It is graduation time already!?
Throwback to my high school graduation class of 2016
Many schools already had their graduation commencements back in May or during this month. As for me, I graduated from high school 6 years ago and now I will be graduating with my bachelor's degree in October of this year. I recall my transition from high school to college went smoothly.
In my last year of high school, my child study team case manager expressed to me that I can attend Brookdale Community College by taking at least two years of Spanish. It was good that I took Spanish classes in high school because it helped me in attending college. Also, I learned that I did not need to take the ACT/SAT because it was not required for this college. Afterwards, my parents and I went through the application process for Brookdale Community College during my last year of high school. I was so happy to know I got accepted to Brookdale!
Towards the end of winter and early spring, I recall taking a couple of exams, so my courses could be placed for me as soon as I began attending Brookdale. These exams were college placement exams, which assessed my math and reading skills. The results I learned were that I needed to take one prerequisite course for reading and a couple of prerequisite courses for math before taking courses in my associate's degree program. This was because I did not do so well on the college placement exams. This made me feel glad I did not have to take the SAT/ACT, haha!
During open house in the spring of my senior year, my parents and I went on a tour at Brookdale. I was so grateful one of my good friends from high school gave the tour. Her name is Ashley A., and she was already attending Brookdale before I did. My parents and I asked questions about Brookdale in general while on the tour. Ashley did a great job answering my parents’ questions about the college. The tour she provided helped me feel better about navigating around the college. Parents, make sure to request a tour of the college for your child because it helps them navigate around the college.
Furthermore, my parents and I scheduled an appointment for the disability services. I expressed to the case manager of the disability services at Brookdale about the accommodations and modifications I needed to do well in college. I learned from the meeting that the disability services were different in college than during my K-12 education years. It was preparing me to self-advocate more for myself as soon as I attended Brookdale.
How would you support people with disabilities for them to have a smooth transition from high school to college? Share your thoughts in the comments section!