November 4, 2009

The staff of the Program for Students with Disabilities wants to congratulate your son or daughter on acceptance to Auburn University. We are aware that while this is a time of excitement and anticipation, this is also a time of increased anxiety for parents of students with disabilities. Your concerns are different than those of the parent of a typical college student. Through your student’s secondary education, you held a leading role in their individual education plan. In college, now that your child is an adult, there is a significant change in your role and the services and responsibilities associated with his or her educational program. This change is often frightening, and we are aware that many high school programs do not prepare families for the differences in the college environment. Our office is here to help your student navigate their role and responsibilities at Auburn. We hope that the information in our office and on our website can prove helpful to you in support of your college student as they learn and succeed at the college and post-graduate world of disability services.

Services at the college level are vastly different than those provided to you and your student in the high school setting. In the secondary setting, you worked very closely with your student’s teachers and counselor to develop an Individual Education Plan under the IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Education Act). IDEA does not apply at the college level. At the college and professional level, there is not an equivalent team approach to the educational programming that you experienced in the high school setting. The Program for Students with Disabilities at Auburn is not responsible for identifying students with disabilities nor are we responsible for connecting them with services. The responsibility shifts to your student who must identify themselves to our office in order for services to be implemented. Once your child turns 18 or enrolls in college, they are viewed as an adult and therefore protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). He or she is the only one that can initiate and participate in the process of applying for and receiving accommodations. You can be involved in your student’s process by supporting them through the application process and then allow them to take on the main role in directing their academic future.

This new direction that you and your student face can often be difficult and worrisome. We do our best to help students make this transition within the guidelines of ADA and Section 504. The college setting is a great opportunity for your son or daughter to begin learning more about their individual needs and accommodations. It is very common for students to enter the post-secondary world with little knowledge of their diagnosis or an understanding of their accommodations. As a parent, consider this a very exciting time and please support your college student in their growth of responsibilities and self-advocacy. These years at Auburn University are unique. This is potentially the last environment where the majority of people interacting with your college student understand disability laws and accommodations. College life is the perfect surrounding to begin to strengthen their self-advocacy skills so that they are able to take on the responsibility to explain their individual needs and necessary accommodations. We truly appreciate your new role and the learning curve that both parents and students face as they enter the college environment.

Here at Auburn University we want our students to graduate with the self- awareness to know and understand what truly helps them to be a successful and productive citizen in the community and work place. This self-efficacy can be learned through their steps of independence at the college level. Your parental influence is very critical at all stages of your child’s life and education. You have done a terrific job of assisting your son or daughter in their steps toward acceptance and enrollment here at Auburn University. Over the next few months, please continue helping your child to learn about our website and the procedures associated with The Program for Students with Disabilities at Auburn.

The transition to college is both an exciting and tumultuous time for families. It is now time for your college student to take on increased responsibility over their own educational process. We hope by familiarizing yourself and your student with his or her specific learning needs and the new procedures at our office that your concerns or fears will recede and you will welcome this time with the same excitement that all of us here at Auburn University feel every year.