College Moves Fast. Accommodations Don’t.
Why starting the college accommodations process early can make or break your first semester
It’s almost here - move-in day. Cars get packed to the roof, the Target haul is complete, and you’re staring at a dorm room that somehow fits everything and nothing at the same time. You hug your student, take the picture for Instagram, and drive away feeling a cocktail of pride, relief, and a knot in your stomach.
For families of neurodivergent students, that knot often comes with an assumption:
“They had support in high school, so they’ll have support in college.”
I wish it worked that way.
It doesn’t.
What Changes After High School
If your student had an IEP or 504 plan, here’s the reality: those supports don’t automatically transfer to college. You’re starting fresh. And the rules are different.
High school accommodations are driven by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). That law puts the responsibility on the school to find and support students who need help.
College? Different game. Different rulebook. Now it’s the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Those laws protect students from discrimination, but they don’t require schools to go looking for who needs help. The responsibility to self-identify, request accommodations, and provide documentation falls entirely on the student.
Translation:
The college will not “transfer” an IEP or 504 plan from high school.
An IEP or 504 can be useful history, but it’s not enough proof on its own.
Students need documentation from a licensed provider explaining their diagnosis and how it impacts major life activities.
Students must meet with the accessibility/disability services office for an intake meeting before anything is official.
Only then are professors notified. Only then are accommodations active.
And that process can take WEEKS.
Why Waiting is a Trap
College moves fast. In the first month alone, you’ve got new classes, new schedules, new living arrangements, and all the social adjustments that come with it. Falling behind happens quietly at first (a missed quiz here, a rushed paper there) until suddenly it’s midterms and your student is underwater.
If you start the accommodations process at that point, you’re essentially trying to build a lifeboat after the storm has hit. The forms, the meetings, the time it takes to notify professors… it’s all lag time that works against you.
It’s like knowing you’ll need a ladder to reach the top shelf, but deciding you’ll just order it the day you want the jar of pasta sauce. By the time the ladder arrives, the jar is already on the floor in pieces.
Start Before Move-In Day
The smartest move? Start now; weeks before classes begin.
Here’s the order of operations:
Contact the accessibility or disability services office immediately. Don’t wait until you’re unpacking dorm room posters.
Ask exactly what documentation they require. Is it a provider letter? A completed form? Both?
Submit everything before the semester starts. Get it off your plate now.
Book the intake meeting so accommodations are active from day one.
And don’t forget, housing accommodations often have separate forms and deadlines. If your student needs a single room, a quiet location, or approval for an emotional support animal, those requests usually have to be made months before move-in. If you haven’t checked that box yet, call and ask about your options.
Why This Matters (From Someone Who’s Seen It)
I’ve taught college for over a decade, and I coach students one-on-one. I’ve also been the neurodivergent student who needed accommodations myself. I’ve watched brilliant, capable students hit a wall; not because they couldn’t handle the work, but because they didn’t have the right tools in place early enough.
Sometimes the barrier isn’t the academics, it’s the bureaucracy. A missed form, a delay in getting documentation from a doctor, a slow intake process… these things can snowball fast.
Accommodations aren’t “special treatment.” They’re the ramps, the lenses, the hearing aids, the ergonomic chairs of the academic world. Without them, some students are starting the race halfway back. If we’re banning things that give people an advantage, we’d better start collecting eyeglasses, shutting down elevators, and deleting spellcheck while we’re at it.
The Bigger Problem (We’ll Get There)
Yes, the accommodations process in higher education has major flaws; the documentation demands, the slow timelines, the gatekeeping. It’s a system that still favors the institution’s convenience over the student’s immediate needs. That’s a bigger conversation, and one I’ll unpack in another post.
But for now, here’s the takeaway: support delayed is support denied.
Get the paperwork in now. Book the meeting. Make sure your student’s first semester is about learning, not scrambling to get the tools they should have had from the start.
Because in college, the safety net doesn’t arrive on move-in day unless you set it up yourself.
Common Accommodations Students Request
In my work as a professor, coach, and neurodivergent parent, I’ve seen a wide range of accommodations that help students thrive; academically, socially, emotionally, and medically. While every student’s needs are unique, here are some of the most common ones to consider when preparing for that first conversation with the accessibility office:
Academic:
Extended time on tests (time-and-a-half or double time)
Distraction-reduced or quiet testing environment
Permission to record lectures
Copies of lecture notes or slide decks in advance
Priority seating in the classroom
Flexible deadlines for assignments when disability-related needs arise
Social/Emotional:
Reduced course load without penalty
Access to a quiet or low-stimulation space on campus
Modified participation requirements in class discussions
Permission to take breaks during class or labs
Medical/Physical:
Housing accommodations for single rooms, proximity to certain facilities, or quieter dorms
Permission to store and self-administer medication in dorm rooms (including refrigeration for medications like insulin or biologics)
Dining accommodations for food allergies or medically necessary diets (including safe preparation practices)
Access to elevators or ground-floor housing for mobility needs
Flexibility for medical appointments or treatment schedules
These examples are not exhaustive and some of them require very specific documentation, but they can help you think through what your student might benefit from now, rather than waiting until a problem arises.
Before You Call or Email: 10 Questions to Ask the Accommodations Office
It’s one thing to know you need accommodations. It’s another to know what to actually ask so you don’t miss critical details or end up chasing down extra paperwork later. These 10 questions will help you cut through the vague “we’ll be in touch” replies and walk away with a clear plan.
(Screenshot this and bring it to your call or meeting.)
What documentation do you require to approve accommodations?
Can my high school IEP or 504 plan be used as supporting evidence, and how?
How recent does my medical or psychological documentation need to be?
What is the average turnaround time from submitting paperwork to having accommodations active?
Will I need to reapply or renew my accommodations each semester or year?
How and when are professors notified about my accommodations?
Are housing accommodations a separate process, and what are the deadlines?
Do you offer support for non-academic needs (like dining, housing, or transportation) and how do I request them?
If I run into issues with a professor not implementing my accommodations, who do I contact?
Do you have a testing center or quiet testing space, and how far in advance do I need to book it?