Shawnna Bowman

Good morning, I am writing in support of this bill as both a parent of a college student with a disability and a professional in the disability service system. As a parent with lived experience in obtaining support for my son in the college setting, I want to bring to your attention that, despite the Office of Accommodation or Student Services providing assistance to students with disabilities, professors have the discretion to allow or not allow accommodations in their classrooms. We determined his enrollment and college choice based on the level of support available to him. As my son progresses in his college career, we are finding that these schools with adequate support tend to be more expensive. Lastly, I want to address concerns raised at the hearing about providing scholarships to students without a high school diploma. It is important to acknowledge that some students and their families choose to remain in special education and accept a certificate of attendance to strengthen skills that may be unrelated to their academic capabilities, or to strengthen learning skills that can be transferred to a college setting with reasonable support. Please support this bill and allow more students like my son the opportunity to explore their talents, pursue their dreams, and become contributing members of our community.