have blindness,
deafness or use a wheelchair.
One young woman was surprised to learn that others
struggle to pay for school, because her community college waives
her tuition fee if the local Social Security Administration office
verifies her disability status.
Several students reported creative strategies used
to make their school plans work. For example, one mom with a disability
used an SSA Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) to pay for her child's
daycare while she attended graduate school. A student with cerebral
palsy fought to persuade his college's dean that attending three
classes constituted a full-time course load in his case, and he
won. Another student's solution was to choose an inexpensive distance-learning
program that she could attend part-time and to ask her parents to
save part of her SSI funds for medical expenses and tuition. Finally,
one student took a year off from school to work for AmeriCorps.
Success Stories:
"I was also given additional funds from SSI because
I was attending college full-time during the age of 18 - 22."
"The Massachusetts Commission For The Blind provides
me with tuition reimbursement and with money for readers. Last
year, I also received a scholarship from the National Tour foundation;
This scholarship was specifically for people with disabilities
who have an interest in travel. Although I am majoring in communications,
I have worked at a travel agency for four years now and was given
a small scholarship by this company as well." ~ College freshman
who is blind
"EOPS paid for my books, and sometimes paid for
parking passes. I also go a federal Pell Grant, which was cash
that went straight to me. That help when my books went over the
very low $100-$200 limit for EOPS. EOPS also gave you rewards
for following their rules, and had a book loan if you couldn't
buy the books. One of the rewards was priority registration so
you were sure to get your classes (very important now when classes
have been cut because of the budget!). Also they gave you a 'meal
ticket' for seeing your counselor when you were supposed to. So
you got $5 worth of food at the cafeteria. I graduated from that
school in May 2003, and now I am on to a large university, but
keeping my job at the community college. ~ Student with bipolar
disorder, who is also parenting a son who is blind
"Yes, the financial aid office secretary and
I became good friends! :) Any opportunity for a paid internship
or an off-campus position was something that I would jump at because
then it would be considered independent income rather than that
provided by the school--this way it would not affect my aid package."
Comments from professionals:
"Many blind/visually impaired students pay for
their college educations by way of Federal grants (e.g., PELL)
and tuition and room and board assistance from State Vocational
Rehabilitation agencies. Some earn scholarships, of course, and
a few -- far too few in my view -- have part time jobs. I am sure
many take out loans and have parental support, but have no statistics
on this." ~ Staff at employment center for persons who are blind
"At this time, the students that I am working
with that are choosing colleges & universities as their post secondary
option are falling between the "moderate to mild" learning disability
spectrum. They are paying for their education the same way as
typical learners: with government financial aid loans, local scholarships
& family support. Most, if not all, of my families are taking
out "parents loans" as well, in addition to getting second jobs
to help cover tuition bills. The financial burden of college is
weighing heavily on all families and hopes of landing a "good
job" after graduation in order to pay-off these loans seems to
be the chosen method." ~ Transition Planning Coordinator
Finding 4: It's not just colleges and
rehabilitation agencies that fund student accommodations students
pay out-of-pocket for them, too.
We asked students to tell us about the services they
need as college and graduate students and how they are paid for.
Their reports may be grouped into four categories: services provided
by high schools; services funding by colleges and universities;
services funded by VR agencies; and disability-related services
which students pay for themselves.
Although we did not ask students
about whether their public schools paid for services needed for
the transition to college, several elected to write about this topic.
Two young students reported positive experienced in high school.
A college freshman who is blind reported that his public school
system paid for mobility training and that this helped him prepare
for independence and life on campus. A recent high school graduate
with dyslexia said his school district paid for his use of expensive
software to help compensate for his learning difficulties.
On the other end of the spectrum, one student described
receiving emotional and verbal abuse from staff throughout elementary
and high school, and his family's expenses related to hiring an
advocate and psychologist to help him with his learning disabilities,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and working with
the school system. A graduate of a community college's business
program described being told that she would never be able to complete
high school, and having people take for granted that her future
was limited.
We also received comments from staff persons at several
non-profit organizations who stated that their constituents rarely
are prepared for postsecondary education. One wrote: "Unfortunately,
far too many students with intellectual and cognitive disabilities
do not get a high school diploma but, rather, a certificate of attendance
which is not the same thing and limits participation in higher education."
What services and accommodations are colleges funding?
The most common services and accommodations provided
by colleges to our respondents were tutoring, note taking, tape
recording of lectures, testing accommodations, alternative format
course materials, and advising by staff in the office for students
with disabilities. Many students also were provided access to assistive
technology, particularly when it was required for computer use by
students who are blind or dyslexic.
What services did your college provide?
"Adaptive technology has been very important
to my success. I use JAWS (Job Access With Speech), the Kurzweil
Scanning Program, the Duxbury Braille Translation program and
a note taker known as Braille N Speak (produced by Freedom Scientific)
on a daily basis. Having this technology available to me allows
me to take four courses per semester. The scanning and translation
programs which I mentioned above are available in the Adaptive
Technology Lab here on the Fitchburg State College campus." ~
College freshman who is blind
"I am hearing impaired, since birth with nerve
damage, and can hear about 15%. I require help in the communications
area in class. Thanks to the disabled center, they pay for a note
taker for me and an FM system. I also can use their tutoring and
proofreading services as well. UCSC is an excellent college in
terms of being able to provide what I need. Furthermore, they
also provided me a TTY! Despite all of these wonderful services,
the school needs to provide closed captions. I am missing questions
on my tests, thus, decreasing my grade." ~ College student who
is hard of hearing
"The first college I went to is San Francisco
State. The Disabled Center had extremely low money and the office
was located, (in my opinion,) in the worst building on campus---a
trailer. It took me a half an hour to find the building because
I did not know they would place the office in a small trailer.
