College fair at Vernon Hills High for teens with disabilities
About 900 teens and parents will converge on Vernon Hills High School next week for a college-planning fair aimed at students with disabilities.
The regional event, called Choices, is set for Tuesday night. It will provide information about the college search process, transitioning to college, technology and other important subjects.
"For many students and parents, the process of college and transition planning is overwhelming," said Vernon Hills High transition coordinator Elizabeth Wietrzak. "The Choices conference and fair is an amazing opportunity to begin the process of understanding what lies ahead."
The conference is free to attend and open to anyone. It's aimed at students who receive special accommodations, instruction or services or because of disabilities.
The annual fair is organized by a group of suburban high schools, including Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Stevenson, Lake Forest, Deerfield, New Trier, Evanston, Niles, the Maine Township schools and the Glenbrook schools.
The location varies year to year. It was last held at Vernon Hills High in 2007.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with informational sessions. Attendees can learn about:
• The Top 10 mistakes made during the transition to college, a discussion to be led by the University of Iowa's director for student disability services; or
• Learning and technology for the college student, which will be led by a representative from the University of Dayton.
A second set of sessions will begin at 6:50 p.m. The topics are:
• The college search and application process for students with disabilities, which will be led by a Glenbrook South High specialist; and
• A support program for students on the autism spectrum, led by a psychologist from Eastern Michigan University.
From 7 to 9 p.m., students and their parents can talk to college representatives from around the country about disability services and the admissions process in the school's field house.
Families will receive reference guides, too.
You can learn more about the event at postsecondarychoices.org.