Regulations Governing High School vs. Post Secondary Educational Institutions

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High School vs. College

In high school, the school has responsibilities which include the following:		The post-secondary level institutional role changes as follows:
Secondary institutions are required to seek out and identify students with disabilities		In post secondary environments, it is the student's responsibility to voluntarily self identify a disorder and request accommodations by following university procedures
Secondary institutions are required to provide assessments and testing for certain types of disorders		In post secondary environments, it becomes the student's responsibility to provide appropriate documentation which supports any requests for accommodations
Eligibility for assistance and services in secondary institutions is determined by the DIAGNOSIS of a disorder or impairment		Eligibility for accommodations is determined by the IMPACT of a disorder or impairment on a major life activity
Secondary institutions involve parents and legal guardians in decisions regarding placement and program modification		Students are considered to be adults and their confidentiality is protected. No information can be released to parents without written permission from the student.
Secondary institutions attempt to ensure that students benefit from and/or succeed in the educational setting		Post Secondary institutions are required to ensure equal access to an education for verified students with disabilities
To ensure that students with disabilities succeed or benefit from a program, secondary institutions may modify programs and/or evaluation criteria		Post secondary institutions are not required to modify evaluation criteria or essential program elements for students with disabilities.
Students in secondary institutions may have all or most of their days structured and planned by school officials or parents.		Students in post secondary environments are required to plan and structure their own course schedules and study times.
Secondary institutions may provide and pay for additional services such as tutors, personal attendants, and individually prescribed, fitted, or designed assistive technologies.		At the post secondary level, tutors, personal attendants, and individually prescribed fitted or designed assistive technology are considered to be "personal services," and are not required to be provided by the institution.

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