13 replies to this topic

[Vanessamaee]

I'll be a Senior in High school this year which means I have to make a very hard decision on where I want to go to college. Before my accident I knew EXACTLY where I wanted to go, then I got injured 3 months ago, which means I wouldnt be getting a scholarship there anymore (It was for rodeo) and the campus is not very wheelchair friendly. So I decided to continue looking at other options. Has anyone attended college in a wheelchair before? How was your experience? What was the best way to navigate around campus? Did you run into any problems? and what did you look for when choosing your college? Im just trying to figure it all out! I dont want to choose a college and have them be not wheelchair friendly and end up with a poor experience. Thank You! (:

[mellowgator]

you'll find that the newer colleges are well set up for w-c.'s

by law all public colleges should now have ramps, bathroons and parking however, sometimes the retrofited designs aren't very user friendly.

i went to usf for college. i also lived in their accessible dorms. this school is super easy to get around and the campus is flat without any hills to speak of.

a school in florida will be easier to navigate over a school in colorado. i'd pick the best schools for what you want to study and then out of that list narrow it down to schools who a have w-c friendly campus' i'd also go visit the school before you commit yourself.

[Denna]

as mellowgator said you should take a senior day and visit the campus. You could probably call ahead and ask an adviser for a wheelchair user to help give you the tour. I know MTSU here in Tn has alot of wheelchair users going there. Good Luck with your search!

[davjed]

Good advice here. In this day and time you should be able to find what you want. I was lucky enough to have a small, private college nearby with one other wheel chair user. They made things easier for us and that was 50 years ago. Choose your subjects and courses wisely and go as far as you can while you're into it. Don't stop or give up. Sounds like you're doing well and making good decisions so soon after your injury. You probably would make a good veterinarian. Go for it....Best Wishes

[The Black Sheep]

I attended community college for 2 years on campus, which was a fairly modern building, and easy to get around. The hardest part was getting from the parking lot, which was about half a mile, to the building. NY winters suck too.

After 2 years I was burnt out. Not from the school work, but the effort just to get back and forth. Some of the buildings were on a hill and exhausting to get to, on top of it all. I transferred to an online school for the following 4 years and that was the BEST decision I made. There are a lot of degrees where you NEED hands-on learning, so depending on what you're going for, you may need to be in the classroom. Sometimes you can do both, take some courses online and some on campus. Take a tour of the buildings before you decide, and if you're in a location with bad winters, plan for close parking. After my first year in CC, I spoke to the administrators about letting me use the teacher's parking area, which was only about 40 feet from the building. If there's a concern about accessibility, talk with the school to see if they can make any accommodations that would make it easier to commute.

[jules]

I can't comment on any Universities, colleges in the US because I don't know anything about them, all that I know is that the best decision I made was to go away to University (135 miles away from home). I researched beforehand to get accessible halls of residence and then the course tutors sorted out access for me in the university itself.

I had the time of my life and learned to be self sufficient as well, it gave me confidence that I could manage on my own.

I have also done a part time second masters degree whilst I was working, with day release to go away to Cardiff to do the taught part of the degree. This was very hard work but also worth it in the end.

My advice is do your research, make your decision and then have a great time.

Jules

[Bobo1974]

I had to go back to college after my accident because the job I had I could not do from a wheelchair. The first thing I did was went to the disability counselor. They handle both learning and physical disabilities. I first started with a community college and when I graduated there I went to a university. Every college has one. They may be under Accessibility services. Set up an appointment with the counselor. They will go over everything with you. They will ask what you think you will need. Once you decide what school you want, pick your classes. Then go back to the counselor and find the best way to get to your classes. Some classrooms are accessible some aren't. The counselor will help you with anything you need. When it comes to parking, drive there when you know your schedule. Find the handicap spaces or if there aren't any, sometimes they would let me park in the staff lot. You can even get a counselor to order a desk that will raise up so you can slide under a desk. Use them as much as possible and they will handle the rest. Good luck

[EssayHelp]

I can't say from your perspective, but before I chose my school I met a counselor and visited the campus. I imagine it'd be the same for you, except you'd want to meet with their accessibility counselor or whatever they're called, and see about a visit and check every thing out.