They refused to provide me with an FM system saying that there
are only 3 available and other students needs them more than I
did. (While I was on campus there were news about mistreatment
toward students in wheel chairs on campus and the school was being
sued by these students.)" ~ College student who is hard of hearing
What services or accommodations are vocational rehabilitation
agencies funding?
Students receiving funding from VR most often mentioned
receiving payment for tuition and books. Negative experiences were
reported regarding requesting funding for services individually
tailored to the student. For example, a student who is blind was
unable to get qualified readers from campus volunteers, and asked
VR to fund paid, competent readers. She felt the need to supplement
their pay from her own funds because VR only paid minimum wage.
When individualized services were funded by VR, they typically included
mobility training, assistive technology, or readers. In some cases
students were able to obtain funding for laptop computers.
Most students did not report difficulty in having
their disability recognized by VR agencies, but instead had difficulty
persuading counselors that the services they requested were warranted.
However, one student's case was closed earlier than she preferred
because her state VR agency refused to acknowledge her treating
physician's orders for management of her bilateral carpel tunnel
syndrome.
Students mentioned the importance of filing all VR
paperwork early, because of potential delays in receiving funds
for tuition and books. Some students needed to complete VR paperwork
especially early, because their qualification for financial aid
from their college would not be determined until VR provided a plan
of support. In other cases, VR would not offer assistance until
the college documented its refusal of financial aid to the student.
In both cases, the time delay in completing paperwork could be significant.
Students frustrated with VR experiences also tended
to feel that VR pushed them to limit their educational and career
goals. For example, in some cases tuition would be covered at local
community colleges, but not at four-year state universities. Others
already attending four-year schools were told that they were ineligible
for VR aid because they were already in their junior year. Similarly,
some students were told that funding would not be provided for them
to attend graduate school. This was not a universal experience
one student transferred to a four-year college and took out student
loans to cover the increased costs not covered by her continued
VR payments. In addition, several students who are blind and one
student with muscular dystrophy received generous VR funding for
graduate education. It was unclear whether the variation in VR experiences
was due to differing funding levels or regulations from state-to-state,
or to inconsistent interpretations of regulations on the part of
VR counselors.
Did you receive the services you needed from vocational
rehabilitation? Students report a great variation in experiences:
"I feel as if Voc. Rehab. only wants to help
pay for the minimum requirements to get "me/us" out to work as
soon as possible rather than allowing me to become a contributing
member of society in a field which I would enjoy, rather than
just "hurry me" out to work." ~ College student with chronic illnesses
"I live in Buckley, WA. I graduated from Green
River Community College. I went to my local Dept. of Vocational
Rehab. in Puyallup to fund my expenses. They paid for all books
and tuition." ~ Recent graduate
"I was one of the lucky ones to be grandfathered
into our "older" VR program since I had already been in VR. A
year after I began working with VR, the regulations changed a
bit and no longer (or seldom in case need was substantial) would
VR carry through each semester until completion of a degree. Therefore,
even though I had to attend for five years (including summer school)
VR still, thankfully, provided assistance." ~ Recent graduate
with traumatic brain injury
"The BVR (Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation)
subtracted one huge frustration from my return to school. At the
time I was living on SSI and SSDI, but this wasn't even enough
to pay for rent, food, and utilities, let alone school. The BVR
paid for half of my schooling and half of my rent for the last
two years. I could not have afforded it had it not been for their
help. Thank you Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation." ~ Recent
graduate
"If he had chosen to go to our local community
college, Montgomery College, Voc Rehab told us that his tuition
would be covered. This was not the case at UMD, however." ~ Mother
of a student who has dwarfism
"I have muscular dystrophy and am currently in
graduate school. If it were not for voc rehab, I'm quite sure
I would not be where I am today. They paid for my tuition and
books throughout undergraduate school. I was able to receive a
few academic scholarships, but they were never enough to pay for
everything. My first semester in graduate school, I received a
graduate assistantship that paid for all of my tuition plus a
stipend that allowed me to buy my own books. However, teaching
and keeping up with my own classes was a bit too much for me,
so I decided not to take the assistantship again. Fortunately,
voc rehab is going to save the day again and start paying tuition
and books." ~ Graduate student
"Now as a graduate student I am not eligible
for the scholarship from vocational rehabilitation, nor am I eligible
for a Pell grant." ~ Graduate student
"Voc Rehab in Kentucky refuses to assist graduate
students with prior graduate credit." ~ Student
"Kentucky Rehab. accepted full responsibility
for my college costs from 1967 through 1971. They paid full tuition,
fees, books as well as a monthly stipend for a tutor. In 1971
I entered graduate school at which time Kentucky Rehab. paid full
financial assistance as before. Interestingly, both of these schools
I attended were private schools, costing three to four times as
much as if I had chosen a State school. Ky. Rehab. honored my
choices.... Kentucky Rehab. paid for books and tutor/reader."
~ Person with a graduate degree
"I was a client of the Virginia Department of
Rehabilitative Services from 1994 until 2001. The agency reimbursed
my apartment rent during my first year as a graduate student (1994
- 1995). My case was closed in October, 2001, because the agency
refused to recognize the treating physician's orders regarding
my care and treatment for the bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome."
