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Accessibility in Higher Education

Accessibility at Puget Sound

Register for Accommodations

Accessibility in Higher Education

Transition from High School to College

Disability:

Any condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as but not limited to:
- Walking
- Seeing
- Hearing
- Speaking
- Breathing
- Learning
Common types of disabilities may include but are not limited to:
- Mental health conditions
- Chronic health conditions
- Learning disabilities
- ADHD
- Autism
- Sensory conditions
- Physical conditions

Accommodations:

Adjustments or modifications that allow people with disabilities to participate in activities like school or work.

Accommodate:

An online platform that is used by students, faculty, and SAA staff to request, track, and store the details of a student's accommodations and test room bookings.

College Readiness for Students with Disabilities

Disability support works differently in college than it does in K–12, and understanding those differences ahead of time makes the transition easier. This page is written for families and high school staff helping a student prepare for college. It is general information rather than legal advice — policies vary by institution, so check with the disability office at whichever school a student plans to attend.

Section 504 protections follow students into higher education, but an IEP or 504 plan does not carry over automatically.

What changes after high school

Colleges do not provide special education services.
Accommodations remove barriers; they do not change what a course requires. Modified exam content, shortened assignments, and automatic retakes fall outside what colleges typically approve.
Grades reflect mastery of the material rather than effort or time spent.
There is no para-educator support or disability-specific supplemental instruction.

Support beyond accommodations

Accommodations are one piece of a much larger set of resources. Tutoring, academic coaching, and faculty office hours are open to every student and are often exactly what helps.

The role of families

College students are legally adults, and services are provided directly to them. That shift is real, and it is one of the biggest adjustments families describe.

Students drive the process. We can help a student build self-advocacy skills, but they schedule their own appointments, answer their own emails, and talk with staff and faculty about what they need.
A signed release lets us share information with a parent or guardian. It does not allow anyone to act on the student's behalf.
Logging in to a student's account or learning management system on their behalf may run afoul of privacy law. Helping a student build their own system for tracking coursework tends to work better anyway.

The process

Every college has a person or office responsible for determining reasonable accommodations. Names vary — Disability Services, Access Resources, and similar. At Puget Sound, it is Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA).

The student submits a request to begin the process.
Most schools ask for information from a health care or other qualified provider. What counts as adequate documentation differs from school to school.
The student meets with a staff member to talk through how their disability affects them in class or in housing, and what accommodations would help.
Once accommodations are approved, the student works with staff to notify their faculty each term.
If something is not working, the student raises it with the office. We consult with students and faculty as questions come up.

Skills for college success

These are skills students keep developing throughout college — nobody arrives with all of them.

Naming their disability and describing how it affects them
Recognizing their own strengths and challenges as a learner
Asking for help when they need it
Managing their own schedule — getting to class, starting assignments, studying without prompting
Coping strategies for stress and anxiety
Taking usable notes, or using technology to capture lecture material
A system for keeping track of assignments and appointments

All students, including students with disabilities, are held to the same college policies — the student conduct code and academic progress requirements included.

Accommodations create access. They do not guarantee success, and they are not meant to. Students with disabilities have the same right as anyone else to take risks, and to grow from how those risks turn out.

Questions?

Contact Student Accessibility and Accommodation at saa@pugetsound.edu or 253.879.3399.

Adapted with thanks from a resource developed by the Washington Association on Postsecondary Education and Disability (WAPED).

There are fundamental differences between services for students with disabilities in K12 and accommodations appropriate to the higher education environment. The following information is intended to provide students and families with a general understanding of the way accommodations are provided in higher education.

Although Section 504 protections apply to students in both K12 and higher education, accommodations from a high school 504/IEP do not necessarily transfer to college. Special education services are not provided in the post-secondary system.
- Changing exam content, shorting assignments, and allowing test retakes lessens the academic rigor and are not accommodations typically provided in higher education.
- Grades are based on the mastery of course content, not seat time or effort.
- There is no supplemental instruction or para-education specifically for students with disabilities in higher education.

In higher education, students are considered to be adult learners. Colleges provide services to students. The interactive process for obtaining accommodations is student led. A parents' role in this process is one of support for their student in becoming strong self advocates. This could include teaching students how to engage in the process, acting as a check point for students monitoring their progress through the process and/or assisting students in identifying/obtaining necessary documentation. Parents should not attempt to initiate the process for receiving accommodations on their students behalf. Students are required to actively participate in the process. Our accommodations are trained and highly experienced in working with students with disabilities and will do all they can to ensure the student feels supported and heard throughout the process.

Accommodations in higher education are designed to provide equitable access for students with disabilities but do not guarantee success.

Documentation

The Purpose of Documentation

To determine eligibility for disability-related accommodations, the Office of Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) requires documentation that demonstrates how the diagnosis rises to the level of a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Documentation should clearly articulate the student’s functional limitations within the University’s academic, housing, and broader campus environment.

A Note on External Testing Agencies

Documentation requirements may vary across institutions and formal testing bodies. If you plan to seek accommodations on standardized tests (such as graduate school entrance exams or licensure exams), you should review the documentation policies of those testing agencies separately. The documentation guidelines outlined here apply only to the University of Puget Sound’s internal accommodation process.

