Postsecondary Accommodations Guide: College + Training Programs

This postsecondary accommodations guide helps transition students and families understand how accommodations at college and training programs differ from an IEP or 504 plan, which accommodations are common, how to contact disability services, and how to plan the first semester.

Why I made this: Every spring I talk with families who assume the IEP follows their student to college. It does not, and the first semester is a hard place to find that out. This guide lays out what changes in plain language and gives the student a plan they can act on themselves.

What's included:
• Cover
• Teacher and family how-to page
• High school vs. after high school: what changes
• Common accommodations in plain language (12 terms)
• Comparing my supports: high school vs. campus (write-on chart)
• Contacting disability services: a 10-step checklist
• Documentation basics
• My first-semester accommodation plan
• Other campus supports open to most students
• Family tip page: support without taking over

How I use it: Start it in the junior year if you can, so there is time to gather documents. Do the what-changes page and the terms page together, then let the student fill in the comparison chart and the first-semester plan. Send the family page home. Every school sets its own process, so check with the disability services office the student plans to use.

What you download: one printable PDF, 10 pages, US Letter.

Rules and processes vary by state, school, and employer. This is general information, not legal advice. Always follow your district policies.

Good to know: the guide is general information to help students and families ask better questions of a college or training program. Each program sets its own rules for documentation and services, so check with the disability services office at the school the student plans to attend before the senior year deadlines.

Written by Jeremy D. Gooch, a teacher with 20+ years in education. All names in examples are made up.