Barriers to success are lifelong for the one in five individuals with a learning disability or LD — and we must acknowledge that even while our educational system is getting better at identifying these challenges as early as in a child’s K-12 education, LDs never truly go away; Students with LDs across the country still encounter hurdles proving they have one as they transition from high school to college settings. Roadblocks are still being put up, and this has a long-lasting impact on who these individuals become and what they achieve as adults.
During their elementary through high school years, students are commonly identified as having an LD following a thorough evaluation process under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. With the help of this identification, a student can be eligible for an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, which outlines any additional services and accommodations required to ensure their equitable education.
It is not until when students reach college that they are faced with another entirely new set of barriers to their educational experience; Many higher education institutions do not recognize their IEP or other types of documentation as proof of their LD and need for accommodations. More often than not are students attending colleges and universities required to get re-evaluated and submit a recent evaluation, which adds an additional, unnecessary burden on the young adults trying to adapt to college life considering that evaluations can cost up to USD2,500. It is understandably frustrating to have to obtain a new evaluation to prove they have an LD, which has already previously been evaluated and recognized in high school by the educational system.
This raised questions as to why university administrators think LDs do go away or can be overcome by the time a student reaches college, as well as why students must constantly fight at every step of their education for the accommodations they are already guaranteed under the ADA in the first place. According to the State of Learning Disabilities report, it has been found that 94% of students with LDs received accommodations in high school, while only 17% did so in college, a startling disparity. Out of those not receiving accommodations, 43% reported that they wished they had. These figures shed light on the significant decline in the receipt of accommodations from high school to college, underscoring the importance of more equitable access to them for students with LDs in post-secondary education.
Fortunately, there is legislation in Congress that has the backing of both parties to ensure these students receive the necessary accommodations when they enroll in college. According to the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower or RISE Act, college students with LDs will be able to use their previous IEP or other documentation as evidence of an LD when they enter college.
Passing the RISE Act is so essential step forwards to making accommodations more accessible for students with LDs. The Act views its long-term goal as ensuring all students with LDs with equitable access to higher education. Still, we can and should do more in 2022; Last year, Joe Biden promised to direct the U.S. Department of Education to provide guidance to all post-secondary programs to accept the accommodations students with LDs have used in K-12 settings for post-secondary settings.
We do not have time to — nor do we need to — wait for Congress’s leaders to take action. It is unacceptable for the country’s leaders to remain inactive while thousands of college-aged students are denied the accommodations they require to succeed, and this shall not be tolerated any longer. Without immediate changes in policies that acknowledge previous documentation of an LD, we run the risk of failing generations of students who will not reach their full potential. It is time to act now. In the coming year, we must challenge the status quo, seeking to find ways to ensure that all college students have access to accommodations in college.
Source: https://www.ncld.org/news/policy-and-advocacy/in-2022-lets-make-college-work-for-all/
