New and Admitted Students
Welcome!
Congratulations on your acceptance to Cornell! If you have decided that Cornell is the place for you, welcome to our community! Below you will find more information about how to work with Student Disability Services (SDS), and how to request disability accommodations.
If you‘re still figuring out if you want to attend Cornell, a part of that decision process may be learning about how disability accommodations work at Cornell. The information below may help you make that decision.
Wherever you are in the process, we are here to answer your questions. Again, congratulations on your acceptance and thank you for learning more about Student Disability Services!
Registering with Student Disability Services
If you will be enrolling at Cornell, we recommend self-disclosing your disability and requesting any needed accommodations well in advance. This gives us as much time as possible to work with you to put an accommodation plan in place and arrange any needed services before you start at Cornell.
Here are our suggested deadlines for requesting disability accommodations or services:
- Incoming first year students: let us know by June 15th
(or by May 15th if your request involves disability-related housing needs) - Transfer students: July 1st
- Incoming graduate or professional students: June 15th
(if your request involves disability-related housing needs, please reach out as soon as possible)
You start this process by submitting a “Disability Self-Disclosure Form” to our office. Please visit our Get Started page to access that form and to learn more about what information is helpful to share with us. We look forward to reviewing your submitted information and connecting with you in the coming weeks.
How do disability services differ between high school and college?
At the high school level, accommodations are determined proactively through meetings with teachers, family members or caregivers, and school staff. However, in college you are responsible for being your own self-advocate, including using the disability accommodation process at your school to request and use disability accommodations. You can still ask your family or caregivers for guidance and share whatever information you wish to with them, but the college will only directly communicate with you about your access and accommodations.
Disability Accommodations: High School vs. College
In the U.S., disability accommodations look different from high school to college. In college, students are empowered to advocate for themselves. This chart helps take the guesswork out of what to expect
| Category | High School | College |
|---|---|---|
| Governing Laws | IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), and applicable state laws | Section 504, ADA (Americans with Disability Act), and applicable state laws |
| Accommodation Plan | IEP (Individualized Education Program), 504 Plan, or private school arrangements | Accommodation Plan requested through college's disability services office |
| Who Identifies the Student's Needs | School identifies and evaluates students for services | Student must self-identify and make formal request to receive accommodations |
| Who Advocates for Student | Parents, special education teachers, and staff advocate on behalf of the student | Student is responsible for advocating for themselves |
| Parental Role | Parents are legally involved in the process, attend meetings, and give consent | Limited by FERPA; parents cannot access records or advocate unless the student consents |
| Confidentiality | Schools share info with parents, educators, and related staff per IDEA | Protected by FERPA—only the student can grant access to disability-related records or communication |
| Required Documentation | Schools (or outside evaluators) conduct evaluations and provide documentation needed for IEP or 504 Plan | If needed by school, students are responsible for arranging and submitting current, formal documentation showing how the disability impacts access to learning or program |
| Type of Support Provided | Can include modifications (e.g., shortened assignments, alternate tests) and accommodations | Only reasonable accommodations—no modifications to course objectives or academic standards |
| Teacher Involvement | Teachers implement accommodations and may modify instruction or grading | Professors implement accommodations but do not modify curriculum or essential course elements |
| Implementation Monitoring | School staff monitor progress and ensure implementation of the IEP/504 Plan | Student is responsible for initiating and managing accommodation use |
| Assistive Technology | School must provide technology if it is part of a student’s IEP or 504 Plan | Student can request; colleges may provide it as a reasonable accommodation if appropriate |
| Transition Planning | Required by IDEA starting by age 16 (sometimes age 14 depending on the state) in public schools | Not legally required in college; student must plan independently or with outside support |
SDS staff are here to help you navigate this transition. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Placement Exams
Before your classes begin, your college may have you take a placement exam to determine which sequence of courses to enroll in (e.g., math, languages). If you have been approved for exam accommodations by our office, and you are taking your placement exam at Cornell, we can provide you with a letter verifying your approved accommodations to share with the department coordinating the exam. Email our office to let us know.
Be sure to share this letter with that department as far in advance of the exam as possible. The communication you receive from your school/program will let you know who to contact for questions about your placement exams, but when in doubt, you can also contact your school/college for help. Our office is not notified of when/where these exams take place.
Learn More
We have a frequently asked questions page that addresses many questions that you may have about Cornell and disability accommodations.
Our website is also a good resource for information as well. Please explore it to learn more about:
- Information on specific accommodations
- Using accommodations at Cornell
- Your rights and responsibilities
- Disability-related student organizations on campus