How can parents and teachers help students with disabilities prepare for postsecondary education?
Parents and secondary teachers will no longer have a say in the accommodations their students receive in postsecondary school. Postsecondary students are treated as adults and are expected to make these decisions on their own. In some cases, disability services may keep students’ information confidential from parents. Therefore, it is important that parents and teachers help to prepare their students for the greater responsibility that will be required of them. They can provide information to students about their disability and the kinds of supports that they will need to request in postsecondary education. Parents and teachers can also help prepare the student by teaching and reinforcing self-determination, self-advocacy, and career development skills, and by facilitating an internal locus of control (sense of responsibility and control over one’s own future). They can also help students explore the issues outlined in this document.
