If a student with a disability wishes to find success during this first year, he/she should be motivated and ready to:
Understand and explain the impact of his/her disability to each instructor, when necessary
Study independently
Manage time wisely
Fully participate in the accommodation process by documenting and requesting appropriate
accommodations in a timely fashion.
Follow intuitional procedures and standards of conduct
Self-Advocacy
Advocacy becomes the student’s job in college. While it is appropriate for parents to encourage their son/daughter to talk with his/her advisor or faculty member, it is not appropriate for the parent to make the call directly. It is appropriate for the parent to call the Student Success Center if he/she has concerns or questions, but the student must request and document the need for services. Although it is frustrating for parents to watch their son/daughter deny the need for services, it is an important experience for the student. Often, many interventions have been selected and monitored by others in their lives; these students need time to find out for themselves what actually makes a difference. In most classes, students will have face-to-face conversations with their instructors about their particular needs. There are many well-trained staff members at the college to help students in this process. Although many students develop these self-advocacy skills after the first semester, students who have been most successful recognized the need to advocate early on.
A Checklist of Responsibilities:
High School Personnel
Provide a transition plan
Forward all requested records to Bismarck State College Student Accessibility Office
Offer helpful transition information before the first semester of college
Identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses
Outline the areas of potential difficulty for the student’s transition