~ Graduate student
Difficulty Accessing Financial Support in the
Community:
"I had a three year old child who was not eligible
for subsidized daycare as both parents were required to work or
attend school full time. The exemption for disability supposedly
was for the "completely incapacitated" which we couldn't be if
we were going to school. The University offered some daycare to
students, most of which was inaccessible, but since I wasn't attending
full time, I wasn't eligible for vary many hours of care. I used
a PASS to pay for extra hours of daycare." ~ Mother and graduate
with a disability
What services or accommodations
must students fund themselves? What extra expenses do they have
because of their disabilities? Seventeen students responded
to this question. The most common out-of-pocket expenses reported
were for tuition, accessible transportation, medication, books not
paid for by VR, computer equipment, and daycare. Students also had
to pay for hearing tests, batteries, neurocognitive testing, assistive
technology, special medical diets, tutoring, supplementary pay for
readers, and computer supplies.
This student's response to our question about out-of-pocket
expenses was typical: "(Oh my gosh) - so many. Tons of medical expenses
that weren't covered by Medicare or Medicaid: Housing modifications,
medications...supplies such as gloves, lubricant, OTC's, lots of
things. Voc rehab helped some, but finding low rent housing that
was accessible was a big problem, they didn't help at all with that.
Neither did disability services. I was basically out there on my
own, no family, just friends to help." Similarly, a graduate student
who is deaf wrote, "Since VR won't support everything...I have to
pay with the student loan or out of pocket the scanner, dragon-dictate
with ASL (American Sign Language) translator since it would help
with the papers for the MA degree I'm seeking now."
The most frequent complaint was difficulty in obtaining
funding for transportation. A number of students who were blind,
had mobility impairments, or had cognitive difficulties that made
driving unsafe or impossible had to recruit friends and family members
to bring them to classes, or pay out-of-pocket for taxis and buses.
One student wrote that when accessible transportation was available,
it cost her $10 per day, and that this prevented her from returning
to a rewarding off-campus internship.
Another common concern was that students who take
longer to complete college pay more tuition in total and pay more
for each credit earned. For example, "I went to graduate school
half-time because of my disability, so I didn't qualify for any
financial aid. I took twice as long to finish and paid twice as
much for the same classes as my peers."
Students sometimes had to pay for or find volunteers
to assist them while waiting for agencies to agree upon who would
fund services. For example, one woman shared, "I was finally able
to get an attendant to meet me at school for a bathroom break the
semester I graduated...this didn't cost me out of pocket but I encountered
a lot of resistance from the Division of Developmental Disabilities
about paying for it...they considered it VR's responsibility, VR
did not. That went on for two years, before DD agreed to pay."
Individualized needs were harder for students to meet,
such as funding for a private, accessible dorm room, or for captioned
videos for a film major who is deaf. Demonstrating the need for
personal assistive technology, like access to one's own laptop computer
or hand-held organizer, was also difficult for students. Proof of
disability was not always enough to qualify students for services,
such as when a mother with a disability could not obtain subsidized
daycare for her daughter because she could not work or attend school
full-time. Obstacles such as these increased students' out-of-pocket
expenses.
Three students wrote of not receiving health insurance
or Medicare coverage for necessary medications and having monthly
expenses of between $300 and several thousand dollars for drugs,
which meant not getting treatment. In one case, this led to a number
of emergency room trips for asthma attacks.
Finding 5: There is little benefits
planning or communication between students' rehabilitation counselors
and their college disability services staff. Receiving funds from
one agency typically negatively affects students' ability to secure
support from other sources.
Thirteen respondents (eleven students and two parents)
commented on our question about how VR agencies, SSI/SSDI, college
disability services, and college financial aid offices interact.
Nine were quite dissatisfied with the ways agencies communicate.
Unanticipated roadblocks and confusing advice related to accepting
VR or SSI funds were their chief complaints.
Very few students mentioned interactions between college
disability support staff and the VR agencies and other professionals
in their lives. Most comments suggested that students were advocating
for themselves without having an experienced, knowledgeable specialist
guiding them. These two comments were typical: "I dont think the
two offices ever communicate. The only thing that links them together
is when I call and ask the Disabled Student Services Office to fax
my grades to my DOR counselor" and "no - that office was NOT helpful
when I was in school, 10 yrs ago.... no coordination whatsoever."
Only two respondents mentioned repeated communication between their
medical, psychological, rehabilitation, and campus disability services
professionals.
The complicated interactions between VR funds and
colleges began for some students when they disclosed their disability
to their college financial aid office, only to be told that they
were required to apply for VR funds before the school could offer
a financial aid package. In other cases, the opposite effect occurred:
VR assistance was received only after proof of federal student financial
aid was provided.
Some students found VR's requirements for academic
achievement very helpful. Others complained that their advice was
complicated and confusing because of frequent changes in VR staff,
or that VR counselors pushed them too hard to finish their studies
as quickly as possible, even if they were working and attending
graduate school simultaneously. The opposite experience was reported
as well, where college professors would encourage students with
disabilities to reach for their dreams, but VR counselors would
push them to plan on never being well enough to work outside of
the home. The lack of flexibility for students with disabilities
to explore their options was mentioned, with funding crises and
a focus on results as possible explanations. Some students also
were upset that having succeeded in school earlier, such as having
some graduate level credit, could disqualify them from receiving
VR funds. The variation in their experiences underscores how difficult
it is for students to know what to expect when seeking assistance
from VR.
Students found it frustrating and confusing to sort
out the interactions between VR funding, SSI, Medicaid, and opportunities
such as campus work-study programs and company internships. Receiving
one benefit often meant missing out on another one, to the detriment
of the student. For example, one student wished to participate in
campus work-study, but felt she could not do so without losing her
VR support. Another feared participating in work-study would jeopardize
her eligibility for SSI and Medicaid. Some students participated
in work-study or internships, to gain independence and career skills,
but then found that this made them ineligible for SSI.
