Students must meet both academic and technical standards for admission to college. Colleges are not required to fundamentally alter or "water down" academic or technical standards.

Students must identify themselves to the office of disability services in order to receive service. Colleges are not required to perform a "child find". In addition, students must provide the college with documentation of disability. The cost of the documentation generally is borne by students. Some colleges may require more evidence than was required by students' high schools. We recommend that parents and students work with their school districts to plan in advance for college and make sure that documentation is current by the students' last year of high school.

Colleges are required to provide reasonable accommodations only to known limitations of an otherwise qualified individual. Colleges determine the reasonable accommodation that will be provided, on an individualized basis. Colleges are not required to provide "unreasonable modifications" that may present an undue hardship, or pose a risk to self or others, or fundamentally alter a program or course.

Unlike K-12, colleges do not use Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs. Instead, colleges rely on documentation provided by students and then furnish students with letters for their faculty and staff that outline recommended accommodations.

Federal and state laws do not require teams meetings or progress reports. Students with disabilities typically meet each semester with a disability services specialist to arrange for accommodations. They receive grades and can use the wide array of student services available to all students on campus.

Colleges do not provide related services. This includes occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, or psychological counseling, among other things. However, students are entitled to equal access to services provided for all students.