Yavapai Collegedisability Resourcesaccessing Reasonable Accommodations in College:Making

Yavapai CollegeDisability ResourcesAccessing Reasonable Accommodations in College:Making the Adjustment

In High School / At the Post-Secondary Level
Who Initiates the Process? / Your parents or your teacher suspected a Learning Disability. The school provided an evaluation to see if one exists. / You are responsible for providing appropriate documentation to the Disability Resources Office.
How are accommodations determined? / You probablyhad an IEP meeting or a 504 Committee. You, your parents, your teachers, the School Psychologist, a Learning Specialist and/or others attended. Goals for the semester and accommodations were discussed. A formal plan was created. / You meet with staff from the Disability Resources Office. Together, you discuss your documentation, what you have needed in the past, the requirements of the specific courses you are taking each semester and areas where you may need accommodation. The staff determines reasonable accommodations specific to your current coursework.
Who takes care of the details? / Your teachers and possibly a Resource Room Specialist made the arrangements. / You generally must meet with DR staff each semester to determine your needs for that semester. You work together to make the arrangements. You learn how to access the resources available at YC and how to obtain a note taker, audiobooks, etc.
What types of accommodations will be provided? / Itvaried from school to school. You may have gone to the Resource Room or accommodations were provided in the classroom. / You may have different needs from class to class depending on how the course is structured. The processes for accessing accommodations may vary.
What happens if I have a problem? / You tell your teachers or your parents. They may discuss it with the principal of your school. / You meet with your professor to discuss the problem. If you cannot resolve the problem, staff from the DR office will discuss the best way of handling the problem with you. You may be coached on how to speak with your professor or the staff may assist you more directly.
What is the bottom line? / Other people made things happen for you. / Others may assist you but you are in charge of making things happen!

How is College Different from High School?

Accommodations

High School / College

All of your teachers had access to your IEP/504 information and often knew your diagnosis. Many student in your classes knew you were in special education classes as well

Teachers will only know that you are registered with Disability Resources. Your disability information is protected. It is rare that other students will notice you using our services.

Test questions or entire tests might have been shortened or altered as an accommodation.

You will be tested on the same information, at the same standard as your peers.

Homework assignments were often modified, shortened, or extra time was given to complete them.

Homework will not be modified or shortened. You are expected to complete the same work and amount as your peers. Also, you are expected to schedule your time in order to be able to complete assignments on time.

Testing accommodations had to be fulfilled in the resource room by the special education teacher.

Test accommodations can be fulfilled by any arrangement that is satisfactory to the student and his/her instructor, as long as all components of the student’s accommodations are being met. You use accommodations as you need them.

Grades, test questions, entire tests may have been modified on assignments or for whole classes.

No grades will be modified.

The method in which a course was delivered may have been changed to meet your needs. For example, if you were going through a medication change, your classes may have been delivered through home instruction.

Course delivery methods cannot be changed. If you register for an in-person class, the class must be delivered that way. However, DR can help you choose alternative course delivery methods which may work best for your needs.

Your school district or IEP/504 team may have paid for new evaluations or even specific therapies.

DR does not pay for evaluations, testing, or therapy for students.

Your parents were involved in designing accommodations with your IEP/504 team.

DR cannot speak with your parents without your written consent. All accommodations are designed by you, DR, and your instructors.

You met with your special education teacher on a regular basis to discuss whether or not you were meeting your goals as outlined in your
IEP /504 plan.

Disability Resources has no formal plan for accommodations on file. Meetings occur on a semester basis to discuss appropriate accommodations for the semester. Other meetings occur on an as needed basis. Students need to meet with academic advisors to make formal plans and goals about their education.

Personal Freedom
High School / College

High school was mandatory and free (unless you chose other options).

College is voluntary and expensive. (You may be eligible for financial aid to help defray the costs.)

Your time was usually structured by others.

You manage your own time.

You needed permission to participate in extracurricular activities.

Hint: Choose participation in extracurricular activities wisely, always with class/credit and study schedule in mind.

You needed money for special purchases and events.

You need money to meet basic necessities.

You counted on parents and teachers to remind you of your responsibilities and to guide you in setting priorities.

You must balance your responsibilities and set priorities.You will be faced with a large number of moral and ethical decisions you have not had to face previously.

Guiding principle: You were usually told what your responsibilities were and were corrected if your behavior did not meet expectations.

Guiding principle: You are an adult. You are legally responsible for your own actions and must face the consequences of your decisions.

Class Structure
High School / College

Each day you proceeded from one class directly to another

You often have hours between classes; class times will vary throughout the day and evening.

You spent 6 hours each day—30 hours per week—in class.

You spend 12 to 16 hours each week in class.

The school year was 36 weeks long. Some classes extended over both semesters and some did not.

The academic year is divided into 2 separate 15-week semesters, plus a week after each semester for exams.

Most of your classes were arranged for you.

