All students entering college deal with transition issues. These issues include developing an understanding about why you want to come to college, why college is a realistic goal for you, what challenges you will face in college and how you might overcome them, and what activities you enjoy doing and are good at. As a potential college student, you must also determine what to major in, if you plan on a four year degree or a two year degree, how you will pay for college, and where you will live when you are in college. Although this is not an exhaustive list, I.m sure you can see that every student planning to come to ACC has a lot to think about. If you are a student with a disability, however, you have even more to think about.
One of the first questions you should ask yourself is whether or not you want to identify yourself as a student with a disability. Although you are not required to identify yourself, the College will not be able to provide you with accommodations unless you do. Students with disabilities often express a desire to be independent once they enter college and resistant to identifying themselves and to utilizing accommodations. If you are feeling this way, please keep in mind that accommodations at the college level are designed only to provide you with equal access to your education. You should also keep in mind that, as any successful college student will tell you, utilizing the academic and personal resources available to you at ACC are part of being independent.
If you are a student with a disability coming to ACC and plan on utilizing accommodations, it is important for you to have a strong awareness of the type of disability you have and how it impacts your learning or ability to function in a college setting. You should have an understanding of the accommodations that were available to you in high school and what accommodations you want to request in college. This involves understanding the differences between the laws that apply to students with disabilities at the high school level and the college level. Finally, you must be able to appropriately document the nature and extent of your disability.
The Transition Planning section of our web page is designed to assist you with the issues identified above. You may also find it helpful to refer to the Accessibility Handbook for further information. Please do not hesitate to contact the Accessibility Services office with any need for further information or questions about what you see on our web site. We are always happy to help and can be reached at (518) 743-2282 or by TTY at (518) 743-2323.
