Students transitioning from high school to UAA need to:

Make an appointment with DSS, provide current diagnostic and evaluative reports, and request reasonable accommodations that are supported by documentation.

Reasonable accommodations include modifications and adjustments that do not fundamentally alter or lower the standards of an instructional program.

Students may receive reasonable accommodations to “level the playing field” but these accommodations are meant to ensure equal access not to guarantee success.

Students need to be their own advocate.

High School students may be used to having parents speak for them. It can be hard to ask for help, to discuss disability openly. We understand that and try to provide a safe environment, but students must learn to advocate for themselves at the University.

Students, Parents, and Transition Coordinators may want to print the following handout, brochure, and chart

Transitioning to UAA Handout: Contact information for UAA academic advisors, lists of certificate and degrees offered, information on admissions, an introduction to the accommodation process, overview of services and accommodations, and content from a brochure published in July 2002 which clarifies the rights and responsibilities of the school and the student as they apply in the school district versus in institutions of higher education.

The brochure is a great resource for students and their parents that can also be ordered free of charge by calling 1-877-4-ED-PUBS or visiting the US Department of Education website at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html