The College Accommodation Checklist and What to Do If Day One Falls Short
College students and their parents often assume that once a university approves accommodations, they remain active throughout their college journey. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Instead, most universities require students to reregister on an annual basis.
If your university fails to implement your approved accommodations or creates unnecessary hurdles during the renewal process, you do not have to fight the administration alone. Contact the LLF National Law Firm Education Law Team at 888-535-3686 or contact us online so we can protect your educational rights.
Why Do College Students Have to Re-Register for Accommodations Every Year?
Federal law mandates that students with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations. Yet, even if your underlying diagnosis has not changed, nearly all colleges require students to re-register or renew their accommodations every single academic year. Some even require reregistration every semester.
Universities enforce this annual renewal process for several operational reasons:
- Course and Schedule Variations. Your accommodation needs may change depending on the class type, such as a large 400-person lecture vs a small hands-on lab.
- Faculty Notification. Schools must generate new formal notification letters to send to their specific professors each term.
- Documentation. Some institutions require updated medical or psychological evaluations to confirm that your requested accommodations match your current functional limitations.
Luckily, most large universities have standardized online forms that make re-registration easy. For example, The Ohio State University keeps your accommodations on file year-to-year. However, the accommodations do not automatically apply when you start your classes. Instead, each semester, students must contact the university’s Student Life Disability Services (SLDS) office to acquire accommodation letters and then forward the letters to each course instructor.
The Summer Accommodation Checklist
1. Verify Documentation Requirements
Check your university’s disability services website to see if your medical documentation is still considered current. Each college and university has its own policies.
2. Submit the Formal Renewal Request
Log in to your campus portal during July or early August to complete the registration paperwork. Do not wait for the university to prompt you.
3. Review Your Class Schedule & Your Accommodations
Classes can vary dramatically from semester to semester. The accommodations necessary for a hands-on field laboratory class, for example, are very different from what might be needed in a small recitation.
4. Monitor Your Student Email for Approval Confirmations
Keep a paper trail of every submission and confirmation response from the accessibility office.
What to Do if Your Accommodations Aren’t in Place by Day One
If you arrive on campus for the first day of classes and find that your accommodations have not been processed and put into place, you need to act quickly.
First, contact the disability services office immediately to verify that your instructors have been contacted about your accommodations. Second, speak with your professors privately during office hours to provide them with your copy of the accommodation letter.
The LLF National Law Firm Helps Students Enforce Their Rights
Even when students do everything right, they still face obstacles. Instructors may disagree with an accommodation and refuse to grant it. Disability service offices may claim they are overwhelmed and cannot process your documents in a timely fashion. Students with communicative disabilities may have trouble conveying the seriousness of their disabilities. When this happens, your right to an equal education is at risk.
Protect your education and academic future today. Call the LLF National Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or send us a message online today.