![]() 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 think it’s important to make this distinction so that students know what to expect. I suspect that most of these college “504 plans” look are simply notification messages and don’t function as true “plans,” using such a definition. 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. Some offices call these notification documents a “504 plan” even though they don’t actually lay out a “plan.” Typically, when they approve students for accommodations, disability services offices create a letter or electronic message to inform professors of the accommodations for which students have been approved. But I suspect that in some of these situations, there may be a misunderstanding about what these documents are and what they do. Obviously, 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.) 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. ![]() They mistakenly believe that 504s are valid at college because Section 504 covers colleges. 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. ![]() (Read this post and/or watch this video to learn more.) IDEA doesn’t cover colleges, so IEPs essentially “expire” once students are out of high school, and they don’t “tranfer” to colleg either. One central fact is important to understand – neither IEPs or 504 plans are not valid once students either graduate from high school or age out of the system. Roots of Changing Terms: Shifting Laws and Shifting Mandates ![]()
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