Re: colleges/sorry long post

[Guest guest]

For undergrad I went to a small liberal arts college in PA now called

Immaculata University. It is now newly co-ed, but was all women for

traditional

students when I went. I was one of the first severely disabled students to

attend the college. There was no Disabled Students Center, so the Office of

Student Affairs handled most of my needs. They were very accommodating and

helpful. I visited many colleges, and the accessibility was mediocre for all

of

them. I was limited to colleges that were a commutable distance from my

house at first. Some of the accessibility features available at the colleges I

visited were elevators, ramps, automatic doors, note taking services, extra

time for tests. The college I picked had all these features except not all the

doors were automatic. The problems I encountered at the campuses were I had

to go round about ways to get in certain buildings, outside stair

climbers/elevators (I didn't like b/c of the threat of inclimate weather), old

elevators, and doors which required security card access (this posed a problem

b/c I

could not open the door in time or swipe the card). Some of the needs I

discussed w/Student Affairs and Campus Security that were granted were a need

for

a place for me to rest when I was a commuter, snow removal, help in the

library, late night security escort services

For personal assistance, I got a set number of attendant hours from OVR

(Office of Vocational Rehabilitation) to use for assistance during the day such

as tolieting, help getting lunch, etc starting my Freshman yr. I hired a girl

and paid her weekly and was reimbursed by OVR. During my sophomore year I

was granted attendant care hours (20 hrs/week) from a state waiver. I applied

for it my Sr year of high school w/the help of OVR. There was a long

waiting list. So I moved on campus then and lived in the dorms. By then I had

made many friends who graciously helped me when my attendant (another student)

was not available. I got very sick my Jr year, and when I returned to school

many of my needs changed. I needed note takers in class and more time and

assistance w/test taking, w/which my professors and friends helped me. I also

needed around the clock care which many of my friends learned so I could

live on campus again.

I believe the advantages of going to a small college were there was a small

number of students which made it easy to network for attendants and help, the

atmosphere was like a small community, the campus was small, easy access to

activities, and small class size which allowed for individual attention from

professors. My intimate relationship w/the professors made it easy for me to

voice my needs. Even when I was a freshman, the small class size and

accessibility to the professors made it easier for me to get assistance in

class.

While attending the college, I was invited to a board of trustees meeting to

discuss how they could make the campus more accessible. By the time I

graduated they had taken my suggestions and made all the doors automatic, gave

me a

personal remote to the automatic doors in the dorm to ensure security, put

in more elevators so more of the buildings were completely accessible, removed

stairs and replaced them w/ramps, made 3 accessible dorm rooms for the

disabled, and built sidewalks to make the campus easier to get around. I had a

very good experience w/a small college and highly recommend it. I made many

great friends, was in many activities such as student government, clubs,

sorority, etc. I believe it is important to visit the college multiple times.

The

first time in a group setting and then at least one more time w/a one on one

admissions counselor who can address your needs and get you in touch w/the

right people/department on campus.

I also went to a large university (University of Pennsylvania) for graduate

school. The large university to me was overwhelming. It was a huge campus,

which made traveling around in inclimate weather hard. The accessibility was

still mediocre and compared to the changes made at my undergrad college, not

as convenient. There was an Office of Disability Services who coordinated

all my class needs such as note taking, extra test time, etc. For me it was

sort of awkward b/c I would come to my first day of class and not really know

who my note taker was and never speaking to the professor directly about my

needs since it is protocol for the Disability Services to do. After the first

class I always spoke privately to the professor about my needs b/c I never

knew if they were adequately informed. Sometimes there were misunderstandings

and I felt more secure talking to the prof myself. I was able to live on

campus my first year. Since the campus community was so large it was hard for

me to find attendants easily. The Office of Disability Services did not

help directly w/this aspect. They gave suggestions but it was up to you to

advertise and find attendants yourself. All in all my experience was good. I

think coming from a small college made it hard for me to acclimate to UPENN.

I didn't mean for this post to become a book. Sorry . Hope this helped

and feel free to ask any ?'s.

Smiles,

Kimi