Questions To Ask When Choosing A College With A Disability

I started touring colleges with my family the summer before I started high school, and we thought we had come up with a great list of questions to ask when choosing a college and that one specific college would be a great fit for me. When my family and I toured this college again a few years later, we realized that the school was the absolute worst fit for me, and the disability services coordinator told me not to even bother applying because they didn’t know how to handle a student with low vision (which is illegal, but I appreciated their honesty). Thankfully, I had already found another college that was a much better fit for me and my interests.

When it came to choosing a college with a disability, there were certain questions and answers that were dealbreakers as I tried to figure out what colleges would be able to support my access needs— my goal was to focus on learning and not on having to constantly deal with access barriers. Based on my experience, here are ten questions to ask when choosing a college that can help students get an idea of campus accessibility and whether a particular college will be a good fit for them.

Is on-campus housing guaranteed?

For students that do not drive, having guaranteed on-campus housing for students that plan to live away from home is important. College policies may only guarantee housing for first-year students, or they may offer priority registration for housing in the case of students who require disability accommodations. Living on-campus makes it easier to get to classes as students don’t have to rely on public transportation or ridesharing to get to different places.

For students that want to live off-campus but still in close proximity to campus resources, I recommend checking for transportation services available in different buildings. Some apartments and graduate housing options have shuttle transportation options or shortcut paths to get to campus.

How many students do you serve with my disability?

For students with disabilities (and especially low-incidence disabilities), it can be helpful to know how many students are currently attending or have recently attended the college with a given disability to gauge what accessibility supports are already in place and how familiar faculty and staff are with a given disability. This question can be answered by Disability Services and/or the department major in the student’s area of interest.

At one school I visited, the answer was zero, and they admitted that they were not sure how to accommodate a student with vision loss in my prospective major. Another school asked me what low vision meant and if that meant I was looking to get out of taking math classes— which wouldn’t be practical in a science-related degree! I wouldn’t panic if a department or institution told me that they had never had a student with my disability before, but it’s important to pay attention to how they talk about the possibility of having someone with the disability join their program— are they proactive and willing to work with the student, or trying to convince them not to attend?

What assistive technology resources are available?

While disability accommodations are important, it’s important to evaluate what accessibility supports and assistive technology resources are available to students with disabilities, as these play a significant role in accessing academic content. Some examples of assistive technology resources I benefitted from as an undergraduate student include:

A testing center equipped with video magnifiers and computers with accessibility settings for taking proctored exams and quizzes
Licenses for screen reader, screen magnification, and text-to-speech tools that I would use to read information
Captioning and/or audio description for videos
Options to request accessible textbooks or have class materials remediated in accessible formats
Digital lab options for science classes that can be used with large print, screen readers, etc.
Alternative chairs and/or desk options
Option to connect to an external monitor or view the professor’s screen in class
Educational materials for explaining how to create accessible assignments and documents for students with visual impairments
Adaptive learning systems and applications that have information about accessibility and compatibility with assistive technology, so I can participate fully in math classes and other hybrid courses

While it is unfair to expect a college/university to know everything about making information accessible to students with visual impairments, it is equally unfair to place the burden of making things accessible entirely on the visually impaired student. Identifying existing supports and ways to find information in accessible formats is critical for student success.

Are the campus buildings easy to get to?

How do students get to classes or other campus buildings? Do they have to cross traffic or main roads frequently? Are there lots of walking paths? Are students using public transportation or driving to get to different areas on campus? Some colleges also offer disability transportation services, which can be useful for students with mobility aids to get to classes or other areas on campus. It’s also helpful to consider the lighting around campus and lighting around common walking paths, since this can help students remain aware of their surroundings.

It also helps to know where students will be expected to take classes for their major or for their first year— all of my classes were generally in one of three buildings each semester, and I could go back and forth to my dorm between classes so that I didn’t have to carry a bunch of things with me.

For housing, can I get disability accommodations?

Students who plan to live on-campus may require specific accommodations for accessible housing, which can include but is not limited to:

Single room (private room) and/or private bathroom
Climate-controlled dorm room
Building with elevator access or lower-level room
Roll-in shower or built-in shower chair
Modified lighting or furniture

Disability Services and/or Housing and Residence Life (ResLife) can provide more information about the disability housing accommodations process, though it is helpful for prospective students to understand the different types of on-campus housing and buildings that are available. For example, I knew that I would need a suite-style dorm in a specific area of campus that wouldn’t require me to cross traffic to get inside.

