Off to College Toolkit

The road to independence and adulthood often travels through a college town.  In this toolkit, you’ll find resources about preparing and making the transition from high school to campus life.   This toolkit has resources that are specific to living with a bleeding disorder and others that are more general, but are applicable if you or your child will need accommodations to be a successful student.

• downloads (articles, customizable tools/documents)
• links to other resources

DOWNLOADS
	Been There, Done That: Tips for the College Bound from Students & Moms: This document includes advice from current college students and from moms who recently sent sons to college.
	College Care List: A student going away to college is an exciting time, but can also be scary and unsettling if he/she has a bleeding disorder. This short list, developed by HFA’s FitFactor team, has essentials to help a college student maintain a healthy lifestyle while away from home and on their own.
	My Plate on Campus: MyPlate On Campus is an initiative to get college and university students talking about healthy eating and working with their campus community to create ways for students to adopt healthy lifestyles that they can maintain during and beyond their college years.
	Scholarship Opportunities: HFA offers 4 scholarships for an amount of $2,000-$4,000 in three categories..  This page includes application information and links to other scholarship opportunities.
	Infusing Love: Mom: On My Nerves, But Always Has My Back: This entry of HFA’s moms blog, Infusing Love, was written by a son and details his relationship with his mom, especially during his college years and how he’s grown to appreciate her concern.
	Off to College with a Bleeding Disorder: This article from the National Hemophilia Foundation’s July 2007 Hemaware offers advice for parents and students for one of life’s major transitions.
	Transition of Students with Disabilities to Post Secondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators: From the United States Department of Education Civil Rights Office, the purpose of this guide is to provide high school educators with answers to questions students with disabilities may have as they get ready to move to the postsecondary education environment.
	Making the Transition from High School to College for Students with Disabilities: This checklist from the National Center for Learning Disabilities is a comprehensive how-to prepare for the college experience for those who have a disability.
	Transitioning From High School to College: A Primer for Students with Disabilities: This white paper written by a Masters of Education candidate in 2011 is a two page overview of the steps a student with a disability should consider when beginning their college career.Â
	Transitioning High School Students with Learning Disabilities into Post Secondary Education: Assessment & Accommodations: This document from the National Association of School Psychologists includes a helpful chart of possible accommodations.
	PACER Center: The mission of PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.  The PACER website offers many free downloads; this is just a sampling: Chart Your Own Future: How Your Individualized Education Program (IEP) Can Help: College or Training Programs: How to Decide Parent Tips for Transition Planning Preparation is key to gaining accommodations on ACT college entrance test Start Now to Chart your Youth’s Career Path after Graduation Ten Tips That May Help Your Child’s Transition To Adulthood ADA Q&A…The ADA, Section 504 & Postsecondary Education
	Navigating the College Transition Maze: A Guide for Students With Learning Disabilities: This article from TEACHING Exceptional Children, a publication of the Council of Exceptional Children, provides a good overview on how to navigate the system, addresses the differences in secondary and post-secondary accommodations and provides links to other resources.
	Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation.
	Online Master’s Programs.org: This website was was built to further legitimize the online master’s degree in the eyes of students and educators.  These two resources discuss financial aid and scholarships for the graduate student. Financial Aid Scholarships

 

LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES
	Going-To-College This website was developed by the Virginia Commonwealth University under a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education.
	HEATH Resource Center at the National Youth Transitions Center Since 2000, the HEATH Resource Center has served as a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities, managed by The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.  HEATH Resource Center is a collaborative effort among a network of professionals in the areas of disability, counseling, transition and postsecondary education.
	US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights The mission of the Office for Civil Rights is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights.
	Wright’s Law Wright’s Law is a website run by a husband and wife team, who is dedicated to special education advocacy and law.  The website is full of useful information and links to even more resources.  This link specifically is about continuing and higher education.
	OnlineColleges.Net A resource in online education, whether you’re an experienced online learner, a current student, or are considering attending college online
	The Fully Accessible Guide to Paying for College for Students with Disabilities Navigating the complex process of paying for college raises a ton of questions for most students. What’s a Pell Grant? Or a Perkins Loan? Do I have to pay anything back? Those questions can pile up even more quickly for a student with a disability. This website serves as a guide to assist in navigating grants, financial aid, and available scholarships for students living with disabilities.

Learning Central

HFA’s Learning Central: One of the ways you can learn about bleeding disorders is to educate yourself with medically-vetted, accurate information, like the educational information found in HFA’s Learning Central e-learning platform. You may learn something new or brush up on facts or gain the information you need to help educate others about bleeding disorders.