Embedded Files
How can I talk to others about my disability?
How can I talk to others about my disability?
It’s a personal matter: Disability information is considered personal, medical information. When you are in college, sharing your disability with anyone becomes a personal choice. Even if you register with the disability support services office, no one will contact your professors or residential personnel to share information about your disability unless you start the process yourself. It is important to think about the pros and cons of sharing your disability. Often sharing a disability may create greater understanding and build a stronger relationship between you and a friend, a roommate or an adviser. It also opens the door for you to get accommodations and find resources that may be helpful.
Why share information?: Before you share your disability with someone, it is important to think about your reasons for sharing and how much information to share. For example, if you have a seizure disorder, you want people around you to know what to do should you have a seizure in their presence. When sharing disability information, be prepared to briefly inform and educate people. Some people may have preconceived ideas or have no knowledge about disabilities. Privacy boundaries are important. It is best to start sharing a little information, test the reaction of the individual, then share more if necessary
Ways to talk about your disability: You have several choices when it comes to talking about your disability to your professors. You can choose not to tell your professors, only tell certain professors or inform all of your professors about your accommodation needs. Remember, you will only be able to receive accommodations if you disclose to your professor and present your letter of accommodations. Unlike high school though, it’s your choice in college to tell people about your disability. You decide how much information to share. This decision is personal for every student with a disability.
As a student with a disability leaving high school and entering postsecondary education, will I see differences in my rights and how they are addressed?
As a student with a disability leaving high school and entering postsecondary education, will I see differences in my rights and how they are addressed?
Yes. Section 504 and Title II protect elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students from discrimination. Nevertheless, several of the requirements that apply through high school are different from the requirements that apply beyond high school. For instance, Section 504 requires a school district to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to each child with a disability in the district’s jurisdiction. Whatever the disability, a school district must identify an individual’s educational needs and provide any regular or special education and related aids and services necessary to meet those needs as well as it is meeting the needs of students without disabilities.
Unlike your high school, however, your postsecondary school is not required to provide FAPE. Rather, your postsecondary school is required to provide appropriate academic accommodations as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability. In addition, if your postsecondary school provides housing to nondisabled students, it must provide comparable, convenient, and accessible housing to students with disabilities at the same cost.
Other important differences that you need to know, even before you arrive at your post secondary school, are addressed in the remaining questions.
May a postsecondary school deny my admission because I have a disability?
May a postsecondary school deny my admission because I have a disability?
No. If you meet the essential requirements for admission, a postsecondary school may not deny your admission simply because you have a disability.
What academic accommodations must a postsecondary school provide?
What academic accommodations must a postsecondary school provide?
The appropriate academic accommodation must be determined based on your disability and individual needs. Academic accommodations may include auxiliary aids and services, as well as modifications to academic requirements as necessary to ensure equal educational opportunity. Examples of adjustments are: arranging for priority registration; reducing a course load; substituting one course for another; providing note takers, recording devices, sign language interpreters, extended time for testing, and, if telephones are provided in dorm rooms, a TTY in your dorm room; and equipping school computers with screen-reading, voice recognition, or other adaptive software or hardware.
In providing an academic accommodation, your postsecondary school is not required to lower or substantially modify essential requirements. For example, although your school may be required to provide extended testing time, it is not required to change the substantive content of the test. In addition, your postsecondary school does not have to make accommodations that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity, or that would result in an undue financial or administrative burden. Finally, your postsecondary school does not have to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature, such as tutoring and typing.
If I want an academic accommodation, what must I do?
If I want an academic accommodation, what must I do?
You must inform the school that you have a disability and need an academic accommodation. Unlike your school district, your postsecondary school is not required to identify you as having a disability or to assess your needs.
Your postsecondary school may require you to follow reasonable procedures to request an academic accommodation. You are responsible for knowing and following those procedures. In their publications providing general information, postsecondary schools usually include information on the procedures and contacts for requesting an academic accommodation. Such publications include recruitment materials, catalogs, and student handbooks, and are often available on school websites. Many schools also have staff whose purpose is to assist students with disabilities. If you are unable to locate the procedures, ask a school official, such as an admissions officer or counselor.
When should I request an academic accommodation?
When should I request an academic accommodation?
Although you may request an academic accommodation from your postsecondary school at any time, you should request it as early as possible. Some academic accommodations may take more time to provide than others. You should follow your school’s procedures to ensure that the school has enough time to review your request and provide an appropriate academic accommodation.
