Parent Mentor's resources, tips and ideas to help guide your child through school and beyond.

How Parent Mentors Work with Families

TERRI'S TIPS

Parent Mentors share ideas and resources with one another on a daily basis. Terri Goodridge, mom of a young son receiving special education related services and a Bibb County Parent Mentor, files our parents’ tips in categories, so she can share information.

 

Secondary Education

Information, Suggestions and Advice

 

College you say?

Well, yes indeed! Many students with a disability CAN and WILL go onto post secondary education. However, some colleges are more "disability friendly" than others and offer a wide array of support services to enable the student to reach their full potential and enjoy the college experience.

Whether one’s journey to a college degree path is along the accommodations route with lots of support or just a short stop at a college’s disability resources office, it is still worth the trip and just as valuable; if not more so. Just enjoy the journey, soak up the scenery, pay attention and take those detours as they arise. Just keep the education destination in mind.

Here are some roadmaps to help navigate these new uncharted educational waters:

 

Things to Consider and Planning Tips

 

1. First and foremost: Never underestimate your child who has a disability!


2.  Make sure that your child understands what his/her disability is. Students need to learn to advocate for themselves, and ask for what they need in terms of support and accommodations.  College is different than high school.


3. Ensure that your child's transition goals are included in his/her IEP. Remember, transition planning should begin in middle school and change, grow, and evolve into high school. If you are unsure about your child's transition plan, ask the special ed. teacher, your Special Ed Coordinator, or your district Parent Mentor for help.

4. Begin to seek out those resources and supports WITH your child that will assist them now for a smoother transition into Secondary Education:

Who is the Transition Coordinator in your school district? Find out and ask to meet with them to help you and your child ensure that transition goals are well written and apply to your child as an individual.

Find out about your local area Transition council. They have regular meetings and a wealth of information from self determination, person centered planning, etc. They invite and encourage parents to be a part of the council. www.gatransition.org

Do you know about GLRS (Georgia Learning Resource System)? This is a network of 17 centers throughout Georgia that provide training and resources to educators and parents of students with disabilities go to: www.glrs.org
   

Connect with your Vocational Rehab services. Why? Because this program helps to ensure that people with disabilities can reach their potential through independence and employment.  www. vocrehabga.org

5. Sit down with your child and have an open and honest conversation! This is where it starts. Ask about what he/she wants to do with his/her life and about career goals. Make a list of these things. Then make a list of strengths and areas where your young adult will need some extra support and/or accommodations. Use the list when meeting or speaking with some of the resources/centers mentioned above. It will help with the beginning stages of planning and creating that path into secondary education options. 


6. Ensure that the colleges you are considering have a disability supports center on campus. Advice is to check them out as your first stop. If they do not have a well rounded and supportive center that can provide your child with the necessary supports and accommodations he/she needs to be successful in school,  then you may want to consider 'marking" them off your college list.


7. Do not feel like you are on this journey alone. Disability supports are out there for you! Utilize them to help create a individualized path for you to be successful in college.

 

RESOURCES and REFERENCES

 

A Website for SWD's going to college. Excellent site!

Thanks to Parent Mentor, April Lee for recommending.
   
A Fantastic site that provides an enormous amount of information, resources, programs and other entities from the VCU Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation and Research Training Center. Play around on the site and view FREE webcasts too!
   
   
   
   

 

National Offices

Association on Higher Education & Disability 

National Association of Private Education Centers

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition

THINK COLLEGE

A tremendous amount of information. They also have a database of colleges around the country that have great disability friendly campuses and disability support services.

The George Washington University Heath Resource Center

Grants and Scholarships:
The Foundation Center Atlanta , Georgia
Georgia College 411

 

 

 

 

 
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View Past Terri's Tips

  Bereavement and the Special Needs Child
  Dealing with Stress
  Back to School August 2011
  Summer! 2011
  IEP - 04 2011
  Self Determination
  Free Transition Webinars
  Toys for our Special Needs Children
  Home Alone
  TASH
  Fire Safety
  Post Secondary
  Tracking Devices
  Books that portray characters with disabilities
  Changes proposed in how psychiatrists diagnose
  Higher Education List
  Food for thought: Additives
  Food for thought: GFCF Ingredient
  Food for thought: Helpful Resources