How does a student qualify for disability accommodations in college?

When registering with the student disability services office to request accommodations, a student will usually be asked to provide documentation of the disability. The standard for proving eligibility is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. While it's not likely to be an issue for many students, be aware that some colleges won't find students eligible for accommodation, even if they have a history of being accommodated, based on the evidence they see in the student's documentation. The laws in place don't provide guidance for how colleges interpret ‘substantial,’ so this can vary from college to college.

The kind of documentation required will vary depending on the disability and the school. Different colleges have different requirements. The school may require medical documentation, such as a doctor’s note, psycho-educational testing, or another diagnostic report. Students are not required to provide their full medical records or history, only sufficient documentation to prove they have a disability.

Some colleges, though not all, will accept an IEP or 504 plan as documentation. Colleges that don't accept an IEP or 504 plan will likely require testing for students seeking eligibility for accommodations for a learning disability. The requirements for how recent this testing must be varies across colleges. If your current school district will do comprehensive testing for their triennial, that can provide them with the best chance that, no matter where they go to college, their documentation will be found sufficiently current. A continued, consistent history of documentation of getting accommodations is the best thing you can do.

For more information, see our full article College Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.