Writing in College

Many students enter college without a good foundation for writing critically or for addressing a variety of audiences. Without these foundations, they may often fear writing. However, all students will be asked to write in college—in many different classes—and it is also quite likely that they will be asked to write in any career that follows their college years.

Students with disabilities:

• May experience difficulty in written expression—moving between thought and expression;
• May have a disability rooted in processing deficits, leading to significant difficulty organizing and arranging the text effectively;
• May have difficulty applying the rules of grammar, even though they know them;
• May use American Sign Language as their primary language, which can affect aspects of writing such as word order, spelling, and word choice;
• May need different kinds of technology to write;
• May excel in demonstrating their knowledge through alternate means.