HIGH SCHOOL |
POST-SECONDARY |
| Students' rights are covered under IDEA. School districts bear the responsible for identifying students with disabilities. |
Student's rights are covered under ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Universities are not required to identify students with disabilities. They are not required to pay for or offer assessments. |
| School districts are required to adhere to specific timelines for identifying and providing services to students with disabilities. |
Students are expected to request accommodations within a reasonable timeframe (i.e., not the day before an exam). |
| School districts are responsible for providing evaluations. |
Students are responsible for obtaining and providing current, detailed evaluations and documentation. Furthermore, the University reserves the right to defer accommodations until appropriate documentation is submitted. |
| The school district staff is responsible for communicating with teachers and staff about the needs for students with disabilities. |
Students are responsible for notifying the CDS of their needs for accommodations. Telling professors, admissions or other campus staff is not enough to secure proper accommodations. The student also bears the sole responsibility for notifying their professors and other staff of their accommodation needs; even if letters of accommodation are issued by the CDS. |
| The school district is responsible for the implementation of an Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.) by using a team approach. |
There are no I.E.P.s in college. The educational accommodations are created by the student and the CDS. Also, students may not qualify for the same accommodations they had in high school. |
| The school must prove that the educational plan is appropriate and curriculum may be fundamentally altered. |
Students must monitor their own education and self-advocate with their professors and CDS. Curriculum is not required to be fundamentally altered and University professors are not obligated to change their instructional practices, such as, adding visual aids to accommodate the needs of a student with a learning disability. |
| The parents are usually actively involved. |
Parents have access to information only with the student's permission. |