Two respondents described SSI resource limitations
as a barrier that prevents them from preparing for and succeeding
in college. A college student mentioned that she must quietly ask
her parents to save a portion of her SSI grant (and not disclose
this to the Social Security Administration) so that she can pay
for medications, tuition, and books. She cannot openly save enough
for school and medical expenses without losing her SSI eligibility
and cannot attend school or work full-time. On a related note, a
mom and daughter who are both disabled discovered that the daughter
was ineligible to receive SSI because her grandparents had been
putting aside savings bonds to help pay for her college education.
The mother, who cannot currently work, is unsure how to prepare
financially for her daughter's special needs in college, when she
is prohibited from saving for them and also finds her daughter ineligible
for SSI.
Finding 6: Students
with disabilities report that they are concerned about taking out
student loans. Thirteen respondents identified as students
commented on our question about student loans, as well as one respondent
who did not identify her role.
The majority of respondents (nine students) were worried
about student loans because of their disability-related needs. Two
of them will not take out loans because of their concerns about
being able to work and repay them. Four other students were concerned
that they might not be able to work enough hours to repay their
student loans, but did not specifically state that they would not
take out loans in the future. Typical concerns are highlighted in
the quotes below.
Only three students responded that they were not concerned
about having taken out loans. One felt comfortable with her loan
status because she was confident that she would be employable when
she graduated. Another student who was unconcerned wrote: "You can
get the loans forgiven if you become too disabled to work in the
future, I did."
In addition, one respondent felt she was ineligible
for most student loans because they required a course load that
she couldn't handle.
How do students feel about loans?
"The conditional forgiveness of my pre-disabled
Perkins Loan is dependent upon me falling below the poverty level
in Kentucky for three years.... Stafford loans will enable me
to return to school this fall for a graduate program"
"After seeing how volatile and unpredictable
my health has been in recent years, I want to avoid taking out
student loans whenever possible, because I have no way of knowing
if I will ever be well enough to repay them. I feel even more
resolute about this now because I have a sibling who is mentally
ill and unable to work, and now my parents are paying back my
sibling's student loans, car insurance, COBRA insurance, etc.,
and it's a real financial strain. I would never want them to have
to consider doing that for me."
"The job didn't work out because I could not
find a way of commuting that took less than three hours each way,
and six hours plus full time literally put me in the hospital.
I had trouble with depression during this last college attempt,
and ended up being in the hospital six times in two years between
this mess and my father's suicide. I still owe more than $10,000
and my doctor will not certify me as permanently disabled. He
says that eventually I will be able to work, after a few more
years of therapy. Sallie Mae wants me to start paying now and
I have only Social Security for income. Any suggestions?" ~ Woman
who has cerebral palsy
Her husband comments: "There is a gap between
what is supposedly allowed for being sick and the definition of
permanently disabled. Her work experience is that sooner or later
someone with a prejudice will be appointed over her and will find
an excuse to get rid of her. This applied to several jobs."
"My position as a full-time classified staff
at this university was eliminated ... because the department head
refused to provide the promised reasonable accommodations. I have
been unable to obtain full-time employment with benefits since
that time. I have submitted 435 applications (135 at this university),
and have had 147 interviews since May 2, 2000, when I first learned
my position might be eliminated. I have been unemployed for three
years and know I will never work again. I have maxed out my one
credit card and am unable to pay the August rent on my apartment.
I have been told by the local social services department that
I am not eligible for services, such as food stamps or rent assistance,
because I am overeducated, overqualified, and do not have children.
I have incurred approximately $35,000 in student loan debt I will
never be able to repay." ~ Graduate student who has bilateral
carpel tunnel syndrome
"Yes (I am concerned about) getting a job that
will help me pay off the loans as well as the other daily living
support. Going to school is the easy part however it is getting
the job that is the hardest part today." ~ Graduate student who
is deaf
Finding 7: Students with disabilities
do not feel encouraged to pursue graduate education, and they worry
about how they will fund it.
Twelve students commented on our question about where
they have sought (or will seek) funding for graduate education.
The most common concern mentioned by college students
was the prospect of losing VR support as a graduate student. A college
student hoping to begin graduate school soon stated, "I am planning
to plea my case to the DOR, but if they cannot financially support/help
me then I will be forced to either not attend grad school at all
or attend one or two classes per semester in order to pay for it
myself." One college student predicted that she would not attend
graduate school because she was sure she would have used up her
family's financial resources by attending college. These worries
stood in contrast to responses to earlier questions in which students
gratefully described receiving VR funds for both undergraduate and
graduate education.
A college student shared her concern that there will
be even more pressure to shorten the time that educational services
are funded by VR agencies if many state-level VR programs become
part of the SSA Ticket to Work Program. This is because VR agencies
serving Ticket holders will not get paid until their clients are
gainfully employed. She felt that there could be an incentive for
Ticket agencies to avoid paying for graduate school so that students
would enter the workforce earlier.
Students currently attending graduate school reported
difficulty in obtaining funding from VR agencies. One could not
do so because she was considered gainfully employed; three were
told that their state's VR program does not assist graduate students.
These students opted to take out additional loans. A law student
commented, "After being diagnosed with ADD, I was told that I could
have had my undergrad paid for, or at least part of it, but not
grad school as I had already "educated myself out of my disability."
The graduate school's willingness to accommodate students'
needs was key in whether they could afford to continue their education.
For example, a blind graduate student found that professors were
reluctant to hire her as a teaching assistant because they didn't
understand how she could do the job, and this made it difficult
for her to obtain assistantship funds. She opted to take out loans.
In another case, a graduate student with mental illness lost his
assistantship and scholarship when he took time off from school
due to an episode of major depression.