You arrange your own schedule in consultation with your academic advisor. Schedules tend to look lighter than they really are.

Teachers carefully monitored class attendance.

Professors may not formally take roll but they are still likely to know whether or not you attended.

Classes generally have no more than 35 students.

Classes may number 100 students or more.

You were provided with textbooks at little or no expense.

You need to budget substantial amounts of money for textbooks each semester, which can cost $300 or more.

Requirements for graduation were preset and classes were assigned to cover them.

Graduation requirements are complex and differ for different majors and sometimes within a major for different catalog years. You are expected to know those that apply to you.

Teaching
High School Teachers / College Professors

Teachers checked daily to see if you did your homework.

Professors may not always check completed homework but they will assume you have learned the information viatesting.

Teachers reminded you of your incomplete work.

Professors may not remind you of incomplete work and may not accept late work at all.

Teachers approached you if they believed you needed assistance.

Professors are usually open and helpful but most expect you to initiate contact if you need assistance.

Teachers were often available for conversation before, during or after class.

Professors expect you to attend their scheduled office hours if you need to speak with them.

Teachers have been trained in teaching methods.

Professors have been trained as experts in their particular area of research.

Teachers provided you with information you missed when you were absent.

Professors expect you to get notes from your classmates for any lectures you miss.

Teachers presented material to help you understand the information in the textbook.

Professors may not follow the textbook. Instead, to supplement the textbook, they may give illustrations, provide background information, discuss research or go into more detail about the topic. They expect you to relate class discussions to the textbook readings, which should be done before lecture.

Teachers often wrote information on the board to be copied in your notes.

Professors may lecture non-stop, expecting you to identify the important points in your notes. When professors write on the board, it may be to clarify the lecture, not to summarize it.

Teachers imparted knowledge and facts, sometimes drawing direct connections and leading you through the thinking process.

Good note taking is a must.Professors expect you to think about and synthesize seemingly unrelated topics, to think critically and to draw parallels on your own.

Teachers often made time to remind you of assignments and due dates.

Professors expect you to read and consult the course syllabus (outline). The syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when it is due, and how you will be graded.

Tests
High School / College

Testing was frequent and sometimes covered small amounts of material.

Testing is usually infrequent and cumulative, covering large amounts of material. You, not the professor, need to organize the material to prepare for the test. A particular course may have only two or three tests in a semester.

Makeup tests were often available.

Makeup tests are seldom an option. If they are, you need to request them and provide documentation of why you were unable to attend the original testing date.

Teachers frequently arrange test dates to avoid conflict with school events or other major tests in other classes.

Professors usually schedule tests without regard to the demands of other courses or outside activities.

Teachers frequently conduct review sessions, pointing out the most important concepts.

Professors rarely offer review sessions. When they do, they may be conducted by more advanced students. You are expected to be an active participant, prepared with questions.

Mastery of any subject was usually seen as the ability to reproduce what you were taught, in the form in which it was presented, or to solve the kinds of problems you were shown how to solve.

Mastery is often seen as the ability to apply what you’ve learned to new situations or to solve new kinds of problems.

Studying
High School / College

You may havestudied outside of class as little as 0 to 2 hours a week, practicing mostly last minute test preparation.

You need to study at least 2 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. Eg: A 3 credit hour class will require 6 to 9 hours of studying outside of class.

You often needed to read or hear presentations only once to learn all you needed to learn in order to pass the test.

You need to review class notes and text material regularly.

You were expected to read short assignments that were then discussed, and often re-taught, in class.

You are assigned substantial amounts of reading which may not be directly addressed in class.

Guiding principle: You were usually told in class what you needed to learn from assigned readings.

Guiding principle: It is up to you to read and understand the assigned material. Lectures and assignments proceed from the assumption that you’ve already done so.

Grades
High School / College

Grades were given for most assigned work.

Grades may not be given for all assigned work. English or Communication instructors often enact a point system for assignments.

Consistently good homework grades helped raise your overall grade when test grades were low.

Points earned or grades on tests and major papers usually provide most of the course grade.

Extra credit projects were often available to help you raise your grade.

Generally speaking, extra credit projects cannot be used to raise a grade in a college course.

Initial test grades, especially when they were low, may not have adversely effected your final grade.

Watch out for your first tests. They are usually wake-up calls to let you know what is expected—but they may also account for a substantial part of your course grade. If you receive notice of low grades on either an Early-Term or a Mid-Semester Progress Report, see your academic advisor or visit the Learning Center(Bldg 1, Rm 207) to discuss what can be done to improve your performance.

You graduated as long as you passed all required courses with a grade of D or higher.

You may graduate only if your average in classes meets the departmental requirement—typically a 2.0 or C.

Guiding principle: “Effort counts.” Courses were usually structured to reward good faith effort.

Guiding principle: “Results count.” Courses are structured for a higher level of learning, so the study and retention skills you practice consistently while in college will result in higher grades.