Students With Physical Disabilities: 4 Tips For Applying To College

1. Prepare early: Tiedemann says disabled students should start contacting college disability services offices as freshmen and sophomores in high school. "The earlier [students] can start planning and visit campuses, the better," she says.

2. Visit prospective campuses if possible: Tiedemann, who writes the disability-friendly schools website, advises disabled applicants and parents to check campuses for handicapped parking availability, accessible buildings with elevators, and curb cuts (ramps leading up to sidewalks).

3. Don't confuse high school and college: Just because high schools accommodated a disability doesn't mean colleges will, even if you specify it in your application, says Matthew Kandel, manager of the online company, Newcastle Tutors, who has worked with many disabled students.

4. Advocate for yourself: Corbb O'Connor, who graduated from George Washington University in December 2010, has been blind since birth, which meant he couldn't see professors' PowerPoint slides during class. If professors E-mailed the files to him ahead of time, which most were happy to do, O'Connor was able to view the images roughly if he enlarged them on his laptop, though he wasn't able to see them projected on a screen in front of the class.

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