Several success stories were shared. One graduate
student obtained tuition benefits and professional development funds
from the university at which she works. Another student described
starting early to seek out scholarship opportunities, because of
limited government funding for graduate education.
One student expressed concern about lack of access
to law school for students with disabilities who cannot attend classes
on campus, who cannot find accredited distance learning law programs.
Obstacles to Employment:
"I went to MacMurray College and graduated with
a BA in Journalism, English and French. I also have a liberal
arts degree. I graduated with awards. Since then, I have been
hospitalized six times in a psychiatric hospital/ward. I cannot
get a job using my college education acquired after my brain stem
injury. I no longer receive psychiatric/psychological care. I
do not need it--the people who treat me badly do. Paying for,
going to college is one thing, navigating through the world of
insensitive idiots is another."
Finding 8: Many students find it difficult
to learn about their right to financial assistance.
Knowledge about the Higher Education
Act and financial benefits: We did not specifically ask students
to describe their knowledge about the Higher Education Act, which
funds most student financial aid. One may infer that they are not
especially familiar with this law because of the confusion their
narratives indicated about Pell Grant eligibility, loan deferment
options, how to handle disability-related expenses, and how to self-advocate
regarding benefits. In particular, we noted that no students indicated
that they were aware that the Higher Education Act permits them
to request an increase in college financial aid because of out-of-pocket
disability-related expenses. The difficulty of this situation was
increased by the varying VR policies from state to state and by
the differing responses VR provides to students when they ask for
individualized assistance, tailored to their specific needs.
Knowledge about eligibility for
disability services: Although we did not ask students to
write about whether they felt adequately informed of their right
to receive accommodations on campus, this theme was raised in many
responses. For example, one student wrote: Not knowing what was
available was my worst problem." Another student described misconstruing
the information she received from her roommate, so that she believed
that campus disabled student services (DSS) were only for minorities
with disabilities.
Students who did not receive disability services during
high school (such as those diagnosed during college) found it hard
to learn about college services, learning disabilities testing,
vocational rehabilitation agencies, and SSI while also keeping up
with their classes. This is where the lack of education and mentoring
services provided by their colleges became significant. Their initial
contact with campus DSS services would be significant.
Finding the DSS office was sometimes a problem. One
student wrote, "When I first became a student at University of Louisville,
I was sent from building to building trying to gain help, and if
I had been a young person I would have put my education behind me
and went home." Similarly, a student from California described hunting
all over campus for the disabled students office, only to find that
it had been relegated to a small trailer. A high school student
conducting college campus visits discovered that a number of schools
placed their office for students with disabilities on the second
floor of a building without an elevator.
Once contact was made, students often felt no less
confused. One student described contacting DSS offices and being
told that they "probably couldn't help me" and another met with
a counselor only to be told that it was surprising someone so intelligent
was in need of assistance.
Students on campuses with limited DSS services, who
were left to self-advocate with only a letter verifying their disability
status, had difficulty learning to do so if they had little previous
advocacy experience and did not have family support.
Finding 9: Students offer advice to
their peers with disabilities. They most often recommend participation
in state vocational rehabilitation programs as a way to pay for
college.
We asked students and staff to suggest ways that youth
with disabilities can pay for college and graduate school. Six students,
two rehabilitation counselors, one advocate from a consumer group,
and two unspecified respondents suggested ways that students should
pay for their higher education.
A student recovering from brain cancer encouraged
others to "START EARLY. I could see that financial aid was going
to be a huge issue for me. I began applying to scholarships my sophomore
year of high school and went all the way to the end of college so
I could pay off the expenses. I find it to be an interesting challenge
for those who come from middle income families, as they are usually
not eligible for the "regular" financial aid, and yet their income
is not plentiful enough to pay for college/post-secondary without
it serving as a significant burden."
Two graduate students and one working adult with disabilities
recommended that students begin by applying for state-funded VR
assistance and then seek financial help from their colleges or universities.
One advised, "Push voc rehab to pay more than they say they will.
They paid for my grad degree too." An academic skills advisor at
a Wisconsin college and an advocate from a state-level autism organization
also recommended state VR agencies.
In contrast, a student who is deaf wrote: "Try all
you can not to depend on Vocational Rehabilitation because their
system is so overburden and favoritism plays a role. Only thing
I can say is to get smart on where the money is. If you plan to
get student loan try to keep it at an affordable limit."
A rehabilitation specialist at a community college
suggested that students younger than 23 document their financial
independence over the course of one year and then apply for increased
aid as an independent on the FAFSA. She also recommended that students
begin at community colleges because of their grant funding for skills
labs, tutoring sessions, and smaller classes. She expressed concern
that out-of-date documentation of learning disabilities often results
in less services being provided to students than they actually need.
She recommends that high schools have more case managers to assure
proper transition planning for higher education.
A rehabilitation counselor at a four-year university
echoed students' advice that they begin at their state's vocational
rehabilitation program. He followed this with recommending federal
programs such as rehabilitation assistance from the Veteran's Administration,
then suggested consulting non-profit organizations about disability-specific
scholarships, and finally recommended the federal student financial
aid process.
One respondent advocated student education about the
rights to health insurance portability and continuity, stating that
if students had insurance within 30 days prior to joining a school's
student insurance plan, their disability-related medical needs should
not be excluded as pre-existing conditions.
Many respondents offered nonspecific comments encouraging
other students to persevere and succeed in school, and expressed
the hope that sharing their story would inspire others to succeed
or give them hope.
How could college disability accommodations be
improved?
