Rhode Island Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities

The Shift from IEP to College Accommodations

When a Rhode Island student with a disability exits the K-12 system — whether at graduation or at the 22nd birthday under the K.L. ruling — their IDEA protections end completely. There's no more IEP, no more team meetings, no more school district obligation to identify needs and provide services.

Postsecondary education operates under different laws: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The college must provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access, but the responsibility shifts almost entirely to the student.

This shift is one of the biggest sources of confusion and failure during the transition. Families who've spent years working within the IEP system arrive at college expecting a similar level of structured support, and it doesn't exist.

What Colleges Must Provide (and What They Don't)

Under Section 504 and the ADA, colleges must:

• Provide reasonable accommodations that ensure equal access to programs and activities
• Provide a disability-services process or office where students can register and request accommodations
• Not discriminate against students based on disability in admissions, coursework, or campus life

What colleges are not required to do:

• Identify students with disabilities. Unlike K-12, where the school must evaluate and identify eligible students, colleges wait for the student to self-identify and request services.
• Modify academic standards. Colleges must provide access accommodations (extended time, note-taking services, assistive technology) but are not required to lower academic expectations or fundamentally alter course requirements.
• Provide specialized instruction. An IEP might include one-on-one tutoring or modified curriculum. College disability services provide accommodations, not individualized instruction.
• Monitor progress. There's no annual review, no progress reports on goals, no case manager checking in. The student manages their own accommodations.

Registering with Disability Services

The process typically works like this:

1. Self-identify by contacting the college's disability services office, ideally before the semester starts
2. Submit documentation of the disability — the IEP, most recent evaluation, and the Summary of Performance from the school are usually sufficient, though some institutions require updated testing
3. Meet with a coordinator to discuss what accommodations are appropriate based on the documentation and the student's needs
4. Receive an accommodation letter that the student shares with each professor at the start of the semester

Common accommodations for students with disabilities include extended time on exams (typically time-and-a-half or double time), reduced-distraction testing environments, permission to record lectures, priority course registration, a note-taker or access to lecture notes, and assistive technology.

Rhode Island Institutions

Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) operates an Office of Disability Services across its campuses. Students should contact the office and submit documentation before enrollment to have accommodations in place from day one. CCRI's office is familiar with IEP documentation and transition-age students.

University of Rhode Island (URI) and Rhode Island College (RIC) each maintain their own disability services offices with similar registration processes. The Sherlock Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College has particular expertise in students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, given its role as the state's university center for developmental disabilities.

Private institutions (Brown, Providence College, Bryant, Johnson & Wales, Roger Williams) have their own disability services offices with varying documentation requirements. Check each institution's specific policies early in the application process.

The Summary of Performance Is Critical

The Summary of Performance (SOP) that the school provides before exit is designed to bridge the gap between K-12 services and postsecondary accommodations. A well-written SOP includes:

• Current academic and functional performance levels
• Specific descriptions of how the disability affects learning and daily functioning
• A list of accommodations and services that were effective during high school
• Recommendations for postsecondary support based on the student's documented needs

Push for a thorough SOP. Many schools treat it as a formality and produce a generic document that doesn't give college disability services enough information to determine appropriate accommodations. The SOP should be specific enough that a college coordinator who's never met your child can understand what support they need and why.

Preparing for the Self-Advocacy Requirement

The biggest difference between K-12 and college isn't the accommodations — it's who manages them. In high school, the IEP team coordinates everything. In college, the student must:

• Contact disability services and register
• Share accommodation letters with professors each semester
• Communicate directly with professors when accommodations aren't working
• Request modifications to accommodations as needs change
• Manage their own schedule, medications, and study strategies

Start building these skills during the IEP transition years. The transition plan should include measurable self-advocacy goals: attending IEP meetings and speaking about their needs, requesting accommodations directly from teachers, understanding their disability and its functional impact, and knowing their legal rights under IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA.

Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

For students with intellectual disabilities who want a postsecondary experience but don't follow a traditional academic track, several Rhode Island programs offer inclusive higher education options. These programs — often called Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) programs — provide academic participation alongside non-disabled peers, independent living skills training, and career development.

Students in approved CTP programs may be eligible for federal student aid, including Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, even if they don't have a high school diploma. This is a specific exception in federal financial aid regulations.

The Transition Guide Connection

The postsecondary education conversation should start during the IEP transition years, not after the student exits school. The Rhode Island IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes the full transition timeline from age 14 through 22, including the SOP preparation process and the shift from IEP to Section 504 accommodations. Getting the documentation right during the school years makes the college transition significantly smoother.

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