Do I have to prove that I have a disability to obtain an academic accommodation?
Do I have to prove that I have a disability to obtain an academic accommodation?
Generally, yes. Your school will probably require you to provide documentation showing that you have a current disability and need an academic accommodation.
What documentation should I provide?
What documentation should I provide?
Schools may set reasonable standards for documentation. Some schools require more documentation than others. They may require you to provide documentation prepared by an appropriate professional, such as a medical doctor, psychologist, or other qualified diagnostician. The required documentation may include one or more of the following: a diagnosis of your current disability, as well as supporting information, such as the date of the diagnosis, how that diagnosis was reached, and the credentials of the diagnosing professional; information on how your disability affects a major life activity; and information on how the disability affects your academic performance. The documentation should provide enough information for you and your school to decide what is an appropriate academic accommodation.
An individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan, if you have one, may help identify services that have been effective for you. This is generally not sufficient documentation, however, because of the differences between postsecondary education and high school education. What you need to meet the new demands of postsecondary education may be different from what worked for you in high school. Also, in some cases, the nature of a disability may change.
If the documentation that you have does not meet the postsecondary school’s requirements, a school official should tell you in a timely manner what additional documentation you need to provide. You may need a new evaluation in order to provide the required documentation.
Who has to pay for a new evaluation?
Who has to pay for a new evaluation?
Neither your high school nor your postsecondary school is required to conduct or pay for a new evaluation to document your disability and need for an academic accommodation. You may, therefore, have to pay or find funding to pay an appropriate professional for an evaluation. If you are eligible for services through your state vocational rehabilitation agency, you may qualify for an evaluation at no cost to you. You may locate your state vocational rehabilitation agency at http://rsa.ed.gov by clicking on “Info about RSA,” then “People and Offices,” and then “State Agencies/ Contacts.”
Once the school has received the necessary documentation from me, what should I expect?
Once the school has received the necessary documentation from me, what should I expect?
To determine an appropriate academic accommodation, the school will review your request in light of the essential requirements for the relevant program. It is important to remember that the school is not required to lower or waive essential requirements. If you have requested a specific academic accommodation, the school may offer that academic accommodation, or it may offer an effective alternative. The school may also conduct its own evaluation of your disability and needs at its own expense.
You should expect your school to work with you in an interactive process to identify an appropriate academic accommodation. Unlike the experience you may have had in high school, however, do not expect your postsecondary school to invite your parents to participate in the process or to develop an IEP for you.
What if the academic accommodation we identified is not working?
What if the academic accommodation we identified is not working?
Let the school know as soon as you become aware that the results are not what you expected. It may be too late to correct the problem if you wait until the course or activity is completed. You and your school should work together to resolve the problem.
May a postsecondary school charge me for providing an academic accommodation?
May a postsecondary school charge me for providing an academic accommodation?
No. Nor may it charge students with disabilities more for participating in its programs or activities than it charges students who do not have disabilities.
What can I do if I believe the school is discriminating against me?
What can I do if I believe the school is discriminating against me?
Practically every postsecondary school must have a person—frequently called the Section 504 Coordinator, ADA Coordinator, or Disability Services Coordinator—who coordinates the school’s compliance with Section 504,Title II, or both laws. You may contact that person for information about how to address your concerns.
The school must also have grievance procedures. These procedures are not the same as the due process procedures with which you may be familiar from high school. But the postsecondary school’s grievance procedures must include steps to ensure that you may raise your concerns fully and fairly, and must provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints.
School publications, such as student handbooks and catalogs, usually describe the steps that you must take to start the grievance process. Often, schools have both formal and informal processes. If you decide to use a grievance process, you should be prepared to present all the reasons that support your request.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the school’s grievance procedures or wish to pursue an alternative to using those procedures, you may file a complaint against the school with OCR or in a court. You may learn more about the OCR complaint process from the brochure How to File a Discrimination Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, which you may obtain a copy at http://www.ed.gov/ocr/docs/howto.html.
If you would like more information about the responsibilities of postsecondary schools to students with disabilities, read the OCR brochure Auxiliary Aids and Services for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: Higher Education’s Obligations Under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA. You may obtain a copy at http://www.ed.gov/ocr/docs/auxaids.html.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse