College Planning for Students who Learn Differently

Join Kirsten Behling from Tufts University and Lisa Bibeau from Salem State University in learning how to support your student as they transition to and begin college. Kirsten and Lisa are both disability service professionals who manage their institutions’ office of disability services. They are also co-authors of the recent book “Disability Services in Higher Education: An Insider’s Guide.” They will share information on the differences between high school and college, the importance of self-advocacy for your student, different collegiate services and resources and key questions to ask when visiting a college.

Kirsten Behling is the Associate Dean of Student Accessibility & Academic Resources at Tufts University, where she oversees all academic support, including the accommodation process. Kirsten and her colleagues recently wrote Disability Services in Higher Education: An Insider’s Guide, which offers best practices to disability service providers. Kirsten also focuses her research on Universal Design for Learning and its impact on all students and the instructors teaching them. Her book, Reach Everyone Teach Everyone: UDL in Higher Education, shares practical applications for instructors to begin “doing” UDL immediately. Kirsten frequently consults around disability service efforts and offers workshops and trainings on UDL.

Lisa Bibeau is an Assistant Dean for Student Success and Disability Services at Salem State University. At Salem State, Lisa is responsible for ensuring curricular access to all students while managing access to programs provided to the public. Lisa has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at multiple universities. She is currently an adjunct professor in the Health Care Studies department, teaching Health and Disability Across the Lifespan, a course she designed. Lisa also helped to develop the Graduate Certificate Program in Postsecondary Disability Services at the University of Connecticut. Regionally, Lisa has served as a board member of New England AHEAD and participates actively in member events.