They have to be found eligible for accommodations at their college, and even if that happens, this doesn’t mean that they are entitled to the same accommodations they received in high school. This brings up another point – college students with LD and ADHD are not entitled to receive accommodations simply because they had an IEP or 504 plan previously. And school districts and parents should be aware that high school plans won't be valid at college. It doesn't really matter what these colleges call the documents they write for students, as long as students know what they mean (or don't) and can expect (or can't). I suspect that most of these college “504 plans” look much more like LOAs and don’t function as true “plans.' I think it's important to make this distinction so that students know what to expect. To me, the word “plan” implies that someone will help students set goals, identify steps to achieve those goals, and assess whether or not students have met them.

(Processes for this vary from college to college.) I think that some offices call these documents a “504 plan” even though they don’t actually lay out a “plan.” (Of course, I may be wrong.) Typically, when they approve students for accommodations, disability services offices will write what is commonly called a Letter (or email) of Accommodation (called a “LOA” or “EOA”) that students have to deliver to their professors.

But I suspect that in some of these situations, there may be a misunderstanding about what these documents are and what they do. I can't be sure how offices at every college in the country operate, and some may indeed put together a true plan. Sometimes, an audience member will say that their student attends X college and has a 504 plan. When I give presentations, I state that there are no “plans” at college, meaning that students’ IEPs and 504 plans aren’t valid there, and colleges aren’t required to create a similar document – they simply have to provide accommodations. The difference in the terms used at the college level may help to point to the differences in the two systems. This is where I think vocabulary becomes important, as it can lead to unintentional misunderstandings. (Don't worry - all colleges do provide accommodations.) On my main site, I have a post that explains this in more detail. That subpart doesn't require colleges to honor 504 plans from high school or create new ones.

What they don’t realize is that while colleges are covered by 504, they are subject to a different subpart than K-12 schools are. It’s understandable that people believe this, but it is incorrect. The believe that 504s are valid at college because Section 504 covers colleges. What interesting is that I’ve spoken to people who are aware of this and told me that - because their district knows IEPs aren't valid after students graduate - they move everyone who has an IEP to a 504 plan in their senior year of high school. IDEA doesn't cover colleges, so IEPs essentially 'expire' once students are out of high school. One central fact is important to understand - IEPs or 504 plans are not valid once students either graduate from high school or age out of the system, and those plans don’t “transfer” to college. Neither of these statements is true, but I understand why people believe them. that colleges have to follow students’ high school plan and provide all of the same accommodations they received in the past.there are no disability accommodations available at college (or that they’re only for people with visual, hearing, or physical disabilities, not those with LD and ADHD).Whether I am online looking at posts people are sharing or talking to parents or professionals at my presentations, I find that there is (understandably) a lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what does and doesn’t happen for students with learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD at college.īased on what I've seen and heard, it seems some people either believe:

Accommodations for 504 plans