"I am able to meet my school's requirements through
no sleep and hard work with a 3.55 GPA. However, there are many
things that make school hard both financially and through relationships
with teachers and TAs. It would be nice to have enough money to
buy more food to keep myself healthy and ready to learn. It would
be nice if there were more closed captioned videos available for
the teachers to use for me. (Although some teachers refuse to
use the captions.) It would be nice if the TAs would wear the
FM system and stop deducting points from non-participation in
discussion. (How can I participate when I can't hear well?)" ~
College student who is hard of hearing
Finding 10: Students with disabilities
offer unique insight about how the system can be improved to help
them afford higher education.
Six students and two staff members replied to our
question about improving the financial aid system in their narratives.
Their suggestions included:
Providing free education for students with disabilities;
Continuing VR support through graduate school;
Funding private scholarships for students with disabilities
who overcome extraordinary barriers to gain acceptance to college;
Enhancing access to distance learning programs for those who
cannot attend classes on campus;
Exempting students from entrance exams if their disability significantly
affects their test-taking ability ;
Providing ample financial resources for students whose ability
to complete assignments in a timely manner depends on the use
of assistive technology;
Increased accessibility for students who are deaf or hard of
hearing, through closed captioned videos, FM radio systems, interpreters,
and the provision of free TTYs in dormitories;
Enhancing the role of the campus disabled students office in
educating students about self-advocacy, benefits planning, and
disability law;
Educating financial aid officers and disability support staff
about the ways they are empowered to help;
Allowing students with disabilities to attend school half-time
and not pay higher tuition per class;
Providing extended eligibility for Pell Grants for students
with disabilities
Exempting students with disabilities from SSI resource limitations
that prevent them from saving for college (i.e. permit them to
use the states' tax-free 529 college savings plans);
Creating supplemental grants to compensate for the loss of financial
aid students incur when they must decline work-study packages
because of disability issues;
Establishing vocational rehabilitation program rules at a uniform
minimum level nationwide, so that each states program will pay
for baccalaureate and graduate degrees and living expenses so
there isn't such a dramatic difference in access to higher education
from state to state.
Conclusions:
Students with disabilities face numerous financial
barriers. These obstacles are more complex than those encountered
by most of their non-disabled peers. These barriers limit students'
choices about educational and career goals and independent living.
Improving employment, self-determination, and self-support depends
on making federal student financial aid, SSI, VR, Medicaid and Medicare
more accessible to those with disabilities.
Higher Education Act Policy
Recommendations from the NCD Youth Advisory Committee
The Higher Education Act's authorization and funding
of programs to increase student access to postsecondary education
presents a welcome opportunity to assist students with disabilities.
The intention of the Act is to enhance the accessibility of postsecondary
education to all students. The Youth Advisory Committee believes
the policy recommendations below will help ensure that the Act's
intention is achieved, by removing barriers that prevent adolescents
and postsecondary students with disabilities from participating
in the programs available to their peers. They also will increase
access to university resources for community members and professors
with disabilities. The Youth Advisory Committee presents these recommendations
for the consideration of the National Council on Disability, to
assist it in guiding federal policy.
1. Research and Demonstration Projects
It is important to begin by increasing knowledge about
postsecondary education and students with disabilities:
a) The socioeconomic data that the Secretary of
Education gathers from student aid recipients should include information
about disability status. The implications of having a disability
are key factors when students decide to take out student loans,
participate or decline work-study opportunities, or participate
in vocational rehabilitation and supplemental security income
programs. Information on the ways these variables impact student
financial aid will enable better coordination of aid in the future
(See Title I, Part C: Cost of Higher Education, Section 131 (Improvements
in Market Information and Public Accountability in Higher Education),
Part D (Student Aid Recipient Survey).
b) Continue and expand the Demonstration Projects
to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher
Education (See Section 761). Extending these 3-year grants that
improve the teaching of college students with disabilities would
allow the dissemination of their findings to the broader educational
community.
2. Teacher Quality
The Higher Education Acts emphasis on professional
development for K-12 educators offers the opportunity to better
prepare elementary and high school students with disabilities for
higher education. We recommend these key steps:
a) Forgive student loans of professionals committed
to working with underserved populations such as students with
disabilities, including special education teachers, transition
planning professionals, social workers, vocational rehabilitation
counselors, personal care assistants, and physical and occupational
therapists.
b) Add language regarding professional development
in special education to the descriptions of ways that Teacher
Quality Enhancement Grants (Section 201) and State Grants (Section
202) may be used.
c) Ask that current language be retained that specifically
states that Partnership Grants may be used for professional development
programs teaching how to educate diverse populations, including
youth with disabilities [See Section 203, Part e(1)].
d) An emphasis on recruiting, educating, and providing
accommodations to public school teachers with disabilities should
be included in the Teacher Recruitment Grants (Section 204), which
provide funds to states and partnerships for scholarship programs,
support services to education students, and support services during
the first 3 years of teaching. Those support services should be
expanded to include disability support services. As diversity
of all kinds benefits everyone, all students would benefit from
daily interaction with successful teachers with disabilities.
3. Outreach and Transition Planning for Participation
in Higher Education
Students with disabilities are not receiving transition-planning
services as mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA). These services must be provided so that students with
disabilities are prepared to navigate the complicated world of college,
career, disability and financial services. The Higher Education
Acts emphasis on early outreach programs should include support
for transition planning and preparing students with disabilities
for independence.
a) Stipulate that the Department of Education will
create a national, free resource to provide parents, youth and
educators with information about transition planning, benefits
planning, and financial aid for higher education for students
with disabilities. This free service should be available online
and by telephone, and should include a database of transition
planning centers and professionals so that individuals may seek
referrals to experts in their community. It should also provide
information about the legal rights of college and graduate students
with disabilities, services available from individual schools,
and the ways families and students with disabilities may use services
from the Social Security Administration, state vocational rehabilitation
agencies, Federal TRIO funds, and federal student financial aid
to support higher education.
b) Create a new TRIO early outreach and student
services program that addresses postsecondary transition planning
and expands permissible use of early intervention funds for middle,
junior and senior high students with disabilities. Such an outreach
program could fund summer or after-school programs including disability
mentoring, college visits, career planning, internships, self-advocacy
instruction, and other steps to increase the independence and
readiness of adolescents with disabilities for postsecondary education.
