#504 plan accommodations how to#

That said, there are many accommodations that are commonly granted at the college level.Īt the same time, though, there are some categories of accommodations that colleges don’t have to grant because of exceptions in the prevailing laws. (See this for myths about documentation.) Some colleges may ask students what accommodations they received previously, but that doesn’t mean they’re obligated to provide them. Myth #3 – If a student received an accommodation in high school, colleges have to provide the same accommodationsĬollege DS offices decide what accommodations students will receive based on what they see in their documentation. If so, then ideally the plan should be to provide direct instruction in learning strategies and the use of assistive technology over time so that by senior year, students are ready to function without the supports they’re unlikely to find at college. It is important is that – as early as the 8th grade meeting that writes the plan for 9th grade – all members of the team have a good understanding of what kinds of accommodations colleges typically offer (if college is students’ goal). (Of course, each student’s situation is different, and IEP teams must make individualized decisions based on students’ needs, which they must consider carefully.) Ideally, though – by senior year – college-bound students should be trying to work with only the kinds of accommodations they might find available at college, so they have confidence going about their ability to do well without the supports they’re unlikely to receive. No one should take away all of students’ accommodations in their senior year because of any misunderstanding about the availability of college accommodations. (Be aware that many colleges don’t accommodate test anxiety, as it is not considered a disability since taking tests isn’t a daily life activity.) In some cases, students may even get more accommodations than they received in high school.

Myth #2 – High school students should be taken off of any plan (504 or IEP) for their senior year because there aren’t accommodations at college for students with learning disabilities and/or ADHDĬolleges do provide accommodations for all sorts of disabilities. In these situations, colleges are simply providing the same accommodations students received before because they’ve found those students eligible for them and the accommodations were considered appropriate. This may lead to an understandable misconception that those schools are actually following students’ 504 plans, but this is not what they’re doing. One possible cause of confusion may be that some colleges’ disability services (DS) offices accept students’ 504 plans (or IEPs) as documentation (meaning paperwork showing the presence) of their disability, and in some cases, they may also grant the same accommodations students had received in high school.

While you won’t find a sentence in the laws that says that “This means colleges don’t have to follow students’ 504 plans,” that is the effect of the shift from one subpart to another. Colleges are subject to Subpart E of Section 504, while K-12 schools are subject to Subpart D. It is understandable that people believe that since Section 504 covers both K-12 schools and colleges, colleges have to follow 504 plans, but this is not true.Ĭolleges do have to provide eligible students with accommodations, but is not because they have 504 plans from their high school. Regular readers of my work know that there is a lot of misunderstanding about 504 plans. Myth #1 – Students should be moved from an IEP to a 504 plan because 504 plans are valid at college See what too many people get wrong about accommodations. Unfortunately, these misunderstandings may be leading high school IEP teams to make unnecessary changes to students’ plans. People with good intentions sometimes misunderstand how things work, or they generalize one student’s experience at one college to be applicable to all. There is a lot of misinformation passed around about IEPs, 504 plans, and their place in the college disability accommodations process. Elizabeth’s Upcoming Presentations and Hosted Talks.ADHD May Need Testing for Accommodations.

#504 plan accommodations how to#

How to Have a More Successful Semester (link).PREPARING FOR COLLEGE WITH DYSLEXIA (link).College Accommodations Request Preparation Form.

Foreign Language and Math Substitutions.

How Do Students Get Disability Accommodations at College?.College Disability Services Research Form.Busting College Admissions Myths (link).Are Disability Accommodations Available at Every College?.