Does anyone have personal experience with how Elon is with students who had an IEP in high school and who need some minor accommodations for special needs (such as extra time)?
I don’t have experience with this yet, but I do have a child who is still a junior in high school and are in the process of transitioning him from an IEP to a 504. Our understanding is IEPs carry no weight with colleges, but 504s do. You may need to have an evaluation to get the accommodations at the college level as well (similar to what you had to do to get the IEP). (You may already be familiar with the process, but figured I would mention it as we are just starting to investigate accommodations at colleges ourselves)
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My S did not attend Elon but he did get an accommodation of time and a half at his college. It appeared that every college (at least the ones my S considered including grad schools) had a similar process. I would have your S contact Elon’s Office of Disability Services (or do it together – maybe arrange for a visit to the office if Elon isn’t far away) to get details – be sure to get a clear understanding of exactly what documentation/testing is required, how recent the testing must be etc. to get the accommodation in college.
I’ve detailed below how the process worked for my S.
–First your S will need to get approval from the Office of Disability Services for the accommodation. Contact them to see what documentation/testing is necessary and how recent it needs to be. I’d strongly recommend that this be in place prior to his starting college.
–At the start of each semester the Office of Disability Services will prepare a letter (I think one for each class but I was not involved in the details) stating the accommodation.
–It will be up to your S to show each professor the letter and work out testing accommodations. I remember my S’s professors handled it in a number of different ways (sometimes taking the test in the learning center, sometimes starting with the class and finishing in the professor’s office, and various other combinations) so some flexibility is needed. For some exams my S did not feel he needed the extra time and he would let the professor know in advance that he would take the exam with the rest of the class.
In general your S will have to be proactive to get the extra time. As I recall, my S’s professors both in undergrad and grad school were typically gracious about the accommodation.
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Thank you!
Thank you for the info!
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An IEP is under the IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, so only applies to those in an elementary or secondary school. It ends with high school graduation. However, some colleges will accept an IEP and make the accommodations but there is no law requiring them to do so and you have no recourse if they refuse. There is also no way to update an IEP once out of high school.
A 504 Plan is under the Americans with Disabilities act and will not “expire” but may need to be updated periodically. It can include accommodations that are not just for education but for life skills and other things like housing.
I’m aware but thank you. Just looking for people with personal experience at Elon with any accommodations. Thanks though!