Category: Advocacy

Tips on the Difference Between High School and College

Although school is out for the summer, some new graduates may be getting ready for  college in the fall.

Newly minted high school seniors (and some high school juniors) are beginning to think about their plans post-high school.  This guide is a simple reminder that  venturing off to college is huge step, and quite different from the student’s experience in high school.

Though this does make reference to, and provide information pertinent to students with disabilities, the general comparison of the differences between high school and college can be helpful information for all students about to enter college.

Differences Between College & High School

Dear Hiring Manager: All the Disability-Related Skills I Can’t Put on My Resume

Not all of the students collegiate disability service providers work with will be as gutsy, or articulate about their disability as Sarah Blahovec, but they can learn something from her.

Sarah was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 15. She graduated from college summa cum laude and has had difficulty finding a job. As an individual with a disability, she has acquired unique skills, including the ability to manage multiple doctors’ appointments, understand complicated treatment information, clearly communicate, and multitask.

Sarah wrote a “Dear Hiring Manager” cover letter that included all of her disability-related skills that she felt did not fit in her resume. She notes that many employers and human resource professionals see her disability and become doubtful of her strengths, skills, and efficiency. But Sarah is not her disability. It is a part of her that has enabled her to acquire a marketable set of skills.

The full story can be found at, Dear Hiring Manager: All the Disability-Related Skills I Can’t Put on My Resume, The Blog, Feb. 24, 2015, (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-blahovec/dear-hiring-manager-all-the-disability-related-skills-i-cant-put-on-my-resume_b_6732922.html)

Adaptive Technology – For Us, by Us

David Hayden, an alum of Arizona State University, demonstrated that the best technologies are those that engage the user in the design and development process. He illustrated this point when he helped the school’s researchers develop technology that would help him access the blackboard in his classes.

David has a visual impairment and needed assistance taking notes and seeing the blackboard in class. He helped develop an application that allowed him to view the blackboard on half of his mobile tablet while using a “notes” interface on the other half of the screen. Then he was able to link sections of the notes to the frames in the video. Dubbed the “Note-Taker,” the app enabled David to better access information in class. David is now manufacturing his Note-Taker prototype to be used by others.

Full Story: The Best Adaptive Technologies Are Designed by, Not for, People with Disabilities, Slate, Mar. 3, 2015, available at
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/03/03/the_best_adaptive_technologies_are_designed_by_people_with_disabilities.html