If your child had an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or a 504 Plan in high school, you’ve been able to play a role in their educational process. You’ve had access to the people who are providing supports and services. And you’ve been able to monitor how well those supports were implemented.

College is a different story — starting with the fact that there are no IEPs or special education in college. For some parents, that can be hard to adjust to at first. Still, almost all colleges have a disability services office for students with learning and thinking differences.

Here are seven things to know about college disability services, and how they differ from high school.

1. Colleges don’t have the same legal obligations as high schools.

Colleges don’t fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. That’s why there are no IEPs. This means colleges don’t have to provide the same level of supports and services a student might have gotten in high school. For instance, they don’t have to provide specialized instruction or tutoring.

They do have to follow federal civil rights laws, however. That includes Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

These laws have a different goal than IDEA, which is to ensure equal access for people with disabilities and to protect them against discrimination.

Colleges provide accommodations to students who are eligible under ADA. At Missouri S&T, accommodations are provided through the Student Accessibility and Testing (SAT) office, and special instructions for incoming students are provided.

2. Your child must register as a student with disabilities to get accommodations.

Accommodations are changes that remove barriers for people with disabilities. It doesn’t change what students learn, but how they learn. The process of applying for accommodations happens separately from the college application process, and usually begins after your child has been accepted and has enrolled in the college.

In order to receive accommodations in college, students complete an accommodation request form as a student with disabilities. This happens through the Student Accessibility and Testing office, not the admissions office, and includes participating in an intake meeting with an accommodation’s advisor.

Simply writing about any issues in a college application doesn’t guarantee that a student will get accommodations. Neither does providing a copy of an IEP or evaluation during the application process. Admissions offices typically won’t look at these things before admitting a student. Under ADA, they’re not allowed to accept or request any information about a student’s disabilities.

3. The requirements for documentation in college are changing.

Your child will need to provide evidence of a disability to get accommodations. General guidelines for documentation of a disability are listed on the SAT website.

4. There are no “case managers” in college.

Your child may have a dedicated contact person at the disability services office. That will continue for as long as your child is seeking accommodations. But this person doesn’t function in the same way as a high school case manager.

First, this person will work with your child to determine “reasonable” accommodations. These might be academic, such as the use of a note-taker for lectures. Or they might be non-academic, like having a single dorm room.

This person will write an “accommodation letter” listing the ones your child is entitled to get. The letter will be addressed to the faculty in your child’s courses for that semester.

The process for informing professors about a student’s accommodations varies. At some colleges, the disability services officer will email them. But it’s more typical for students to give the letter to professors and also explain their accommodation needs. No matter how the message is delivered, it will only say that the student has been approved for accommodations. It won’t say what the disability is. This protects the student’s privacy.

5. Levels of support vary.

All colleges that get federal funds must ensure equal access to students with disabilities. That means they have to provide reasonable accommodations.

Accommodations aren’t the same as modifications. A student wouldn’t be allowed to bring a list of formulas into a statistics test, for instance. That would be a modification. Giving extra time for the test is an example of an accommodation.

Here are some other forms of accommodations:

• Note-taking support
• Making audio recordings of lectures
• Using a laptop computer in the classroom
• Taking exams in a distraction-reduced room

Some colleges go beyond that and provide a greater range of supports such as professional tutors with a background in learning and thinking differences, for instance. Or they might run study skills and time management workshops. The difference is, none of these services are required by law in college. See student resources offered by the SAT office at Missouri S&T.

It’s a good idea to visit with the disability services office or the person who coordinates services at the colleges your child is interested in attending. Both you and your child can ask questions about potential supports and services. One area to ask about is assistive technology. Find out what might be available for your child.

6. You’re no longer automatically in the loop.

When your child was in high school, you were legally entitled to be part of the process. That’s not true when your child is in college. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects your child’s privacy. So, if you want to talk to the disability services officer or anyone else involved with your child’s accommodations, your student must grant you Additional Authorized Access.  

7. Colleges don’t provide evaluations for learning and thinking differences.

After high school, students have to go for a private evaluation if they want updated test results, or if they suspect they may have an undiagnosed learning or thinking difference.

There are big differences between supports in high school and in college for students with learning and thinking differences. But while parents can’t play a direct role when their kids are in college, there are still many things they can do to help them succeed.

Source

Author of Article: The Understood Team, Expert Reviewed by Elizabeth C. Hamblet, MAT, MSEd . Article adapted from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/7-things-to-know-about-college-disability-services.  Please Note: Missouri S&T does not endorse or have a relationship with SOURCE and articles are provided for information purposes only.  Missouri S&T and SOURCE do not assume responsibility for error or omission in materials.  

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