EAS : Study in the US : Other Studies

Students with Disabilities
at US Universities

Standardised Admissions Tests
Financial Aid and Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
Campus Resources for Students with Disabilities
Resources at EAS
Additional Resources on the Internet

Students with Disabilities
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require that colleges and universities receiving any form of federal funding make accommodations for students with disabilities. Most US post-secondary institutions, including private universities and colleges, receive money from the federal government to make building and walkways more accessible, have visual and hearing aids in classrooms and modify examination policies. Most US universities have offices specifically to support students with disabilities and to ensure that the university does all that it can to accommodate its students. No student is ever required to disclose her or his disability at any time, and all information about disabilities is treated as strictly confidential. At no point in the application process should you be required to discuss your disability unless you choose to do so. When applying to colleges and universities, you may want to contact the Students with Disabilities Office at each institution to find out what sorts of facilities that school offers. Additionally, students applying to state-funded institutions should contact that state's Board of Education to enquire about state laws protecting students with disabilities.

Standardised Admissions Tests
Most US study programmes require students to take one or more standardised admissions tests as part of their application. These are one of the most immediate factors confronting students during the application process, and the only one where students' disabilities are considered. Special accommodations, such as large print or Braille tests, readers, wheel-chair accessible test centres and extended test time, are available. However, obtaining access to these accommodations is a lengthy process requiring extensive documentation of your disability. Students who need some form of accommodation are urged to begin the process of applying for testing accommodations during the summer before they wish to take a standardised test, or eighteen months before they plan to enrol in a university programme. Most testing bodies, like the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which writes the GMAT, TOEFL and GRE, and the College Board, which writes the SAT I and SAT II, will not allow students who need special testing accommodations to register for tests until after their applications for special testing have been approved. To apply for special testing accommodations, students should have the testing body responsible send them a Non-standard Testing Accommodation application form and instructions. Completed forms should be sent to the testing board along with the requested documentation, typed on letter-headed paper by a qualified medical examiner. This documentation may include a statement of your diagnosed disability, an explanation of why the requested accommodation is necessary, information regarding your medical history related to your disability and a synopsis of the tests used to diagnose your disability. After you have been approved for special testing you can book a test date and take the necessary admissions test(s). Please note that while most standardised admissions tests are no longer "flagged" (the process of test administrators marking scores to show admissions officers special testing has taken place) some still are. ETS no longer flags its tests, and the College Board is currently considering changing its policy of flagging SAT I and SAT II score reports. For further information, please see the College Board's website, www.collegboard.com or you can contact College Board directly to obtain the Student Disability Registration Form at 001 609 771 7137. They will send one out to you, however, it might be a few weeks before you receive it. For more ETS information visit their website: www.ets.org.

Financial Aid and Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

University Financial Aid
General financial aid from individual universities works the same way for all students, regardless of disability. Please contact the Financial Aid offices at the schools to which you are applying for information about applying for funding and the type of aid available to international students.

Non-University Scholarships for Students With Disabilities
Scholarships designated specifically for students with disabilities are limited and frequently quite small. However, a number of organisations do award scholarships to students with disabilities. Contact scholarships committees directly to find out what the eligibility requirements are. Students are urged to read publications available in the US Educational Advisory Service (EAS) library for a complete list of scholarships available, as well as to pursue other types of scholarships.

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf
3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC 20007-2278 USA
Tel.: 001 202 337 5220
Website: http://www.agbell.org
Scholarships are awarded for undergraduate and postgraduate study to students with "moderate to profound hearing loss" for all fields of study. Applicants should have pre-lingual hearing loss and use speech or lip reading as their primary form of communication.

American Council of the Blind
1155 15th Street NW Suite 1004
Washington, DC 20005 USA
Tel.: 001 202 467 5081
Website: http://www.acb.org
Offers various scholarships to post-secondary students who are blind or visually impaired.

National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230 USA
Email: nfb@nfb.org
Website: http://www.nfb.org
Awards scholarships to blind or visually impaired students on the basis of academic excellence, service to the community and financial need.

Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814-3067 USA
Tel.: 001 301 657 0881
Website: http://www.autism-society.org
Grants awards to autistic students who wish to attend a post-secondary or vocational institution or who wish to do postgraduate research on autism.

