Customer Reviews

K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities, 8th Edition (College Admissions Guides)

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I found the book to be very helpful in eliminating the schools that we were looking at without the need to visit. And also naming schools never even considered,
A wonderful guide for parents helping an ADD child to cope

This is a step by step comprehensive book that gives the steps for application, disclosure possibilities and acceptable testing formats. I highly recommend this book. It is worth the purchase price.

Because all public colleges and universities have to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities (i.e. students who can perform the college work with minor adjustments), these guides are a waste of time, paper, and ink.

They imply that students with disabilities will only be eligible to receive accommodations at certain colleges--and those institutions are doing it as a 'favor' as opposed to this being the law.

As a person with disabilities myself who completed both her undergrad and graduate degree, I empathize with the high emotions that the prospective college students and their families might have while reading this book. I've also dealt with high school personnel who had formally discouraged me from going to college only because I had been in special education.

However, finding out federal and state laws (and remembering that your state cannot trump the federal laws with their programs) is a much more useful alternative than limiting oneself with outdated college application advice.


Yes, I dealt with a college administrator who attempted to kick me out because of my disability, but knowing my legal rights and responsibilities in the college environment made the critical difference. Subsequently that same administrator left while I went on to successfully complete my education at the same place I had initially enrolled at. Self-responsibility and advocacy is the key for an effective college experience.

If (and this is a very big if) Mary Beth Kravets and Imy Wax really wanted students with disabilities in college they would be insisting the same and providing their readership with accurate information. Shame on them for misleading people with outdated prescriptives!

If you are considering buying this book then you are likely a parent with a child with a learning disability. I am a parent of a child with a learning disability. I have found that I MUST advocate for my child. Entering College as a Freshman is another life transition. These life transitions can be so very difficult for these students. Students with IEPs in High School will likely need a Structured Program. "Services" will simply not be enough. "Services" require the student to seek them out. Students with learning disabilities entering college have not yet developed the maturity to be an advocate for themselves. Hence, the need for a "Program". These programs have additional fees indicating that they provide additional services not provided for students without a disability.

I like Peterson's Guide a bit more because it organizes those schools that have "Structured/Proactive Programs" from schools that simply have the services that all universities are required by federal law to provide. The Peterson Guide lists detailed information such as number of staff supporting the program, number of students enrolled, orientation, diagnostic testing, tutoring, written policies. Even if you have a copy that is a few years old you can still compare and contrast schools.

This is still an excellent guide.