SAA Guidelines for Documentation

SAA engages in a collaborative process that is responsive to the needs of each individual as advised by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Third-party documentation assists SAA in understanding whether a student has a diagnosis that rises to the level of a disability, how that disability may impact a student in the academic, housing, or other campus related environment, and in making informed decisions about reasonable accommodations.

Please note that you can meet with an SAA Accommodation Specialist before submitting documentation. Accommodation Specialists can discuss any documentation needs during your Welcome Meeting.

Examples of different types of Disability-related Documentation that may contain relevant information:

Neuropsychological or educational evaluation
Educational records, such as a high school accommodation plan (IEP, 504 plan, etc.)
Medical Records, including vision assessment, audiology report, etc.
A letter from an appropriate healthcare professional, on letterhead, which confirms a diagnosis/impact of the disability
SAA has created a Documentation of Disability Form for your provider to complete. This form is designed to guide the provider in submitting necessary elements needed to make an eligibility determination.

This is not an exhaustive list and SAA may request additional documentation to understand the disability's impact, the described obstacle, and the requested accommodation. If questions arise, SAA will work with students to determine next steps in obtaining necessary documentation.

Material has been adopted from the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).

SAA’s goal is to provide access without creating obstacles. If you experience any trouble during this process, please reach out to SAA (saa@pugetsound.edu) for support.

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Accessibility at Puget Sound

Register

-Register for Disability Accommodations via a Request for Accommodations Form.
Documentation

-Submit any documentation you have such as a Documentation of Disability Form, 504 Plan, IEP and Medical Documents.
Meet with SAA

-You will attend an Initial Meeting with an Accommodation Specialist to discuss potential accommodations. After your initial meeting and receipt of necessary documentation, students will be scheduled to attend a “How To” (access and use your accommodations) Meeting.
Implementation

-This process generally takes two weeks from initial request to implementation of accommodations.

Disability-Related Accommodations

Reasons for requesting academic accommodations:

Learning disabilities
Mental health disabilities that impact major life activities
Physical disabilities that impact major life activities
Previously received accommodations through IEP/504

Process for requesting academic accommodations:

Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) reviews requests for reasonable academic accommodations based on disability. Through an interactive process, SAA works with you to determine whether a requested accommodation is necessary to give you an equal opportunity to access your courses.
SAA is only involved in academic accommodation requests that are directly related to disability. Other academic matters, such as missed classes due to short term illness, bereavement leave, or medical leave of absence, should be directed to the Dean of Students office.

Academic accommodation deadlines:

To be guaranteed full consideration, requests should be submitted as early as possible. Disability-related academic accommodations should be reviewed and approved by the third week of the semester. Requests received afterward will be reviewed and implemented for the remainder of the semester. Please note, accommodations cannot be applied retroactively.

Reasons for requesting housing accommodations:

Physical disabilities that impact major life activities
Mental health disabilities that impact major life activites
Life threatening allergies
Emotional Support Animal

Process for requesting housing accommodations:

Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) reviews requests for reasonable housing accommodations based on disability. Through an interactive process, SAA works with you to determine whether a requested accommodation is necessary to give you an equal opportunity to use and enjoy campus housing.
SAA is only involved in housing requests that are directly related to disability. Other housing matters, such as roommate conflicts, general placement preferences, or financial concerns about living on campus, should be directed to Residence Life.

Deadlines for requesting housing accommodations:

To be guaranteed full consideration, requests should be submitted as early as possible. Disability-related housing accommodations must be reviewed and approved by July 1st; requests received afterward will still be reviewed but may not be immediately available for implementation.
Because housing assignments depend on availability, submitting your request before room selection provides the best chance of a suitable placement. If an appropriate space is not available when an accommodation is approved, you'll be notified and given information about availability or waitlist status.

Life threatening allergies
Eating disorders that impact major life activities
Medical conditions that impact dietary restrictions, including limitations on the type or amount of food consumed
Contact SAA for more information on dining accommodation requests.

Information about short-term accommodations:

At the University of Puget Sound, we are committed to the health and well-being of our students. For students who need academic support while recovering from a short-term condition, Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) provides reasonable accommodations and adjustments throughout the recovery process.

Short-term accommodations are brief adjustments that ensure equal access during a recovery period of less than six months. Short-term disabilities are conditions that temporarily prevent a student from fully participating in academic activities and create a genuine need for accommodations or modifications so the student can continue their studies.

Reasons for requesting short-term accommodations:

Concussions
Recovery from surgery, illness, or injury (including athletic injuries)
Medical conditions lasting several weeks but less than six months
Fractures

The following are generally not considered short-term disabilities. In these cases, students should follow up with their professors and/or the Dean of Students:

Flu
COVID-19
Colds
Family emergencies

There are three ways a student can get connected with Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) for short-term accommodations:

Referral from CHWS - A provider at Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services can refer a student to SAA.
Referral from Athletics - Athletics staff can refer a student recovering from an injury or condition.
Self-referral - Students can reach out to us directly.

To begin, email us at saa@pugetsound.edu or call us at extension 3399.

New & Prospective Loggers

Office of Student Accessibility & Accommodations

Director

Assistant Director

Accommodation & Testing Supervisor

Access Specialist