This program would fit the goals of HEA Title 4, Part A, Subpart
2: Federal Early Outreach and Student Services Programs (Section
402), which authorizes other programs to assist disadvantaged
students in preparing for college.
c) Expand the disadvantaged populations identified
for preparation for postsecondary education and doctoral education
through the Federal Trio Programs to include children and adolescents
with disabilities (See Title 4, Part A, Subpart 2, Section 402,
Chapter 1).
4. Increasing Accessibility of Colleges and Universities
Without increased access to the physical campus, media
materials, and student support services at their schools, students
and professors with disabilities will continue to struggle to participate
fully in campus life. There must be incentives for infrastructure
and support services grants to be spent in ways that include improved
disability accessibility.
a) Recognize in HEA that disability is a barrier
leading to decreased participation in higher education.
b) Authorize special consideration for Title 3 grant
applicants seeking to make campus buildings, grounds, recreational
facilities, transportation and media materials accessible to students,
professors and community members with disabilities (Part A: Strengthening
Institutions, Section 311: Program Purpose)
c) Authorize special consideration for Title 3 grant
applicants expanding or maintaining student services provided
by a college or university office for students with disabilities.
d) Expand Section 402D (Student Support Services)
to specifically list services to increase the retention and success
of students with disabilities as permissible services.
e) Ensure that graduate school infrastructure and
science program improvements include enhanced accessibility to
students and professors with disabilities (See Part A: Strengthening
Institutions, Section 326: Professional or Graduate Institutions,
Part a: General Authorization, part c: Uses of Funds).
f) State that the Secretary will consider the accessibility
of graduate programs to students with disabilities when evaluating
grant applications within the Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
(See Section 402E, Part D: Award Considerations). In addition,
add that these awards may be used to fund adaptive technology
and other disability accommodations (See Part E: Maximum Stipends).
g) Expand the authorized activities in the Learning
Anytime, Anywhere Partnerships to include the development of model
programs to make distance learning even more accessible to persons
with disabilities. This is particularly important to students
with disabilities who are physically unable to attend graduate
school on campus (See Title 4, Subpart 8, Section 420 G).
5. Financial Aid
Federal student financial aid must be made accessible
to students with disabilities and their families. Federal financial
aid forms must be changed so that they facilitate college and university
compliance with federal law regarding student financial aid, disability-related
expenses, and nondiscrimination.
a) Provide an option for students to disclose disability-related
expenses on the Department of Education's Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. This would enable colleges and
universities to comply with the Higher Education Act's requirement
that Pell Grants and Cost of Attendance calculations include out-of-pocket
disability-related expenses (See HEA Title 4, Subpart 1. HEA Section
401, Part 3a and Title 4, Part F, Section 471).
b) Expand the description of expected Family Contribution
to a student's expenses to state that a family's contribution
to educational expenses shall be reduced by the amount they spend
annually on their dependent's disability-related needs, whether
that dependent is the college student in question or the sibling
of such a student (Sections 473-477).
c) Authorize financial aid officers to extend federal
aid eligibility on a case-by-case basis when disability impacts
student attendance/completion within set time parameters. Insert
statement that students whose disability causes them to require
additional semesters of financial aid should retain their eligibility
for Pell Grants (Section 401c: Period of Eligibility for Grants).
d) Recognize that students with disabilities may
not be able to participate in the Campus Work-Study Program while
also attending classes. To compensate for this disability-related
challenge, offer supplemental grants in the form of Academic Achievement
Incentive Scholarships to ensure that students with disabilities
don't have to take out more student loans than their non-disabled
peers (See Title 4, Subpart 2, Chapter 3).
e) Clarify the permissible uses of TRIO funds to
support students with disabilities to include payments for tuition,
textbooks, support services, and assistive technology.
f) Require all student loan programs to permit the
deferment of loan repayments due to disability. The medical determination
of total and permanent disability should not be necessary for
a disabled student to qualify for temporary loan deferment (see
loan programs in Title 4 parts B, D, and E)
g) Ensure that all college savings plans and other
financial programs designed to support higher education are accessible
to students with disabilities, including students and families
that receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid.
Current SSI resource limitations prevent students with disabilities
and their families from saving for college.
Recommendations for Future
Research
The Youth Advisory Committee counsels NCD to recommend
improving youth disability research as follows:
Prepare for improved student data collection
Identify the best way to obtain data about
individual students' (or families') disability-related expenses
so that they may be factors in determining the Cost of Attendance,
Expected Family Contribution, and Pell Grant amount.
Gather information directly from students and financial
aid officers
Undertake new studies in which college and
graduate students are interviewed, instead of gathering data solely
from parents and educators
Determine university financial aid officers' familiarity with
disability-related provisions and requirements in the Higher Education
Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of The Rehabilitation
Act
Determine financial aid officers' and college disability services
staff' ability to counsel students about using SSI, Medicaid, Medicare,
VR, EOP, TRIO, SSA Plan to Achieve Self Support, and the SSA Ticket
to Work Program
Determine differences between funding and services
at individual states and institutions
Explore whether universities' rules and funding
levels enable financial aid officers to comply with the laws mentioned
above
Quantify differing service and funding levels at campus disability
services offices at postsecondary institutions nationwide
Identify the basic VR services funded in each state, such as a
state agency's average funding granted per student, how this compares
to a student's cost of attendance, and the percentage of VR clients
whose baccalaureate or graduate degrees are funded by the agency.
