College Urged For ‘Glee’ Character With Down Syndrome

When students on Fox’s “Glee” graduated this season, many considered college. Now a Twitter campaign is calling on the show’s writers to make the same plan for a character with Down syndrome.

Using the hashtag #College4Becky, a social media push launching this week is encouraging the “Glee” writers to send Becky Jackson to college at the end of the show’s next season. Though the character is believed to be a rising high school senior, little has been said about her future.

“All of Becky’s friends on the show are heading off to college next year. That’s something she can do too — but we haven’t yet heard what her plans are after graduation,” reads an open letter to the writers of “Glee” from the campaign’s organizers at Think College, a national clearinghouse on college options for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that’s housed at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

“If you make college plans for Becky, you’ll be raising the expectations of all your viewers with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities,” the letter reads.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Going to College With Autism Aging out of supports, kids on the spectrum struggle

Vassar junior Zoe Gross knows her strengths and weaknesses all too well. So while she gets good grades, the 21-year-old is aware that she does things more slowly than most people, including getting dressed in the morning, transitioning between activities, and writing papers. It makes college an even greater challenge. "When you take into account that when I'm living on my own it is difficult for me just to keep myself washed, fed and in clean clothes," she says, "it means that I can't do the schoolwork as fast as the professors can assign it."

Gross is on the autism spectrum, and her struggles with life skills and executive function—the mental processes that involve things like planning, time management and multitasking—leave her feeling depressed and anxious. "I get sick a lot because my immune system is shot," she says. "I got strep and mono in one semester." Of course, this adds to her anxiety and trouble getting things done. "Every semester I am absolutely miserable by finals." After finally hitting a serious "rocky patch," as she puts it, Gross decided to take a break this semester.

Gross represents a wave of young people on the less affected end of the autism spectrum who are headed off to college after high school. Because these bright if socially awkward children have been doing well academically, it's a natural assumption they will do fine in college and beyond. Many parents of children with diagnoses including PDD-NOS and Asperger's do not anticipate the struggles their kids, without the family structure and the supports they were provided in school, will face.

Conventional wisdom holds that the biggest problems for those on the less severe end of the spectrum are social and communication issues. They might miss social cues and misunderstand what's expected of them. But disrupted executive function, usually associated with ADHD, is also common in people on the spectrum, says Dr. Ron J. Steingard, senior pediatric psychopharmacologist at the Child Mind Institute. "I think the burden is increased in autism," he says.

Which makes college, often the first foray into independent living, especially challenging. While Gross sees many students reveling in their freedom, she says the responsibility of staying organized and on track that goes with freedom is her most formidable obstacle. "I've talked to people who want to frame the issues I have as social because they see autism only as a social disability," she says. "But any social issues I might have at college pale in comparison."

Read more of Beth Arky's Child Mind Institute article HERE.

Some Advice for Students With Disabilities Heading to College

By Nirvi Shah from On Special Education

Last week, I wrote about the growing number of opportunities to attend college for students with intellectual disabilities. Although these programs provide a lot of independence, they also monitor students closely.

For students with other types of disabilities, navigating traditional college programs doesn't often come with the same attention to detail. And sometimes, that turns out to be a big surprise for students used to the protection provided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act from birth through the end of high school.

"The average high school teacher has no training—unless for some reason they've sought out the information—they don't know a lot of accommodations are not commonly given, or what the access is. They can't prepare their students," said Elizabeth Hamblet, author of a new book about the transition from high school to college for students with disabilities. The book, 7 Steps for Success: High School to College Transition Strategies for Students With Disabilities, was published by the Council for Exceptional Children.

"It's a peculiarity of the law that there is no official vehicle for colleges to communicate to high schools about what postsecondary supports and services are like," she added.

She said there are several things colleges and universities, governed by the Americans with Disabilities Act rather than IDEA, don't have to do for students with disabilities, including fundamentally altering a program to accommodate a student, taking measures that would be an undue administrative or financial burden, or providing a personal service or device. (The federal Education Department's office for civil rights recently did find, however, that schools and colleges must be sure that technology is accessible to students with disabilities.)

While colleges and universities do need to work with students with disabilities, how they work with students varies widely, Ms. Hamblet said. What is considered an accommodation isn't always clear. So students and parents should do their homework before choosing a school, and they should be prepared for a very different experience from elementary, middle, and high school.

"College is a place of independent living and learning. We do expect a certain amount of independence from our students," she said. "I think students need to know they're going to a place where 12 to 15 hours a week professors teach and the rest of the learning is on your own."

Article HERE.

How to tap talented students with disabilities

(Reuters) - With unemployment stubbornly stuck around 9 percent, Molly Kirk knows she's lucky she to have a job offer in the human resources training program at Google after graduation. Even with her excellent credentials, the Georgetown senior is quick to thank Lime Connect, an organization that partners with the world's leading corporations to offer summer internships to high-potential students with disabilities.

"Lime Connect helped me come to terms with my disability, gain confidence and make powerful connections so that I can achieve outside the classroom," says Kirk, who is severely hearing-impaired and wears hearing aides.

Believed to be the first organization of its kind, Lime Connect (think fresh approach to disability), was launched in 2006 to attract, prepare and connect students with often hidden disabilities such as ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome and dyslexia from top schools like Princeton, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania and Duke. The program helps students get internships and, ultimately, careers at top-tier corporations.

Read Toddi Gutner's Reuters article HERE.

11 Questions Students on the Spectrum Can Ask their College

Below are 11 questions students on the autism spectrum can ask their college/university.

1. As a college student affected by autism, what is one of the main things I need to know?

A big difference between college and high school is that in high school you generally have a structured plan for your accommodations called an “Individualized Education Program.” However, in college that no longer exists, meaning you must advocate to your Disability Support Group on campus to receive your own accommodations

2. What are some accommodations I can receive in my classes?

Individuals on the spectrum receive accommodations only if they register with their Disability Support Group. They will then receive accommodations based on their needs. This can include extended time on tests, tape recorders for classes, individual note takers, etc.

3. Do I have to pay for accommodations?

Under The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, colleges are required to provide all learning disabled individuals with “reasonable accommodations.” However, you should check the guidelines in regards to what is and what is not available on your campus.

4. Will faculty or fellow students be informed that I am on the autism spectrum?

Faculty members are not allowed to disclose any information about a student to others without consent from the student. However, students must register as a “disabled student” to receive accommodations – meaning your disability support group would be aware you have a disability. It is then up to you to inform your instructors.

Read more of Kerry Magro's Autism Speak's blog post HERE.

Check out this handbook written by adults and youth with autism for current and future college students with autism

Navigating College - A Project of The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)

Download book HERE.

Autism Spectrum Students and College

Autism spectrum students get more welcome at colleges. Click here for more on the article.