Choosing the right college when you have dyslexia

When I was 17, I visited dozens of colleges with my mom. I looked for all of the things every soon-to-be college student wants in a school: good academics, a good social life, and good weather.

But as someone with ADHD and dyslexia, I had to consider another factor that most students don’t have to — something that mattered more than having “the full package.” And that was whether or not the chosen college would support my learning disabilities and provide the necessary accommodations.

So on every college tour, my mom and I visited the school’s disability office. After all, just because schools are legally required to provide accommodations doesn’t mean they’re well-equipped to support students with learning disabilities.

One disability office visit, in particular, was telling. Halfway through the seven-hour tour — while the rest of the potential students were eating lunch — my mom and I stopped at the disability office.

We explained how since I had received a foreign language waiver in high school, I would need the same accommodation in college. The director of the disability office stopped us and said, “Don’t bother applying, we won’t consider your application.”

While I’m sure that legally they would have had to consider my application, that was all I needed to hear. I didn’t finish the rest of the campus tour. And I didn’t apply.

I understood their reservations. After all, this faculty didn’t know me. They didn’t know my work ethic, intelligence, and ability to advocate for myself. They didn’t know that my grades, letters of recommendation, and extracurriculars met or exceeded their requirements.

They also didn’t know that I cried on the way home.

They chose to believe the stigmas instead of giving me a chance to prove myself. They could have asked me about my dyslexia. And they could have given me a chance to advocate for myself.

Over the course of many visits to disability offices, my mom and I learned how to spot the difference between a school that would begrudgingly offer accommodations and one that championed them.

We asked questions to scope out what kind of environment it would be for me. Was the staff eager to help us and answer our questions? Or did we have to work to get someone’s attention? Are they proactively offering services or doing the legal minimum? Did they make us feel accepted and welcome?

In my case, I chose the College of the Holy Cross. Holy Cross had the “full package,” but most importantly, the disability office proactively set me up for success and they made me feel supported. They gave me every accommodation I asked for. As my needs changed, so did my accommodations. And they helped me come up with creative solutions for every situation I encountered.

Having a viable support system doesn’t mean that the myths and misconceptions of having a learning disability don’t exist but it is the difference between surviving and thriving.

I graduated from Holy Cross magna cum laude. And yes, I did have a foreign language waiver.