Examine differences in regulations from state to state and in the
interpretation of these rules by individual counselors.
Develop curricula for high school and college transition planning
programs based on the findings from the studies above, which describe
the financial system students must be prepared to navigate. Measure
the efficacy of the curricula and training by evaluating college
and graduate student satisfaction and educational and employment
outcomes.
Learn about student loans and disability issues
Compare the educational loan burdens of students
with and without disabilities
Describe the variation in loan deferment or default options
from state to state (i.e. must permanent medical disability be
declared instead of a temporary loan deferment)
Explore accessibility of existing educational and
work programs
Evaluate the adequacy of the workplace accommodations
that universities provide to their work-study students or graduate
assistants
Examine the accessibility of differing college majors and graduate
school programs to students with disabilities, particularly programs
preparing K-12 educators
Examine the accessibility and ADA compliance of campus facilities
at colleges, universities, and graduate schools
Comprehensively describe the financial concerns
of students with disabilities
Compare the total cost per credit (tuition,
housing, food, transportation, disability and medical expenses)
for graduates with and without disabilities. Determine the impact
of extended studies on total costs and cost per credit.
Determine the ability of students with disabilities (or their
families) to save for college, comparing those with and without
SSI assistance with non-disabled students (or their families)
Determine the pattern of interaction between VR support and post-secondary
financial aid (including whether VR clients are able to participate
in campus work-study programs, internships, or off-campus jobs)
Identify the percentage of students with disabilities opting for
distance learning. Describe subgroups such as those who choose distance
learning because they physically cannot attend classes on campus;
work and go to school at night; or wish to live independently on
campus but cannot afford to do so.
Examine the financial impact of losing health insurance, or having
very limited health insurance, on students with disabilities
Measure relationships between educational financial
aid and employment outcomes
Employment is certainly one of the primary
goals of higher education. Are people with disabilities forced to
take jobs they are not satisfied with because they need to pay off
loans or because a counselor forced them into a specific path of
study and career? Are some people with disabilities completely forced
out of college and into entry-level jobs because they cannot afford
college?
Summary
The Higher Education Act, as currently implemented,
contributes to the barriers students with disabilities face. By
gathering data directly from students we have uncovered steps that
may help bring the vision of the law to fruition. The purpose of
the Higher Education Act may be more fully realized by increasing
the provision of student financial aid, accessible buildings and
materials, student support services, and early outreach and transition
planning to those with disabilities. We encourage lawmakers and
researchers to learn from the stories youth share in this report
and to act quickly to enhance their access to postsecondary education.
Appendix A
Acronyms Used in This Report
ADA: Americans with Disabilities
Act
ADD, ADHD: Attention Deficit
/ Hyperactivity Disorder
ASL: American Sign Language
BVR: Bureau of Vocational
Rehabilitation (refers to state-level vocational rehabilitation
agency - see VR)
COBRA insurance: Consolidated
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) requires employers
to permit most laid-off or fired employees to purchase continued
medical insurance for a period of time
DD: Division of Developmental
Disabilities
DOR: Department of Rehabilitation
(refers to state-level vocational rehabilitation agency - see VR)
DSS: Disability Support Services
office on college or university campus
DVR: Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation (refers to state-level vocational rehabilitation
agency - see VR)
EOP: Educational Opportunity
Program, for students who need special academic assistance and financial
aid (See TRIO Programs)
FAFSA: Free Application for
Federal Student Aid
GEAR-UP: Gaining Early Awareness
and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs encourages middle and
high school students to prepare for college
GPA: Grade-Point Average
HEA: Higher Education Act
ILC: Independent Living Center
JAWS: Job Access with Speech
(screen reading program for visually impaired)
LD: Learning disability,
learning disabled, learning differences
MA: Masters of Arts degree
NCD: National Council on
Disability
NCD YAC: National Council
on Disability Youth Advisory Committee
OTC's: Over-the-Counter medications
(non-prescription)
Sallie Mae: Corporation providing
student loans through the Federal Family Education Loan Program
(FFELP).
Section 504: Part of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
SSA: Social Security Administration
SSA PASS: SSA Plan to Achieve
Self-Support (additional, small savings account, which SSI recipients
may apply for)
SSI: Supplemental Security
Income
SSDI: Social Security Disability
Insurance
TBI: Traumatic Brain Injury
TRIO: Programs funded through
Title IV of the Higher Education Act that help students overcome
class, cultural or economic barriers to higher education. Examples:
Upward Bound, Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Centers, and
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement programs.
VR: Vocational Rehabilitation
(refers to state-level agency)
Appendix B
Introducing the Youth Advisory Committee
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) prepared this independent
report for the National Council on Disability (NCD). The YAC is
a group of young adults with disabilities who advise NCD's members
about issues faced by children, adolescents, and young adults with
disabilities. Members of the YAC are all volunteers and are students
or recent graduates.
Advice from the YAC helps NCD to make recommendations
to the President and Congress on disability issues such as special
education, the transition to adulthood and independence, independent
travel, rehabilitation, higher education, employment, health care,
and other topics. The YAC works to ensure that students with disabilities
are heard when policies and laws affecting them are revised or created.
You may contact the YAC at:
Youth Advisory Committee
National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004
Voice: 202-272-2004
TTY: 202-272-2074
Fax: 202-272-2022
E-mail: youth@ncd.gov or youthfeedback@yahoo.com
Yahoo News List for YAC Announcements: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ncdyacnews
NCD
YAC Official web page
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