Counselors or Clinical Providers

Chances are, if a student qualifies for services in high school, then the student will likely qualify in college. Students with a variety of conditions and disabilities may request accommodations at any time. Some students consider not using their accommodations in college but we strongly encourage students to use their accommodations.  The environment and the process is different, and the students who use them are typically very happy they did. One important thing to remember is that if the student plans to enter a program that will require a standardized exam for licensure, certification etc., then it is much easier for the student to receive accommodations on those exams if they’ve been registered with the Accessible Education Center (example: teacher exams, nursing exams, etc.).

Documents and forms generated by the school system (IEP, 504 plans etc.) may be used in determining accommodations but they are not used to determine whether the student qualifies for services. Typically, for that, we need copies of the actual testing or evaluations that were originally used to develop the IEP or the 504.

If the diagnosis is psychological or emotional we will need documentation from a clinical psychologist, if the diagnosis is medical, we will need documentation from a medical professional. The AEC team reserves the right to request documentation from a specialist if needed.  The key to documentation is ensuring that it is current (within the last three years typically, but it depends on the disability). It is best for students to be retested before the leave high school to avoid having to pay for outside documentation. They may also get updated documentation from other providers, doctors, or psychologists etc.

An important note for School Counselors:  Annual re-certification, modified reevaluations and such are not sufficient to meet the requirement for current documentation. The student must provide documentation of having been fully evaluated by the appropriate professional within the last three years.  (For example, we are unable to use documentation for specific learning disability or dyslexia from the third grade. The student must be retested.)  

Please review our documentation guidelines below for more specific information.

If a student has a diagnosis, chances are the student qualifies for some sort of reasonable accommodation(s). 

Here are just a few examples and this is not an exhaustive list: ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Crohn's, diverticulitis, food allergies, diabetes, sleep disorders, OCD, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, emotional disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, depression, bi-polar disorder, seizure disorders, misophobia and many more.