For Parents and Family Members

African American man in purple graduation gown with his mother behind him
If you are the parents or family members of a Black disabled student, you probably have plenty of questions about college, too.  Here are some resources to get you started, whether your son or daughter is in high school or college.

We also encourage you to check out the Clearinghouse at the National Center for College Students with Disabilities.

Tips for Families
1. Work with your child to create a timeline for college planning
  • Utilize online resources that can help with the transition to college (look under "transition" in the list of topics).
  • Be sure you get your child tested for a disability before they leave high school.  Colleges will require that all students bring medical documentation of their disability (not just an IEP or school documents). Colleges will also ask you to pay out of pocket, but high schools won't. 
  • If your child has a 504 plan, an Individualized Education Program (IEP), or is getting special education services, you can ask for college planning ("transition planning") to start as soon as your child is 16 years old, and some schools even start at age 14.
2. Educate Yourself3. Don't assume a good college will have good disability services. 
  • A small community college in a rural area with one person running disability services might have more to offer than the huge disability services office at an Ivy League university. 
  • If you aren't impressed, the person in charge doesn't have much experience, or you don't trust the disability services office, then your son or daughter needs to decide if it will be worth fighting about services for four years, or whether it would be better going someplace else.  Sometimes students will decide a college is worth any inconvenience, and other times they will need to find good disability services so they can focus on academics and not worry about disability issues. 
  • If you are checking out HBCUs, be sure to see our list of disability services offices at HBCUs.
4. Assume college is an option and be sure your child knows you have high expectations and believe in them. 
  • Community college and many universities have remedial courses if a student's grades are not good.
  • Some offer intensive programs just for students who are autistic or dyslexic (although these may charge fees for their services). 
  • Even if your child has an intellectual disability like Down's Syndrome, there are still college options - she might be able to audit college courses on some campuses (auditing is taking the course without full credit). 
  • Be cautious, however, about your son or daughter entering the military - while this has helped many students get money for college, students should know that they will generally not be allowed to take medications for ADHD and other disabilities, making success in the military very difficult.
5. Worried about paying for college? 
  • Be sure you fill out a FAFSA - almost all college financial aid decisions are made based on this one form. 
  • There aren't many scholarships out there for disabled students, but there are also low-interest grants and campus work-study options. 
  • Force campuses to be honest about how much college really costs - the "sticker price" for tuition is never true. 
  • Some very expensive schools can offer a lot of financial aid support and a cheap education, while some cheaper schools will cost a great deal because they can't help families pay for very much. 
  • If your son or daughter is offered a scholarship or financial aid, read contracts carefully - for example, the NCAA has many rules about disability and medication usage that may be different than what the college requires, including rules about test accommodations and the use of medications. 
  • Finally, know that some students may qualify for financial aid accommodations, like full-time aid with a reduced credit load or inclusion of expensive disability-related needs when the college calculates financial aid needs. 
  • Talk with the college financial aid office about your specific circumstances. 
6. Worried about transition?
  • Remember that the college and disability services will not be able to share private information with you (like your child's grades, which services he is getting, etc.) due to a law called FERPA.  If this worries you, talk it over with your child early. 
  • Consider asking him to sign a release of information for you to talk to people, or developing a contract with you if you're worried about him keeping in touch about their health, mental state, academics, etc. 
  • Click here to see a sample contract for suicide prevention and mental health support - it can easily be adjusted for other issues like care of equipment, communicating with parents, or other issues of concern. (The link will download a Word document.)  
  • Be sure your child's phone has crisis resources (or a link to them), so these can be accessed if your child needs them - but also if your child's friends need them.
7. Encourage your child to learn as much as possible about computers and technology. 
  • Most college students use the computer and Internet on a daily basis for writing papers, e-mail, course registration, keeping in touch with professors and other students, etc. 
  • Almost all college courses have websites where students need to download readings and upload their homework. 
  • The more "tech savvy" your child is, the better she will do in college. 
8. Be honest about your expectations. 
  • "I want you to go to college" isn't enough. 
  • Be clear about whether you'd like him to stay near home, go to someplace that is really disability friendly, or attend an HBCU or a place that will offer certain programs or courses. 
  • Be honest if you're worried about paying for it, his ability to handle the freedom or stress, or if you have other concerns. 
  • All of these discussions are likely to factor into his choices about college, even if it may not seem like it's making a difference.
9. Remember your son or daughter is a first-generation college student - even if you went to college!