Can I use assistive technology in class?

Some professors and departments are very anti-technology, even if it is being used to support academic access for students with disabilities. I’ve noticed that colleges that tout “pencil and paper” learning across multiple contexts often haven’t invested in digital accessibility or infrastructure that supports online or hybrid learning, and it can be more challenging to get accessible materials in these contexts.

As a student with low vision, I rely on technology to access things like books, typing assignments, taking notes, reading information in large print, and following along with class lectures. I can’t read pencil with low vision or write on paper neatly due to associated dysgraphia, so I often avoid classes that emphasize “pencil and paper” learning in favor of classes that provide options for completing assignments digitally. Reading syllabi from current or previous semesters is a great way to learn more about how the professor shares information and assignments.

How many people have gone through my major with my disability?

Again, for students with disabilities it can be helpful to know if other students have graduated from their major(s) or minor(s) with their disability. Even though individual experiences with visual impairment and disability vary, it can be helpful to identify what resources are already in place and determine if addition information on making course materials or environments accessible will be necessary. Again, I wouldn’t panic if the answer was zero, but it is important to pay attention to how advisors and department managers react when asked about disability— is their first reaction to view the potential student as a burden, or as a “bonus” that will help them improve their teaching?

Some examples of existing accessibility supports that were in place for my major included:

Professors that were familiar with disability etiquette and using descriptive language (instead of saying things like “over there” when providing directions)
Assignments shared in responsive file formats— Word (doc/docx), HTML, EPUB, and other materials that can be enlarged
All equations are inserted with a math editor or equation editor
Information about accessing digital textbooks
Software information listed in the syllabus for planning purposes
Class presentations posted on the course website

Of course, there were still many situations where I had to self-advocate and educate professors about how to present information in accessible formats, but knowing what supports were available in advance helped me save time and avoid having to “start from scratch” in terms of educating others about accessibility.

What services are available off campus?

While faculty and staff can provide information about off-campus resources or referrals in some scenarios, they may not be super familiar with everything that is available in the surrounding community or that is serviced by university public transportation. Some examples of things to look for when exploring the area around campus would include:

Businesses with Aira Access locations, which provide free visual assistance for those with visual impairments
Assistive technology and accessibility services available at the local public library
Nearby pharmacies that accept the student’s health insurance
Urgent care, hospitals, and/or doctors and specialists
Grocery stores, especially those that offer pick-up or delivery services
Community centers or places of worship
Stores at the mall serviced by the campus shuttle, including a place to get glasses and/or technology repaired

For students with food allergies, it can also be helpful to learn about surrounding restaurants and learn more about how they handle specific allergens. The campus dietitian can be a resource for learning more about managing food allergies and places to get food on and off campus.

How can I make my application stand out?

When I found a college that I knew would be a great fit for me, one of the questions I had for Disability Services was how I could make my application “stand out” and increase the likelihood that I would be accepted. This can also be helpful for identifying alternative admissions options or options for guaranteed acceptance, or for learning more about applications to specific programs or services for students with disabilities.

Some examples of recommendations can include:

Submitting a video essay or video application
Participating in optional interviews or interviewing for specific programs
Applying with Early Decision deadlines
Attending pre-admissions events, which may also provide application fee waivers
Meeting with the major advisor or department staff in advance
Taking standardized tests in advance and submitting scores at the same time as the application is submitted, which can help avoid delays in processing time

Some departments may also have specific recommendations, such as including supplemental materials, participating in extracurricular activities or events, or ideas for essay topics.

Is this college a good fit for me?

It’s really easy to overlook flaws or settle for something that is “just okay” when choosing a college or university, but it’s important to carefully evaluate what services and resources are available. I made a list of campus must-haves when I was looking at colleges, and talked to a mix of students, faculty in my major/minor of interest, and staff members in Disability Services and other departments to help me make an informed choice. I didn’t choose a college just because my friends were going there or because my parents thought it was a good school, and this deliberate research helped me identify and get accepted to my dream school.

Ten Questions to Ask When Choosing a College

Is on-campus housing guaranteed?

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How many students do you serve with my disability?

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What assistive technology resources are available?

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Are the campus buildings easy to get to?

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For housing, can I get disability accommodations?

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Can I use assistive technology in class?

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How many people have gone through my major with my disability?

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What services are available off campus?

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How can I make my application stand out?

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Is this college a good fit for me?

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More information on questions to ask when choosing a college

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