What does a disability look like? In the cases of students with a diagnosis of autism, it is impossible to describe. Their needs and goals are as different as the individuals who are affected.

At a recent meeting, the Cranston Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) sponsored a special presentation from college students who helped explain what life is like for them at the college level, and how to best maneuver through the systems.

The panel was facilitated by Kerri Collins, regional transition coordinator for the Southern RI Region Transition Center. Members of the panel were students from Rhode Island College, each with their own different disability and coping tools.

Connor O’Brien, a freshman at RIC from Coventry, has had a very positive college experience.

“I have a diagnosis of Asperger’s and it impairs my social interactions,” he told the audience.

O’Brien, who did an internship with Congressman Jim Langevin, has found that becoming more involved with campus activities has been a big help.

“Sometimes I felt like an alien from another planet. But, since joining the Advocacy and Beyond Club, it has allowed me to transition to becoming more active,” he said.

Another student, Mike Maceto from Scituate, is working on getting his master’s degree in social work.

“I also have a diagnosis of Asperberger’s. And for me it affected my understanding of social cues. As a young adult I had problems processing verbal information,” he said.

Maceto has found support and camaraderie in the group Learning4Life at RIC. He has learned to channel his stress and anxiety through long-distance running. He has participated in half-marathons and road races.

The last panelist, Lubi Lora, lives in North Providence and is getting her master’s degree in rehab counseling.

“I have cerebral palsy. I walk with a limp, and it affects my daily life. I try not to pay much attention to it, I just go along with my day,” she said.

Lora works 65 hours a week at various jobs to help make ends meet and be able to go to school.

Each of the panelists answered the same questions, which included how high school prepared them for college, the difference in accommodations between high school and college, and what advice they would offer to younger students and their parents as they move through the process.

O’Brien saw things more seriously as a college student.

“There’s more work. I needed to learn time structure. High school taught me to be a better student, it helped put my academic and organizational skills in place,” he said.

“I had a lack of confidence, like many kids with accommodations, I was not pushed by my teachers to do more, to do better. I didn’t hit my academic peak until after high school. I was able to take classes and pick what I wanted to study,” Maceto said.

Lora was very specific when speaking of her accommodations in high school.

“I really didn’t have many options. In college, I get extra time on assignments or tests. In high school, you have teachers you remind you when a paper is due. In college, you are on your own, no one to reinforce or assist,” she said.

The one point they agreed upon was the sense of independence they had while in college.

“I decide what classes I wanted to take, what clubs I wanted to join. I wanted to get an education. I am focused on my goals and glad there is no high school drama,” O’Brien said.

Maceto told the parents to talk to their children about their own college experiences, and “remind them they are there to get an education, that is their job.”

“You can have fun after class and work is done. Make the most of your time there and enjoy it,” he said.

Lora noted how important it is for the students to start taking charge and control of their own advocacy.

“In high school, you have teachers who do it. You should let your child be part of it so they have the information needed to state their own needs and accommodations,” she said.

Keri L. Rossi-D’entremont, director of RIC’s Disability Services Center, gave the numbers of students with accommodations at RIC.

“We have a truly diverse population. There are 836 students, or approximately 10 percent of the student body with an ‘invisible diagnosis,’” she said.

She spoke about starting the conversation about searching out colleges that offer accommodations while a student is still in high school.

“The transition process is so important from high school to college. College is about access, fair and equal access to curriculum. Students will take the same exams, just have different access to it,” she said.

The documentation of a disability is important for the student to realize.

“The student must be able to self identify. After the formal evaluation of a diagnosis is in the full high school file, when a student goes to college, it is their responsibility to reach out. The college is not responsible for finding you,” she said.

“It is so important for parents to be their student’s best coach. To be involved with their education, look at the academic calendar, know when exams are, papers are due, when grades are posted,” she said.

Rossi-D’entremont stressed that students with disabilities sign the FERPA release so parents can assist in the college experience.

“The transition from high school to college is often anxiety-provoking for most parents. For parents of students with special needs, thinking about this transition can be a daunting task. The opportunity to hear from a college disability director and from college students with disabilities about their experiences was invaluable,” said Sandi Matoian-Heard, a special education administrator for Cranston Public Schools.