seeeker said:
Posting this for my niece:
She's confined to a nursing home but very talented in statistics and math. She'd like to get an online bachelor's degree from a good university. Do you have any suggestions for her?
Some questions of interest:
What is your niece's condition? What state does she live in? how close is her residential home to a campus (if she's fairly interested in staying with her present facility)?
I ask these things because many states provide services to disabled individuals, including perhaps transportation, an aide, etc. -- so much so that you may not need to restrict yourself to online.
I know at least two students on our campus who come to class transported by special wheelchair-accessible vehicles (owned by the campus) and have hired aides (through state funding sources) to help them with physical needs at certain time of the day (especially morning and night). These two students live in the dorms and have their own rooms that have been modified for accessibility. I will say that one of these students was accepted to an Ivy League school (with a good financial aid package of which I don't know the details), but ultimately chose our (state flagship) institution for two reasons: acceptance to a very prestigious undergraduate program within the university (that also provides full-tuition/room/board/books), and special/care accommodation to her needs. I know she's also built up quite a network of friends, so if anything happens that the aide can't make it, or there's an emergency, she's got people to call on.
Depending on the nature of your niece's condition, you may want to see if you can make an appointment for her with the disability office on certain campuses. If she's talented enough, some campuses might be very willing to accommodate (and scholarships may even be available for her).
I say these things in the gentlest way, not expecting responses and more personal information here about your niece's condition (I wouldn't know appropriate responses if you provided them). Instead, you and her family (and perhaps herself) should inquire directly to the appropriate office on a campus. These offices (often staffed by individuals with varying disabilities and therefore special insights) really want to increase the numbers of disabled students that can successfully pursue higher education (and are there to genuinely provide help). My spouse and I (both university faculty) have a son who uses a wheelchair... hence my familiarity with some individuals in the disability community (both on campus and in the surrounds).
