College Disability Accommodations: What Documentation You Need

What changes between high school and college

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) publishes a guide for students with disabilities who are heading to college, career school or university. Its main message is that the same civil rights laws apply, but the responsibilities shift.

Through high school, OCR explains, a school district must identify a student's educational needs and provide the education and related services that meet them. A college is not required to do that. It is required to provide appropriate academic adjustments as necessary so that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability.

OCR also notes that the law behind the individualized education program, or IEP, does not apply to colleges. It tells students not to expect a college to develop an IEP or to invite parents into the process. The student is the one who speaks for themselves.

This article summarizes OCR's published guidance as general information. It is not legal advice, and your school's own written policy is what you will actually follow.

What an academic adjustment can be

OCR uses the term academic adjustment for what most people call an accommodation. It says the right adjustment is determined by the student's disability and individual needs. Its examples include:

• Extended time for testing
• A reduced course load, or substituting one course for another
• Priority registration
• Note takers and recording devices
• Screen-reading, voice recognition or other adaptive software on school computers

What a college does not have to do

According to OCR, a college is not required to lower or substantially change essential requirements. It may have to give extended testing time, for example, but it does not have to change the substance of the test.

A college also does not have to make adjustments that would fundamentally alter a program or cause an undue financial or administrative burden, and it does not have to provide services of a personal nature such as tutoring. If you ask for one specific adjustment, OCR says the school may offer that one or an effective alternative. A college may not charge you for an academic adjustment.

How to ask for accommodations

Disclosing a disability is always voluntary, OCR says. But a college only has to act once you tell it.

1. 1Find the school's procedureOCR says schools may require students to follow reasonable procedures, and that students are responsible for knowing them. Look in the catalog, the student handbook or the school website, or ask an admissions officer or counselor.
2. 2Tell the school you have a disability and need an adjustmentMany schools have staff whose job is to assist students with disabilities, often in a disability services office.
3. 3Ask earlyOCR says you may make a request at any time but should make it as early as possible, because some adjustments take longer to arrange than others.
4. 4Provide the documentation the school asks forOCR says a school will probably require documentation showing a current disability and a need for an academic adjustment.
5. 5Work through it togetherOCR tells students to expect an interactive process with the school, and to speak up quickly if an adjustment is not working.

What documentation a college may ask for

OCR states that schools may set reasonable standards for documentation and that some schools require more than others. A school may require 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, the date of the diagnosis, how it was reached, the credentials of the professional, how the disability affects a major life activity, and how it affects your academic performance. It should give you and the school enough information to decide on an appropriate adjustment.

An IEP or Section 504 plan may help identify what has worked for you. OCR says it is generally not sufficient documentation, because what you need in college may differ from what worked in high school, and because a disability can change.

If your documentation falls short, OCR says a school official should tell you in a timely manner what else you need to provide. You may need a new evaluation. Neither your high school nor your college is required to carry out or pay for one, although OCR notes that a student eligible for services through a state vocational rehabilitation agency may qualify for an evaluation at no cost. A college may also choose to conduct its own evaluation at its own expense.

What to ask the disability office before an evaluation

Because standards differ from school to school, a short email to the disability services office can save you from paying for the wrong thing.

How we can help

If your school tells you a current evaluation is needed, Locascio Wellness offers psychological evaluations by secure video for people who are physically located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Arizona during appointments. Those most often connected with college requests are an ADHD evaluation and a cognitive evaluation of intellectual functioning.

Share the disability office's written requirements with us before anything is scheduled. We cannot say that a college will accept a report or grant a particular adjustment, and we cannot predict what an evaluation will find. Our reports are co-signed by a supervising licensed psychologist.

Evaluations are private-pay, with a sliding scale available. See what evaluations cost. To start, use the short evaluation request form or schedule a free 15-minute consultation on our booking page.

Therapy is a separate service and does not depend on an evaluation. If worry about school is weighing on you, our anxiety therapy page explains how ongoing support works. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services.