Learning Disabilities in College

Guest: Lindsay E. Jones, director of public policy and advocacy at the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and Aaron Allred, Ph.D, BYU Accessibility Center  A new crop of college freshman is registering for classes and planning the décor for their dorm rooms. Many of America’s 18 year-olds are getting ready this summer to start college in the fall.  Likely not on their minds is where they’ll turn for special assistance to deal with a learning disability. The good news is more students with such disabilities are college bound these days. The bad news those kids often have trouble getting the accommodations they need on campus – or they simply don’t disclose their needs and end up setting themselves.  The issue has caught the attention of the US Department of Education, which last month announced plans to fund a center focused on improving the transition for students with learning disabilities entering college.