What are Your Rights while in College/University?

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Accommodations

The transition between high school and college can be tough for any student. For many, college is the first time you are on your own and are responsible for taking care of yourself. You will have more freedom in choosing how you schedule your day-to-day life than ever before. At the same time, your college will expect more from you in your classes and extracurricular activities.

The transition can be even more difficult when you have OCD/anxiety. However, there’s good news — there are many things you can do to make your transition to and time at college that much easier. With the proper planning and resources, it’s entirely possible to enjoy your college experience while keeping your OCD/anxiety in check.

For college students, learning how to self-advocate is an essential part in helping you thrive in your new environment. You can leverage resources and tools that are available to you. You are your own best advocate. No one knows what you need better than you, the person who has had to live with your symptoms on a day-to-day basis.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

It’s important to familiarize yourself with your rights. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures equal access and opportunities to individuals with several kinds of disabilities that hinder major life activities. These laws provide you protection and require private and public institutions to make certain reasonable accommodations.

Under the ADA, colleges are not required to give you any aid or accommodations unless you inform them that you have a disability. This means that you — along with your family and therapist, if you have one — will be responsible for starting the process of seeking out and receiving accommodations that will help you succeed.

Each college has its own procedures on how to receive accommodations. Be sure to contact your school’s disability center in advance to see if they need anything specific from you.

To get what you need from your college, you should be prepared to:

ASSESS

Figure out what accommodations would work best for you.

It is especially important that your accommodations suit your needs when you have OCD/anxiety. OCD/anxiety symptoms can be incredibly specific, and vary wildly from person to person. An accommodation that works for one student with OCD/anxiety can make another student’s symptoms worse.

If you’re having trouble figuring out exactly what you need from your college, here are some ideas to get you started:

If you had a 504 plan or an individualized education program (IEP) in either your primary or secondary school, you can use it as a basis for any aid you request going forward. Think about what aspects worked in the past, and if they would work in a college setting.
Brainstorm with your licensed mental health care provider or your family.
Reach out to your disability center or office and ask them about the kinds of accommodations they generally offer students.

PREPARE

Most colleges will require some sort of paperwork before they offer any accommodations to their students.

Note that every college will have slightly different requirements for what documentation they need from you. Make sure to ask your disabilities office what kinds of documentation they require before setting up a meeting with one of the staff. If the paperwork for academic support is taking longer than you expected, make sure your professors know that you are working with the college/university to ensure everyone knows what accommodations you have.

Once you have all the materials you need, set up an appointment with your college’s disabilities office.

Remember that, under the ADA, your college cannot give you any aid unless you inform them that you have a disability. Before your college can give you any accommodations, you will need to tell them about your OCD/anxiety, give them any documentation they require, and formally register with the office. Once you have registered, you can negotiate with the staff and speak to them about what kinds of accommodations you need for your OCD/anxiety. Your college will then offer you a set of aids they are prepared to give you.

REVIEW

After your school offers you accommodations, think about whether or not they will work for you.

If you asked for something specific, remember that your college may not be able to give it to you because it is not considered a reasonable accommodation. For example, you can request to be in your own room to better help with your OCD. But the college may not be able to provide this (does not hurt to ask). At the same time, it’s important that your accommodations fit your needs. Your disabilities office should work with you, your family, and your licensed mental health professional until you manage to get accommodations that will be effective for you.

Remember that OCD/anxiety symptoms can wax and wane over time. Your symptoms may become mild enough to have no accommodation. Or, other symptoms may flare up that require new accommodations. In other cases, you may find that the aid you are receiving simply isn’t as effective as it could be. If, as the semester goes on, you find that you want to stop using an accommodation or request a new one, contact your disabilities office.

Advocate for yourself. If you have established accommodations with your college and experience a delay in receiving them, don’t hesitate to speak up and ask questions. Respectfully follow up and make sure you are getting what you need from your school.

Disclosing: Who should know?

For the purpose of obtaining accommodations, you will need to disclose your OCD/anxiety to the school personnel that need to know. This may include the disability resource center staff, your academic advisor, and/or an admission officer. You can also ask your college about their confidentiality policies to better understand rules around disclosing to faculty.

However, disclosing to anyone outside of the school personnel that are on a “need-to-know” basis is completely up to you. You have the freedom to decide what information you want to share and whom you choose to share it with.

What if I need to take a leave of absence?

Before taking a leave it’s important to know that you also have the option of deferring. Many schools, when accepted, allow you to defer your acceptance for one semester or a year with no reason given.

The decision to take some time off from school is not an easy one. If you are currently working with a licensed mental health professional to combat your OCD/anxiety, staying in school may actually be helpful for your treatment. College will present you with a number of triggers that will give you the experience and the practice you (alongside a mental health professional) will need in order to deal with the anxiety that OCD/anxiety creates. If your symptoms become too severe, however, you may need to take some time away from school to recover. When this happens, you have the option of taking a medical leave.

Each college has its own policies on how they handle leaves of absence. You should talk to your academic advisor or the Dean of Students office.

Before you take a leave of absence:

Many colleges will require a student to reapply if they are not registered as a full- or part-time student for a long enough period of time. How long will your college allow you to be on leave before they need you to reapply?
Going on leave once the semester has already started will have an effect on the classes you are taking. Ask if you will need to take incompletes on these courses or if your school will let you retroactively withdraw. Will your college refund you the tuition for these courses? Will you have to pay a partial amount?
How will a medical leave affect any financial aid you’re receiving? Will it have any impact on when you are expected to begin paying off your loans? If so, is it possible to get a grace period while you’re on medical leave? Talk to your school’s Office of Financial Aid to find out more.

Before you return:

Before returning to school, you must have an administrative official approve your re-entry. It may be helpful to talk to your advisor or the Dean of Students Office about how your college handles that decision, along with what they would require from you.

Note that colleges can, in some situations, require students to take a leave of absence. They can only do so, however, under extreme circumstances. A college must prove that the student is a danger to themself before they are allowed to put them on mandatory leave.

Insurance

It is important to know your rights when it comes to mental health coverage. Per healthcare.gov, if your caregivers’ insurance covers dependents, you can remain on their plan until you are 26. If you're in school, you may be able to enroll in a student health plan — and meet the requirement for having coverage under the health care law. You can even pick a "Catastrophic" health plan as a way to protect yourself mainly from worst-case scenarios. If you’re over 26, click here to learn how you can get your own healthcare coverage.

If you would like to know more about your rights and understand your health coverage that you have, click here. Lastly, don’t forget to reach out to your health center at your school/university.