Academic Services

Families are an essential part of any student’s life. The parent/guardian may continue to offer the student advice and support to navigate college resources, however, it is the responsibility of the student to communicate their needs with our office. Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) does not allow sharing of a student's confidential information with anyone (including families) unless specifically stated by the student in a contract with our office. If you still have questions, you are welcome to contact SAS at access@brandeis.edu or call the Academic Services main phone line at 781-736-3470 to request to speak with a SAS staff member.

The students are in charge of the confidential information about their accommodations. Typically, the students request and pick up their accommodation letters from SAS to give to their faculty which outlines the reasonable accommodations that the student is receiving. Parents can discuss this information with their student after they meet with SAS.

Transition to college can be stressful for the student as well as the families. You are a very important person in your young adult’s life. You can always arrange for a specific time to communicate with your student during the week. Keeping in touch via social media, email, and instant messaging can also be comforting to the student as well as you. You can also check the Parents and Families Brandeis page for more information.

You are welcome to reach out to SAS if you are concerned about your student at access@brandeis.edu or call the Academic Services main phone line at 781-736-3470 to request to speak with a SAS staff member.

You can also contact Dvora Pemstein, Director of Family Engagement and Student Affairs Communications at pemstein@brandeis.edu or 781-736-8717. For more resources, check the Parents and Families Brandeis page.

Families can play an essential role in the student’s transition from high school to college. While parents are no longer directing the process, you are a guide that the students often look up to. You can help your student in this transition process by taking the following measures:

• Update documentation: Often, reevaluation prior to graduation from high school is a good idea which can be requested at their current school. The accommodations at the college level are determined based on current documentation as well as functional limitations of the condition/-s. For more information, please check the following section on Providing Documentation on SAS website.
• Register with SAS: Encourage your student to register with Student Accessibility Support (SAS) and seek support for reasonable accommodations. We are always available at access@brandeis.edu for any support, concerns, or questions.
• Understanding the difference: Help your student to understand the difference between receiving accommodations in high school versus the college level. We encourage you to take a look at the chart provided below that provides information on the key differences between high school and college for accommodations.  
• Self-Awareness: Help your student to acknowledge their condition and understand the limitations that might come with it. The more self-aware students are, the better they will be able to know how to access and use appropriate resources.
• Self-Advocacy: Help your student to find their “voice.”  Help them become more independent in taking academic decisions and seeking support for concerns. This will help them to develop self-advocacy skills which will make them grow into a more confident and responsible adult.
• Practice Independent Skills: Help your student to learn how to schedule and manage their time effectively. This includes building skills like self-regulation, creating schedules, completing tasks independently, etc.  

Kindergarten-12th Grade (IDEA)	Higher Education/College (ADA & ADAAA)
The Parent is the advocate.	The Student must self-advocate.
Education is a RIGHT and must be provided in appropriate environments to ALL individuals.	Education is NOT A RIGHT. Students must meet certain admissions criteria and be defined under the ADA as “otherwise qualified.”
School districts are responsible to identify students’ disabilities.	Students must SELF-IDENTIFY to Student Accessibility Support.
School districts must provide free testing, evaluation, and transportation to programs.	Students must provide transportation as well as current and appropriate documentation. If the documentation is insufficient, students may obtain evaluations at their own cost.
School districts develop Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans.	No IEPs/504 plans are developed in college, as there is no special education. IEPs/504 plans from high school do not apply in college and need not be submitted for services.
School districts are responsible for providing all IEP/504 plans supports and services.	Students are responsible for activating and using approved services every semester.
Teachers are expected to learn all they can about a student’s disability	Professors only need to know the accommodation the student is requesting unless the student wants to share anything with them about their condition.
Fundamental alterations of programs and curricula are required.	No fundamental alterations are required. All students are expected to meet the same course objectives as their peers.
Personal services for medical/physical disabilities are required.	No personal services are required. Universities do not provide any personal services (i.e. personal care attendants.)

You can encourage your student to take the first important step towards receiving accommodations at Brandeis by submitting documentation of their condition. For more information on what kind of documentation we are looking for, we encourage you and your student to please check the Student Accessibility Support and Educational Testing Services websites. It is good for the student to send in documentation to Student Accessibility Support as soon as they matriculate at Brandeis, in order for us to have enough time to review their documentation and understand their needs for accommodations.  

Once a student commits to Brandeis and submits documentation for their condition, Student Accessibility Support will reach out to them for setting up a meeting with a SAS staff member. The accommodations at Brandeis are determined through an interactive process between the student and SAS staff member after review of their submitted documentation and functionality needs.

In order to provide accommodations at the college level, current documentation is required. “Current documentation” can look different based on the condition and you can find more criteria for documentation on the Educational Testing Services website. The accommodations at Brandeis are determined on the basis of the eligibility of the student based on their documentation and functional limitations.