With all the resources and amenities on college campuses, they can sometimes feel like their own, fully-functioning cities, and what is a city without healthcare? You're in luck. College campuses provide resources for their students to take care of their physical and mental health, as well as provide appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities.

Services are often provided at no additional charge, and when there is a fee, it is a very low cost compared to off-campus resources. (We're not using the word free because you pay a student health fee as part of your tuition and fees.) Take advantage of these services; after all, what are we without our health?

You have to take care of yourself, work for yourself, believe in yourself, and also be patient with yourself. Learn when not to push too hard, and give yourself a break. -Salma Hayek

Health Centers

Have you thought about what will happen when you get sick in college, away from home and your family doctor? The good news is that most college campuses, both 2-year and 4-year, have some sort of Health Center on campus. Some have drop-in clinics that can help with minor medical care like cuts, colds, and vision testing. Other clinics are more robust, offering x-ray services and on-campus pharmacies. Further, many campuses offer Student Health Plans through student fees for students who are not covered by parental health insurance.

The bottom line: you'll have access to at least basic medical care on campus at little or no additional cost to you. For more serious injuries and conditions, you'll be referred to a specialist. Make sure to check with your insurance to see if the specialist is covered. It would be a tough pill to swallow if you end up going to a doctor without checking coverage first, and you end up having to pay for your care completely out-of-pocket.

Research your school of choice to see what type of Health Center they have on campus so that you arrive prepared. If you want to read more about the presence and importance of on-campus Health Centers, check out these articles from Forbes and US News.

Counseling Centers

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and college campuses recognize that. They also recognize that transitioning to college and adult life is an enormous change that is likely to be paired with typical growing pains in the form of stress, anxiety, and depression. Read what Anne Maria Albano, Director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, has to say about transitioning to college:

Elementary and high school is so much about right or wrong. You get the right answer or you don’t, and there’s lots of rules and lots of structure. Now that [life is] more free-floating, there’s anxiety. -Anne Marie Albano

In short, this transition, and frankly the transition into adulthood in general, can lead to some mental health concerns. As society becomes more willing to discuss mental health, college Counseling Centers are seeing a significant increase in the number of students seeking services. They are doing the best they can to keep up with the demand. Do not hesitate to go into your school's Counseling Center and let them know that you need additional support.

Schools across the country are handling the surge of students asking for help in different ways, and students are getting involved, too. Read about how some campuses are handling students' needs for mental health services, and don't be afraid to speak up, spark change, and seek outside resources if needed.

To reiterate, please use the services available on your campus. They are there for you.

Disability Services

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including higher education. Therefore, every college in the United States is required to provide disability services to its students. Disability services are available to all qualifying students, including Dreamers.

Please note that this is a long section. Spend as much time reading through this section as makes sense for you, but we believe that this is an important service of which all students need to be aware.

What does disabled mean?

Before we discuss available services, let's review what the ADA means by the word disabled:

"To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered." (Americans with Disabilities Act website)

Though a comprehensive list is not provided by the ADA (and, frankly, is not possible to compile), a physical or mental impairment could be anything from a learning disability such as dyslexia to a major health condition such as chronic asthma to a mental health concern such as depression. Substantially limits one or more major life activities means that your disability affects any of the following: caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, or working.

When you have a disability, knowing that you are not defined by it is the sweetest feeling. -Anne Wafula Strike

How could Disability Services help me?

The goal of college-level Disability Services is to create an even playing field. This is a very important point: Disability Services are not there to make college easier for students with disabilities, but to provide equity in the classroom so that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed. Accommodation cannot fundamentally change the nature of an assignment (page length or depth of research, for example). This article provides some great information about transitioning into postsecondary education as a student with a disability.

Here are some examples of students with disabilities and accommodations they might be able to receive.

Example: Student is hard-of-hearing. She struggles to hear the professor's lecture, her classmates' discussions, and so forth. She is also nervous walking around campus at night, since she cannot hear if someone walks up behind her. Student can work with her school's Disability Services to have interpreters, note-takers, and alternate formats as appropriate for class, and could even bring their trained Hearing Alert Service Dog to school.