[wheeliebear75]

You'll want to make sure that the campus is accessible & I'd double check it over the summer by taking a tour of the campus. Ask if they've got a disabled student's services to help intervene on your behalf if any of the classes require you do any off-campus trips. And most colleges will require you do a course in PE, this can be fulfilled with swimming. D.O.R.! Department Of Rehabilitation you'll want to get the ball rolling with them so that if they're able to help you they might be able to REALLY HELP YOU! They can help pay for tuition, books, supplies, gas/mileage, & other student fees. BEST OF LUCK!

[KayDub]

I'm starting law school in a few weeks. I finished my undergrad pre-sickness. The day after tomorrow I have orientation so I'll find out how accessible my school's campus is (in Colorado!!! I had to laugh at the comment I saw earlier). I'm going to try to talk to disability student services while I'm at orientation. I didn't have a chance to choose my school based on accessibility, rather who would take me and give me a scholarship. I'll keep you updated with my journey! Good luck finding schools, senior year is brutal that way. Most schools are accessible, so my advice is find a school you love then see if it's accessible. Don't settle for a school because of being in a chair. Good luck!!!

[wheeliebear75]

It depends on WHEN the campus was built. San Diego City College was a BIG problem with accessibility;although the DSPS (Disabled Students Programs & Services) were VERY helpful & one of their employees Darwin even ended up having to push me up the HILL to go around the campus on several occasions (you'd have to see a map of the campus that shows the levels & sub-levels....+ how it was built in/on a HILL & only had ONE elevator for the majority of the switching levels) & NO the school was built BEFORE ADA so they did NOT technically "HAVE TO" have any elevators....I ended up missing 40% of my classes the 1 & ONLY semester I went there thanks to the lousy elevator. I even had to get rescued out of it by the SDFD; got stuck 1/2 between levels, everyone else could climb out once maintenance & 911 got the doors open.....then there's ME! Guess what?.....I couldn't do it since it was shoulder height to me while sitting or sternum for the AB's standing. Then I switched to Grossmont College.....FAB! The hills were minimal (aside from the one leading up from the bus/CTS(para-transit), the bathrooms were almost all TRULY accessible, and the library/student store/cafeteria/+ most of the student affairs offices & all of the counselors + health services are all electronic doors with many of them being the mat/eye type where you don't even have to push a button. And to make a long story short.....just because a campus HAS a DSPS & just cuz they say "handicapped accessible" doesn't mean it ACTUALLY IS. I HIGHLY recommend anyone with any sort of special needs whatsoever make sure they tour the campus & find out(even if you have to specifically ask) if they have elevators when were they put in + how often has there been problems. Best of luck to you both!

[cbb1990]

I had a meeting with the vice president of the school about the accessibility & I park anywhere I want. Sometimes ppl get in front of me & I can't get on the elevator I got to where I say something I don't think ppl mean to be tht way they just don't realize their adding more trouble but after you say something they realize. Plus my teachers are awesome & you should see if your state has some kind of grant system & get all the benefits you can!

[airart1]

MTSU is where Donnie went to, it is suppose to be one of the best accessible in the country, good and flat, Larry ''no legs'' done his watch repair there also....i would think the bigger higher end schools would have to be ADA compliant......here at Austin Peay is pretty hilly.......Vanderbuilt is pretty flat also.......

[KayDub]

I start orientation today and since my fiance is lying in bed sick, I get to navigate our city's light rail. I used it loads when I was AB but I'm guessing it'll tack time on. I hope all the buildings are accessible. I don't want to be -that girl- who can't make it to orientation, gah!

And on accessible schools (not that I think you're looking at CO buuut), Colorado State and Northern Colorado are great, both flat. University of Colorado Boulder where I graduated from, lots of hills. (Not like SF but not fun in a manual chair). I've headed to University of Denver. Just looked at the map and the law school is the closest academic building to the light rail stop which is good, I couldn't afford a parking permit. During the winter this will be tricky though.

Edited by KayDub, 09 August 2011 - 01:19 PM.