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There are significant barriers asking and negotiating disability supports and accommodation at a college/higher education level. There is also a lack of awareness and education of the rules and expectations on both the learner and the educator.

A recent question seemed to describe a disruptive student who did not want to accept supports due to parental disapproval. There was some confusion whether FERPA rules covered disability notification and whether parents are routinely contacted when disability accommodations are requested.

There might also be barriers if students require new assessment documentations as their childhood assessments may not be recent enough. Access to healthcare may mean that parents are notified by health providers. Students may also need to request accommodations when they are not fully aware of their limitations and available supports.

I guess I am keen to clarify the rules around FERPA and parental notification: to what degree is notification required?

Students who are over 18 or attending college (often times 17 year olds) have control of their educational records under FERPA. The individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is consistent with FERPA so that the student controls access to this information too.

Students can waive their FERPA rights and often do so. Since parents are typically paying some or all of the cost of college, they can effectively force the student to waive their FERPA rights. Many parents do this so that they can monitor their child's grades.

Another issue is that in order to get disability accomodations a student will normally need a medical diagnosis. Students who have reached the age of majority (18 in most states) can see a provider and get a diagnosis without parental consent or notification and can keep this confidential under the HIPAA (the federal law on privacy of medical records.)

However, there's also the issue of how the student could pay for this medical diagnosis. Since there's a potential conflict of interest for the college to provide the diagnosis (because of the costs of accommodation they might want to avoid diagnosing a disability) or just because it costs money, colleges often won't provide this service to students through their clinics. The student would have to see an outside provider. The parents' insurance might pay for this, but then the parents would know that the child was getting medical care (but not the specific medical information which still is protected under HIPAA.)