Example: Student struggles with anxiety. He does what he needs to do to best manage his condition (this could be seeing a personal counselor, taking medication, and participating in regular self-care — whatever works for him). Sometimes, he has anxiety attacks exacerbated by stress, and can struggle to turn some assignments in on time. He understands that mental health conditions are real medical conditions, so he takes his documentation from his doctor and/or counselor into his school's Disability Services. Through their collaboration, Student might be able to have extended time on assignments (usually a few days, and it must be communicated with the professor) and even a private space in which he can take his exams.

Example: Student broke her leg riding her skateboard around campus. She has a cast on and is walking with crutches. She meets with her school's Disability Services, and they help her arrange for the school's Disability Transport to drive her in between her classes so that she can arrive on time. Once she her broken leg has healed, the student would no longer receive these accommodations, unless the break resulted in a permanent condition.

Example: Student has documented ADHD and had an IEP in elementary, middle, and high school. His ADHD affects his ability to take sufficient notes in class and has difficulty understanding his reading assignments. Through working with his school's Disability Services, he might be able to receive notes from other classmates to supplement his own. He might also be able to receive alternate formats for readings, such as audio recordings, to go along with the written form.

Arranging Accommodations

There are a few scenarios that might result in you seeking accommodations through your school's Disability Services. You either:

have a documented disability for which you had an IEP or 504 in high school,
you have a condition for which you see a medical professional that might impede on your success in college without accommodations, but you did not receive accommodations in high school, or
you consider yourself to have a disability but currently do not have documentation to support it, and you would like to know how to proceed. Regardless of how you decide to pursue Disability Accommodations, your school can help you. Please note that if you do not have current documentation, you will need to obtain it, which will involve visiting your physical or mental health professional in a timely manner.

Most schools have similar processes. You must contact your school's Disability Office and meeting with a counselor. There will be some forms to fill out, which typically include a self-report of how your disability affects you. Your conversation with the disability counselor is very important, as they will observe how you interact. Additionally, you'll need to submit verification from a medical professional. If you don't have this type of documentation yet, it is still okay to meet with the disability counselor. They will help you understand how to proceed.

It is important to note that while accommodations will be available to you throughout your time as a student, you will typically need to visit with a disability counselor each semester to update or adjust your accommodations. You are NEVER required to disclose your disability to anyone but the Disability Office; in fact, it is against the law for professors and other college staff to ask you. You will, however, need to notify your professors of which accommodations you receive.

Ever since starting college, I've used the disability centers. I often praise the staff for being so helpful and caring, they are like family. Because of the opportunities that the centers provide, going to school was much easier. They helped me graduate with confidence. -Daniella Gonzalez, BA, San Francisco State University, & MA, San Jose State University

Service Dogs & Emotional Support Animals

If you had been a college student even ten years ago trying to attend class and live in the dorms with a Service Dog or an Emotional Support Animal, you would have had a very difficult time. Luckily, college campuses today are much more understanding and educated. As long as you go through the proper channels and your animal is appropriately trained, you shouldn't have any problems.

It is important to understand the distinction between a Service Dog and an Emotional Support Animal. A Service Dog is an animal, almost exclusively a dog (though some individuals with mobility disabilities use miniature horses), that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Those tasks must be directly related to the person's disability. A dog whose sole responsibility is to provide emotional support does not qualify as a Service Dog. An Emotional Support Animal is also referred to a comfort animal, and is typically a dog or a cat. Their purpose is to "provide companionship, relieve loneliness, and sometimes help with depression, anxiety, and certain phobias, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities" (ADA).

College campuses are required by law to accommodate both Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals. Service Dogs are able to go just about everywhere the handler with the disability goes (some exceptions are bird aviaries or the kitchen of a restaurant). Emotional Support Animals (ESA) are treated as pets when it comes to public access (no, you cannot bring your ESA to the dining hall), but college dorms are required to allow students with ESAs to live in campus housing. ESAs must be supported by a letter from your medical care provider.

It is important to know your rights if you desire to bring a trained Service Dog or an ESA to college with you, and it is also important to understand the purpose of these animals if you are not disabled. Refer to the Americans with Disabilities Act publication regarding Service Dogs, as well as their Frequently Asked Questions. These sites also mention rights and restrictions about ESAs, for more information.

Click Next to learn about Need-Based Support Programs.