The Association on Higher Education and Disability
PO Box 21192
Columbus, OH 43221-0192 USA
Tel.: 001 614 488 4972
Website: http://www.ahead.org
A resource centre that provides information on a number of topics including funding for students with disabilities.

Campus Resources for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact specific universities' Students with Disabilities Offices to enquire about their resources. Do not hesitate to ask them about any accommodations you feel you need. The purpose of these offices is to encourage independence, to assist students with disabilities in realising their academic and social potential and to facilitate the elimination of physical barriers for students with disabilities. Once a student with a disability has obtained a place at a college or university, arrangements may be made through the school's Students with Disabilities Office regarding housing, interpreters, captioning, note takers, tutors and other accommodations that are needed. Most US universities also provide special disabilities programmes and orientations, as well as an extensive network of support groups through their Students with Disabilities Office. In many instances, tutors for specific classes are available, as are peer mentor programmes, learning skills workshops and monthly support group meetings. In addition, students with disabilities are often eligible for alternative test-taking procedures whilst at school, such as extended time and/or a proctor to assist with reading and writing. Generally, students who request such accommodations will be asked to begin a file in the Students with Disabilities Office with information on their disability that will enable them to qualify for special accommodations in each class they take without having to make arrangements each term. This file may take time to establish, and many institutions will allow students access to special accommodations throughout their first year of university as their file is being built. Policies vary from university to university, and students should make sure they understand their institution's requirements for diagnostic evaluations and what the permitted timeframe is for providing documentation of a disability. In some cases, students may be asked to undergo an evaluation approved by the university after they begin their campus lives.

Resources at EAS
The US Educational Advisory Service of The Fulbright Commission is funded by the US Government to provide free information and advice about US education. EAS houses a reference library with university prospectuses, course directories and test preparation software. The public is welcome to use these resources from 1.30pm to 7.00pm Mondays or from 1.30pm to 5.00pm Tuesdays-Fridays. If you have a disability, please feel free to contact EAS prior to your visit and let us know of any accommodation you may need whilst using our resources. The following resources for students with disabilities may be found in our library: Peterson's Guide to Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorders (Peterson's, 1997): Created to answer questions about services that colleges provide for students with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders whilst they are at school. This book discusses universities, four-year colleges and two-year colleges. College and Career Success for Students with Learning Disabilities (Roslyn Dolber, 1996): Written by a Career Counsellor, this book is designed to help students with learning disabilities overcome the challenges they may face as post-secondary students and in their future careers. Studying Abroad: A Guide to Accessible University Programs and Facilities for Students with Disabilities (University of New Orleans, 1996): Designed specifically for international students with disabilities, this handbook covers post-secondary programmes in the US and Canada and rates institutions based on a number of criteria. Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families 2000-2002 (Gail Ann Schlachter, 2000): Provides descriptions of numerous funding programmes representing billions of dollars in aid specifically for students with disabilities. For detailed information regarding US study, please read the EAS Guide to undergraduate or postgraduate study in the US, available to download from our website, or to collect from our office. Copies can also be sent out upon receipt of a stamped, self-addressed envelope. EAS also holds contact details for all US State Boards of Education for students to contact them directly with regards to their personal needs within US education.

Additional Resources on the Internet
http://www.ahead.org
The web page of the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), an international organisation of professionals committed to full participation in higher education for people with disabilities.

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
The US Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act web page.

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/auxaids.html
A US government site devoted to the obligations of post-secondary institutions under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

http://www.geocities.com/bscteam/guide.html
A guide to choosing a college written for blind students.

http://www.ldonline.org
An online resource centre for people with learning disabilities that provides information about education, advocacy groups, publications and available resources.

http://www.pepnet.org
The Postsecondary Education Programs Network. A national collaboration of the regional Postsecondary Education Center for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

http://www.nad.org/infocenter/infotogo/legal/statecollege.html
An article discussing the obligations of state and local colleges to deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

http://www.miusa.org/index.html
Mobility International USA (MIUSA) helps people with disabilities around the world through international exchanges, information, technical assistance and the inclusion of people with disabilities around the world. They have a direct link to the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) website.

http://www.miusa.org/ncde/financialaid/
This site is designed by NCDE and is to help with the financial aid search for education experiences outside of an individual's home country.