Texans with Disabilities
Transitioning from High School to College

 

RESOURCES:

 

Navigating College with Visual Impairments

IN TEXAS

Resource Guide on Higher Education for People with Disabilities:  The Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities offers various resources and documents on helping with transistion services.  http://www.txddc.state.tx.us/resources/publications/collegehtml.asp

 

The Next Step Higher Ed Video:  The 19-minute video, "The Next Step," presents personal stories of five Texans with disabilities who enrolled in colleges, universities or technical schools.

http://www.txddc.state.tx.us/resources/publications/NextStepVideo.asp

A Resource Guide for Special Education Students on Transition Services: A website for Educators, Parents and Students who are in Special Education Services in Texas. http://www.transitionintexas.org/transitionintexas/site/default.asp

Texas Transition Resource Center:  Partners Resource Network: Partners Resource Network was established as a non-profit agency in Texas in 1986 to assist families of children with all types of disabilities throughout the State.  The website contains information for parents and students about the Transition process in Texas. http://www.partnerstx.org/TxTransition/index.htm

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Special Education Division:  An A to Z listing of topics of interests to parents of children in Special Education. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Secondary Transition guidance:  An overview of Transition services in Texas by the Texas Education Agency.  State, federal and legal resources are available. http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/guidance/transition.html

 

AHEAD in Texas (Association of Higher Education and Disability) The Association on Higher Education and Disability in Texas (AHEAD in Texas) is a non-profit, 501c3 association consisting primarily of disability service providers in higher education. Membership also includes others interested in disability-related issues such as vocational rehabilitation counselors from the various state agencies, parents, students, and advocates: http://www.ahead.org/affiliates/texas

 

Project FIRST:  A listing of resources for families of State and Federal resources to help navigate the transition process Post-Graduation.  (Family, Information, Resources, Support and Training) http://texasprojectfirst.org/AgePostGraduation.html

 

Advocacy, Inc. is an advocacy organization that advocates for the protection and advancement of the legal, human and service rights of people with disabilities in Texas.

http://www.advocacyinc.org/education.cfm

 

The ARC of Texas: The Manual for Parents and Students About Special Education Services in Texas:  This 61-page manual is an invaluable resource for families trying to understand the Texas special education system. The August 2007 version of our Parent Manual, called "It's a New IDEA" The Manual for Parents and Students about Special Education Services in Texas is available in both English and Spanish online: http://www.thearcoftexas.org/resources/families/inclusionresources.asp#newidea

 

DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center at ILRU webcast on "Transitioning from High School to College - Facts, Myths and Tips for Students with Disabilities" presented by Jean Ashmore.

Jean Ashmore, Director of Disability Support Services at Rice University in Houston, Texas will discuss issues of the process and issues of transition from high school to college for students with disabilities. http://ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/archive/2009/08-14-DBTAC-JA.html

 

OUTSIDE OF TEXAS:

Going To College

This new website contains information about living college life with a disability.  It is designed for high school students.  The site provides video clips, activities, and resources that can help them get a head start in planning for college.  Video interviews with college students with disabilities offer a way to hear firsthand from students with disabilities who have been successful.  Modules include activities that will help students explore more about themselves, learn what to expect from college, and equip them with important considerations and tasks to complete when planning for college. http://www.going-to-college.org/

 

Parent Tips For Transition Planning: A tip sheet explaining Parent Tips for Transition Planning from the PACER Center which is a parent training and information center for families of children and youth with all disabilities from birth through 21 years old. Located in Minneapolis, it serves families across the nation, as well as those in Minnesota. Parents can find publications, workshops, and other resources to help make decisions about education, vocational training, employment, and other services for their children with disabilities.

o   Transition Parent Briefs: http://www.pacer.org/publications/ncsetbriefs.asp

 

 Vcampus, The e-Learning Solution Provider! http://www.vcampus.com/webuol/index.cfm 

Internet based learning technology provides online courses through several accredited colleges and universities that allow for starting a degree from scratch or finishing up a degree.

 

Video Interviews: The New England ADA Center recently released four video interviews conducted with college students with disabilities. In the videos, the students share strategies to successfully stay in school, graduate and get jobs. Students reveal their struggles with self-reporting their disability, and negotiating accommodations in school and at work. DVDs are available upon request. http://adaptiveenvironments.org/neada/site/student_videos

 

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:

TEXAS

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic:  Southwest Region (Texas):  The Texas Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic makes written materials available by recordings of the printed word.

http://www.rfbd.org/southwest/  

 

 

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: College - Financial Aid: Exemptions: Exemptions are a type of financial assistance allowing some Texas residents to attend a public college or university in Texas without paying tuition or, in some cases, tuition and fees. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

• Students who are Deaf or Blind Program:  The program is set up to help enable blind and deaf students to attend public colleges or universities in the state of Texas:  http://www.hhloans.com/cfbin/tofa2.cfm?ID=547  

 

FEDERAL OR PRIVATE

 

 

U.S. Department of Education: Office of Special Education: This site was created to provide a "one-stop shop" for resources related to IDEA and its implementing regulations, released on August 3, 2006. It is a "living" website and will change and grow as resources and information become available.  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home

 

U.S. Department of Education:  Office for Civil Rights
Customer Service Team

550 12 Street, SW

Washington, D.C.  20202-1100

800-421-3481

877-521-2172 (TDD)

202-245-6840 (fax)

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html

 

 

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in Texas:  For assistance related to civil rights, you may contact the OCR headquarters office in Washington D.C. or the OCR enforcement office serving your state or territory.

 

U.S. Department of Education

1999 Bryan Street, Suite 2600

Dallas, TX  75201

972-437-5923

214-880-2456 (TDD)

214-880-3082 (fax)

Email:  OCR_Dallas@ed.gov

The Higher Education Act:  Office of Post-Secondary Education:  Provides links and information related to rules and regulations for Post-Secondary Education.

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/library.html  

 

Job Accommodation Network:  The Job Accommodation Network is a service provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). JAN is one of several ODEP projects. JAN's mission is to facilitate the employment and retention of workers with disabilities by providing employers, employment providers, people with disabilities, their family members and other interested parties with information on job accommodations, entrepreneurship, and related subjects.

o   Searchable Online Accommodations Resources (SOAR): JAN's Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) system is designed to let users explore various accommodation options for people with disabilities in work and educational settings: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar/index.htm  

o   Accommodations by Topic and Disability:  Search for accommodations by topic or disability. http://www.jan.wvu.edu/links/atoz.htm

 

 

Government Accountability Office (GAO): Education Needs a Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students

http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-33  (full report pdf)
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1033high.pdf  (highlights of report pdf)

 

 

 

These Resources and Information in this document were compiled and distributed by the:

The Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities

The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities is within the office of the Governor.  The Committee's mission is to further opportunities for persons with disabilities to enjoy full and equal access to lives of independence, productivity, and self-determination.  The Committee is composed of 12 members appointed by the governor, and of nonvoting ex officio members.  The appointed members are appointed for staggered terms of two years.  At least seven of the appointed members must be persons with disabilities.  The Committee serves as a central source of information and education on the abilities, rights, problems, and needs of persons with disabilities.  The staff of the Governor’s Committee supports and manages the work of the Committee. The Committee’s enabling statute is in the Human Resources Code, Chapter 115.

 

Key Laws link to Higher Education Resources

http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/resources/higher_education/

 

 

 

Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities

P.O. Box 12428          Austin, TX 78711

512-463-5739 (voice), 512-463-5746 (TTY)

Dial 711 or your relay provider of choice

This document is available in alternate formats on request.

http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/                                                                       

 

Amended: December 1, 2009