Ensuring Success: Accommodations as a Lifeline for College Students

This Parent Perspective comes from Hilary Sloat, a career educator and mom of 2. She shares her experience with her daughter’s IEP accommodations from elementary school through college.

As a parent, you always want the best for your child. You are their first teacher, and when you send them to school, you know you will be their best advocate.

The First IEP or 504 Meeting

Sitting through the first IEP or 504 meeting brings about so many emotions.

There’s a sense of relief that your child will get the help they need, but it also brings about feelings of uncertainty. There’s worry about the future and what life after high school will look like for your child.

As an educator, I was conflicted about how an IEP would impact the learning and the rigor my daughter would receive.

• Would she be taught material that would not prepare her for an education past K-12 schooling? 
• Would my daughter be offered the classes she wanted to take in high school?

We signed the paperwork for her in third grade, yet her post-secondary aspirations were on my mind.

From Elementary School to High School

Going through elementary school, you had one teacher for your child, and you got to know them well. In secondary, understanding how your child is doing takes a little bit more effort.

The goal was always to equip our daughter with what she needed. The accommodations section held her lifelines to an equal playing field. 

She needed her extended time and would carry around extra copies of her paperwork to ensure her teachers followed the legal document.

Our daughter became her own self-advocate.

From Post-Secondary Classes to a 4-Year College

Taking college classes in high school was an option for our daughter, and she was excited to try it. The first item to complete was to meet with the college advocate.

Armed with our binder of test documents, previous IEP’s and 504 documents, we entered the appointment ready to fight.

Honestly, we were quickly disarmed as the advocate at the college went above and beyond to ensure our daughter had exactly what she needed. The advocate listed accommodations we had never thought of and offered our daughter beyond what she needed to be successful.

The college aimed to equip students with what they needed to ensure success. We were astonished that it could be that easy. College was a real possibility for our child. She was provided with exactly what she needed. 

Even as she transitioned into a four-year college, she noted that the accommodations were easy to request. She did not have to worry about talking to her teachers individually. She could press a button on an email, and all her professors were informed of her academic needs. 

Our Note

As professors, we recognize our responsibility to students with disabilities. We want all of our students to have a good experience and be successful!

Our university has made the process very easy for students to get what they need.

Whether you’re applying to college or you’re already a college student, schedule a meeting with the school’s disability services office. Find out how they handle accommodations for students who have an IEP or 504 in high school.