Many students with disabilities make excellent college material and can truly excel if provided with the appropriate accommodations to help them with higher learning. However, qualifying for these accommodations for disability education can sometimes be difficult.

In the elementary and secondary public school system, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the identification and evaluation (with parental consent) of children suspected of having disabilities. But IDEA doesn’t apply to higher education.

And while Section 504 applies to many universities and colleges, the rules are different than for primary and secondary education. Eligibility in public school does not automatically transfer to the college level, nor ensure the same services or accommodations.

To be ready to take advantage of accommodations for children with disabilities at the college level, planning by the parents, student and school district must begin well in advance of the application for college entrance.

Disability Education and High School Planning
By the age of 16, students in special education should have a plan in place for transitioning to higher education. Ideally, it will address academic and vocational goals, life skills and a host of other needs that may affect how well the student copes with the college environment, even after they’ve met the admissions criteria.

Then, the student needs to identify appropriate schooling options given their disability, with or without accommodations. In terms of disability education, a guidance counselor and book such as the K&W Guide can be invaluable in this process.

Finally, the school district is required to complete a Summary of Performance before a special education student graduates from high school. It should give the nature of a student’s disability, outline what has been provided for them, detail their progress and include services and /or supports they continue to need.


Disability Documentation in High School or Before
In college, the burden of proof for disability documentation rests with the student. This requires careful documentation beginning years ahead of time, whenever possible. Colleges and universities like to have the history of a disability education, from first diagnosis through its progression over time. Clinical reports can be invaluable in documenting a long-standing disability.

Schools are also interested in current evaluations. Generally, they require documentation of a disability within the last three years, if not more recently. Sometimes a report from a school district will suffice, although it’s possible students will need an outside clinical evaluation.

In addition to clinical evidence, colleges and universities look to see whether a student has received services through special education and/or Section 504. Schools tend to be more likely to provide accommodations when a student has a lengthy history of disability needs in school, and are skeptical if a disability appears when the student is a junior or senior.

Although it may be perfectly legitimate, there is the unfortunate perception that some students claim disability late in high school to receive accommodations for SAT and ACT, and accommodations in college. Of course, there are times when disability is not a problem or doesn’t manifest until late in high school, but the earlier you can provide documentation, the better. AD/HD research, in particular, shows that the condition is often not diagnosed until adolescence and colleges are becoming more lenient as a result.

Graduate exam administrators (for MCAT, LCAT, etc.) also take a hard look at whether a student needed disability accommodations in high school and college, so it’s important to document early and often.

Disability Education and Getting Accommodations
Once admitted, it’s up to the student to get in touch with the Office of Disability Services and present their documentation with a formal request for accommodations. These may range from preferential seating to the use of a tape recorder or note taker, although there is no certain list. But just because a student asks for an accommodation, or got it in high school, does not mean that the student will get it in college.

Nor is the college or university under an obligation to provide individual tutoring or one-on-one aides. If they do, they can charge extra for the service. The schools make their own call on whether a certain accommodation is “unduly burdensome” or reasonable.

The school also has the right to refuse an accommodation it believes will fundamentally alter its basic mission, organization or mode of operation. This most often arises when a student with a disability requests the waiver of a graduation requirement, such as exemption from math or foreign language. Sometimes, it’s more acceptable to find an alternative course that’s more acceptable to school administrators, but they have the final say when it comes to disability education.

When Accommodations Aren’t Provided
Generally, there are five steps you can go through to get your problem solved when the school refuses to provide necessary accommodation:

1.    Talk to the faculty member teaching the class.
2.    Get help from Office of Disability Services staff.
3.    Go to administrators in the department or at the Dean’s office.
4.    Find out what the school’s internal grievance procedure is and work with the Office of Disability Services to follow it.
5.    In extreme cases, and when the above procedures were unsuccessful, the student can file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education , Office for Civil Rights or the U.S. Department of Justice for violation of Sections 504 or the ADA.
Make sure you know your rights when it comes to disability education.