ETSU ranked among top schools for students with learning disabilities

Published 12:10 pm Wednesday, May 27, 2020

JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University is among the 30 Best Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities, a ranking published by College Consensus.

 According to College Consensus, such “invisible disabilities” as ADHD, dyslexia and various forms of autism are prevalent on college campuses, and schools are tailoring programs to assist students who live with these challenges.

 The institutions on College Consensus’ ranking “take neurodiversity seriously. They all believe that a learning disability does not have to be a roadblock to a successful education and lifepath,” the company’s website says. “In fact, many of these schools celebrate the ways that students learn differently, and offer tools that bring out the best aspects of learning differences.”

 ETSU tied at 24 in the rankings and was recognized for its Learning Support Program, which is offered through the University Advisement Center and provides additional guidance for students whose test scores reflect an academic need.

 “The program does everything it can to ease the transition for students from high school to college level work and helps them improve their test-taking skills and competencies” in such areas as mathematics, reading and writing, according to College Consensus. “They also work with students to get referrals for psychological counseling if that seems to be an effective intervention for the student. They have a variety of tutoring opportunities and access to accommodations that will make the students’ academic and career goals more attainable. Students will also have access to personal support around life skills and the transition to college as well as academic resources.”

 “Students engaged in Learning Support receive additional instruction in general education courses to meet the requirements and to ensure greater academic success,” said Dr. Stacy Cummings-Onks, director of the University Advisement Center and the Learning Support Program. “The instructors for these courses focus on giving these students the optimum classroom experience for success.”

 College Consensus (collegeconsensusus.com) combines the results of such reputable college ranking publishers as U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Money and others with thousands of real student reviews to provide its comprehensive rankings of schools’ reputation and quality.

 To learn more about ETSU’s Learning Support Program, visit https://www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport/default.php.